Dingwall Owners Club

[Selta]

So there's no chance of any NOS from the factory... bummer.

At present, that's correct. I know @Sheldon D. has made some remarks about them possibly becoming a product, by having the shells get 3D printed. With how slammed they are with everything else, and the likely low demand of these, I doubt much headway have been made there. Now that I have my Green 6er here, and I'm contenmplating selling off one of the old AB1s for the deposit on just one more build, it's become less of a priority for me.

 

[singlemalt]

Pictures would help.

I put P tones in if a Dingwall didn't already have one. One in an AB-1 fiver, another in a Super J fiver.

I changed the wiring from parallel to series on four wire pickups. This is easy, quick, and reversible. Adding a switch is another option.

I always run my basses in the passive mode, so if it has a pre amp, I like the Glovkenlang for its transparency. But I would never go so far as to replace, or add a pre.

The passive tone circuits on these basses are super flexible.

I'm not familiar with the dark glass version.

Somebody who knows more will be along momentarily. Pics would help us sort out just what you have going on.

 

[kirkdickinson]

Yesterday, I played an ESP LTD B-1005SE multi-scale and found I actually liked the sound coming out of that instrument a little better.

Really? Must sound different in person than on YouTube. As a Dingwall Combustion owner, I am always curious about similar instruments. I looked this up on Youtube. It looks like a killer ESP, but doesn't sound killer in any of the demos. Every Dingwall video I have seen has better tone.

 

[Charlzm]

Really? Must sound different in person than on YouTube. As a Dingwall Combustion owner, I am always curious about similar instruments. I looked this up on Youtube. It looks like a killer ESP, but doesn't sound killer in any of the demos. Every Dingwall video I have seen has better tone.

I A/B'd them through an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 with EQ flat. The Dingwall sounded great, but the ESP sounded ever-so-slightly better to my ears. YMMV, IMHO, ETC...

 

[evilgus]

I A/B'd them through an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 with EQ flat. The Dingwall sounded great, but the ESP sounded ever-so-slightly better to my ears. YMMV, IMHO, ETC...

What body-wood is your Afterburner? The way you described the ESP is all the properties of an ash body, IMO. No amount of pickup or pre-amp swapping is going to get that.

EG

 

[Charlzm]

What body-wood is your Afterburner? The way you described the ESP is all the properties of an ash body, IMO. No amount of pickup or pre-amp swapping is going to get that.

EG

I already posted this in another thread, but I'll throw it in here. Didn't want to start a debate about which bass is better, but I do want to get a beefier sound out of the Dingwall...


I got to demo a B-1005SE today at ESP's showroom in Burbank. I brought my 2004 Dingwall Afterburner I for comparison.

I plugged into the Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 mini-stack in their showroom and demoed the bass.

The first thing that struck me was the weight. Consider the Dingwall is about 15 years old and may have dried out a bit, losing some weight. Also, the alder body, flame maple top and all-maple neck of the Dingwall is almost certainly lighter than the LTD's swamp ash body, rosewood top and wenge/bubinga neck. According to Dingwall's website, the average weight of an Afterburner I is about 8.5 pounds. I'd guess the LTD to be between 10 and 11 pounds.

The tone of the LTD is deep and articulate. With everything set flat, the lows spoke with barking authority, never becoming boomy, while the highs had a mid-rangey voicing that made them almost sound as if they're fretless, or had chorus on them. The higher up on the neck I played, the sweeter the sound got. The Nordstrand pickups and ESP's own EQ really seemed to work well together.

I switched the bass to passive but didn't like the tone nearly as much, even with the EQ flat.

I plugged in the Dingwall and found the sound to be less assertive than the LTD, somewhat thinner but even more articulate. Bear in mind this bass has had a Darkglass tone capsule installed but I left the EQ flat for comparison. As old as it is, I don't know if it has neodymium or alnico pickups.

Aesthetically, I just don't like the look of the rosewood top on the LTD anywhere near as much as I liked the Dingwall's whale pool blue burst over flame maple.

Hardware on the LTD felt solid; a big plus was the Hipshot solo hardware; every string has its own bridge.

 

[AB Nate]

I already posted this in another thread, but I'll throw it in here. Didn't want to start a debate about which bass is better, but I do want to get a beefier sound out of the Dingwall...


I got to demo a B-1005SE today at ESP's showroom in Burbank. I brought my 2004 Dingwall Afterburner I for comparison.

I plugged into the Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 mini-stack in their showroom and demoed the bass.

The first thing that struck me was the weight. Consider the Dingwall is about 15 years old and may have dried out a bit, losing some weight. Also, the alder body, flame maple top and all-maple neck of the Dingwall is almost certainly lighter than the LTD's swamp ash body, rosewood top and wenge/bubinga neck. According to Dingwall's website, the average weight of an Afterburner I is about 8.5 pounds. I'd guess the LTD to be between 10 and 11 pounds.

The tone of the LTD is deep and articulate. With everything set flat, the lows spoke with barking authority, never becoming boomy, while the highs had a mid-rangey voicing that made them almost sound as if they're fretless, or had chorus on them. The higher up on the neck I played, the sweeter the sound got. The Nordstrand pickups and ESP's own EQ really seemed to work well together.

I switched the bass to passive but didn't like the tone nearly as much, even with the EQ flat.

I plugged in the Dingwall and found the sound to be less assertive than the LTD, somewhat thinner but even more articulate. Bear in mind this bass has had a Darkglass tone capsule installed but I left the EQ flat for comparison. As old as it is, I don't know if it has neodymium or alnico pickups.

Aesthetically, I just don't like the look of the rosewood top on the LTD anywhere near as much as I liked the Dingwall's whale pool blue burst over flame maple.

Hardware on the LTD felt solid; a big plus was the Hipshot solo hardware; every string has its own bridge.

I've played one of those ltds at a local shop and although I personally do like the look and I'm a nordy fan, it was an over price block of wasted wood Imo. The neck I found unpleasant and the weight would make it sink nicely to the bottom of a fast movin river. I think it's built better then the ibby FF but you better plan on sitting down with that thing.

I cannot attest for the comparisons of tones your having but as mentioned I'd check the wiring on your pick ups. It has been modded as you mentioned already so that surely would be a starting point.
Another consideration is maybe strings? And at the end of the day those nordstand pick ups really do slay so maybe the old Dingwall pick ups may just be due for an upgrade if your not satisfied. Does Carey make a Dingwall pick up replacement? Just a thought?

 

[Paul M]

I already posted this in another thread, but I'll throw it in here. Didn't want to start a debate about which bass is better, but I do want to get a beefier sound out of the Dingwall...


I got to demo a B-1005SE today at ESP's showroom in Burbank. I brought my 2004 Dingwall Afterburner I for comparison. ...
I switched the bass to passive but didn't like the tone nearly as much, even with the EQ flat.

I plugged in the Dingwall and found the sound to be less assertive than the LTD, somewhat thinner but even more articulate. Bear in mind this bass has had a Darkglass tone capsule installed but I left the EQ flat for comparison. As old as it is, I don't know if it has neodymium or alnico pickups.

Almost all Afterburner pickups have neodymium magnets. I think they only started to offer alnico recently. The pickups in the early Afterburners had their coils internally wired in parallel. This made the tone clear and clean but relatively lower in output level. Those same pickups are much more aggressive and powerful when wired in series. The newer versions of the FD-3 pickup have 4 conductors so you can wire them either way or toggle them. I have a 2006 passive Afterburner 1 with toggled pickups. Articulate is a good description of the tone but when even just one of the pickups is toggled to series mode, it is a very solid sound. This combined with the reasonably priced TC Spectracomp, I don't miss having an onboard preamp.

 

[Charlzm]

Almost all Afterburner pickups have neodymium magnets. I think they only started to offer alnico recently. The pickups in the early Afterburners had their coils internally wired in parallel. This made the tone clear and clean but relatively lower in output level. Those same pickups are much more aggressive and powerful when wired in series. The newer versions of the FD-3 pickup have 4 conductors so you can wire them either way or toggle them. I have a 2006 passive Afterburner 1 with toggled pickups. Articulate is a good description of the tone but when even just one of the pickups is toggled to series mode, it is a very solid sound. This combined with the reasonably priced TC Spectracomp, I don't miss having an onboard preamp.

Thanks for the info. May need to switch to series if they aren't already wired that way. Haven't had a look at the wiring yet.

 

[Blues Cat]

The P-Tone is an excellent upgrade imho. Big Singles made a huge improvement to my ears in my '05 ABII-5. I ordered lefty orientation on the magnets. Big Splits can work too, but they're a little taller than the BS's. Changing strings can make a big difference as well.

I already posted this in another thread, but I'll throw it in here. Didn't want to start a debate about which bass is better, but I do want to get a beefier sound out of the Dingwall...


I got to demo a B-1005SE today at ESP's showroom in Burbank. I brought my 2004 Dingwall Afterburner I for comparison.

I plugged into the Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 mini-stack in their showroom and demoed the bass.

The first thing that struck me was the weight. Consider the Dingwall is about 15 years old and may have dried out a bit, losing some weight. Also, the alder body, flame maple top and all-maple neck of the Dingwall is almost certainly lighter than the LTD's swamp ash body, rosewood top and wenge/bubinga neck. According to Dingwall's website, the average weight of an Afterburner I is about 8.5 pounds. I'd guess the LTD to be between 10 and 11 pounds.

The tone of the LTD is deep and articulate. With everything set flat, the lows spoke with barking authority, never becoming boomy, while the highs had a mid-rangey voicing that made them almost sound as if they're fretless, or had chorus on them. The higher up on the neck I played, the sweeter the sound got. The Nordstrand pickups and ESP's own EQ really seemed to work well together.

I switched the bass to passive but didn't like the tone nearly as much, even with the EQ flat.

I plugged in the Dingwall and found the sound to be less assertive than the LTD, somewhat thinner but even more articulate. Bear in mind this bass has had a Darkglass tone capsule installed but I left the EQ flat for comparison. As old as it is, I don't know if it has neodymium or alnico pickups.

Aesthetically, I just don't like the look of the rosewood top on the LTD anywhere near as much as I liked the Dingwall's whale pool blue burst over flame maple.

Hardware on the LTD felt solid; a big plus was the Hipshot solo hardware; every string has its own bridge.

 

[Charlzm]

Pictures would help.

I put P tones in if a Dingwall didn't already have one. One in an AB-1 fiver, another in a Super J fiver.

I changed the wiring from parallel to series on four wire pickups. This is easy, quick, and reversible. Adding a switch is another option.

I always run my basses in the passive mode, so if it has a pre amp, I like the Glovkenlang for its transparency. But I would never go so far as to replace, or add a pre.

The passive tone circuits on these basses are super flexible.

I'm not familiar with the dark glass version.

Somebody who knows more will be along momentarily. Pics would help us sort out just what you have going on.

Pics, you say?

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Blues Cat]

FD3's '04 will be wired parallel.

Pics, you say?

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Charlzm]

FD3's '04 will be wired parallel.

Oh, boy... As you can see from the pic, the control cavity has had some "work" done to it. A previous owner wired in a Darkglass Tone Capsule and bypassed the toggle switch. There are three controls - Two are individual volumes for each pickup (correct me if I am wrong as I have the bass open right now and can't try it out) and the third is a stacked pot which connects to the Tone Capsule and so provides mid contouring.

 

[Charlzm]

View attachment 1126306 The P-Tone is an excellent upgrade imho. Big Singles made a huge improvement to my ears in my '05 ABII-5. I ordered lefty orientation on the magnets. Big Splits can work too, but they're a little taller than the BS's. Changing strings can make a big difference as well.

So you put the Nordstrands in your Dingwall? Were they drop-in or was there some routing involved? They have exactly the same dimensions (five string are 4.25″ by 1.25″) but nothing ever goes as smoothly as you think it will on paper...

 

[AB Nate]

Oh, boy... As you can see from the pic, the control cavity has had some "work" done to it. A previous owner wired in a Darkglass Tone Capsule and bypassed the toggle switch. There are three controls - Two are individual volumes for each pickup (correct me if I am wrong as I have the bass open right now and can't try it out) and the third is a stacked pot which connects to the Tone Capsule and so provides mid contouring.

I don't want to correct you incorrectly lol. But it should be volume, pick up selector, tone fusion blend.

 

[Selta]

I don't want to correct you incorrectly lol. But it should be volume, pick up selector, tone fusion blend.

Earlier he mentioned a DG pre has been installed somewhere along the lines. Who knows what all was done at that point.

 

[AB Nate]

Earlier he mentioned a DG pre has been installed somewhere along the lines. Who knows what all was done at that point.

I know. Charlesm, can you show us a photo of the front?

 

[Blues Cat]

So you put the Nordstrands in your Dingwall? Were they drop-in or was there some routing involved? They have exactly the same dimensions (five string are 4.25″ by 1.25″) but nothing ever goes as smoothly as you think it will on paper...

Drop in, no routing. You will have to drill the holes for the mounting screws. In my case I used a slow 2.4v driver, and a brand new bit with tape spacer to gauge how deep the drill bit penetrated at a glance.

Correction: it's the Fat Stacks that are taller. I can't comment on the Big Splits, but I would opt for them now simply because you can have a series/parallel switch as they're split coil. I mention that because the bridge pu in series mixed with the neck pu in parallel can be magic. I discovered how cool this can be when I installed a Dingwall MII-4L (series) in the bridge and mixed it with the FD3 in parallel in the neck. It was an instant, hello, there's the sound.

I always prefer neck pu solo'd in series.

 

[Paul M]

Thanks for the info. May need to switch to series if they aren't already wired that way. Haven't had a look at the wiring yet.

I was referring to the two coils inside each pickup. The pickups are sealed so you can't tell how they are wired by looking. The FD3 Mach II pickup came out in about 2007. It was the same as your pickup but the coils were wired in series instead of parallel. The current version is called the FD3-4L, meaning four it has four leads so you can choose series or parallel.

 

[Charlzm]

I don't want to correct you incorrectly lol. But it should be volume, pick up selector, tone fusion blend.

IN this picture, the left knob is volume, the middle is blend and the right stacked knob is to control the Darkglass - there are two different bands of mids that can be dialed up individually.