You know how it goes. The bass that you brought home most recently is the best instrument ever created while all of your others collect dust. But after some time has passed, you begin to put things into a more realistic perspective. This was the case with my newest addition, a 1996 Dingwall "Voodoo Prima" bass, and now the dust has settled I feel ready to write a few qualified words concering this instrument. Before writing a review, I wanted to let some time pass, wear out a few sets of strings and enlist the help of another bassist with both experience and critical ears (my bass brother, "Bass Viking") to either confirm my opinions or dash them.
I now consider myself to be firmly in the Dingwall camp. The fanned frets and varied scale length yield amazing tonal consistency. That's not to say that I've abandoned my passion for other high-quality instruments such as those produced by Wal, but is more a statement of the fact that my tastes have evolved and that I am wholly comfortable with the fanned-fret concept and its benefits. The reality is that I probably will not be stepping back to conventional designs in the forseeable future.
The first step in understanding this Voodoo Prima (which I'll simply call "Prima" from this point on) is knowing that the hardware has a bit less in common with more modern Dingwall instruments. The pickups and preamp are from Bartolini. The soapbars are actually custom-designed P-type pickups paired with the 9-volt TBITB preamp, which has an improved signal-to-noise ratio over the common TBT model. The control layout is standard: concentric bass/treble controls as well as pickup balance and volume. However, this is the best-sounding Bartolini electronics package that I have ever heard. Bar none.
Tuners are the Sperzel locking variety and I just love them to the point that I may look into installing these on several other instruments. The bridge is a Dingwall-Kahler collaboration, with long isolated top-loading saddles for each string. Saddles are individually adjustable and mount into the large single bridge block. I couldn't find a dead spot anywhere thanks to graphite reinforcing strips set into the neck.
The Prima body is sleeker, more streamlined and slighly downsized compared to the Afterburners that I am familiar with. I absolutely love the "cello-cut" on the upper body. As a whole, the instrument is comfortable and extremely well-balanced. Also, this bass has the very neck profile I have been dreaming of on a 5-stringed instrument... a little flatter and thinner through than the current Dingwall production models I have tried. It's comfortable, relaxing to play and completely familiar, exactly like my beloved '62 Precision in this regard.
This instrument features an American walnut core with a beautifully-quilted and bookmatched maple top and back. The neck is nine-piece maple with a beautifully carved headstock and pau ferro fingerboard. The whole affair is a surprisingly light 8 pounds and balances perfectly.
In terms of the tone, I believe that the Bass Player review of this particular year and model is probably more eloquent than I could write. That review can be found here:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9951168&postcount=648 and I can confirm it to be most accurate. I would add that this bass has the chameleon-like (or Sadowsky-like) ability to slide into any mix perfectly. This is the most expressive instrument that I have ever played, rewarding every subtlety and nuance of touch. A slight change in touch brings out a beautiful and convincing fretless-like bloom to the notes. I just can't believe that I could keep my hands off of it long enough to write this.
As with all instruments, this may not be what you are looking for, but it is exactly what I have been looking for and for a very long time. This Voodoo Prima is my personal muse.
I love my instruments to have some history to them and this one is no exception. This particular instrument arrived "new" in my local music store in the spring of 1996. The bass section of this store was managed by a friend of mine named Wayne. Wayne really knew his stuff and never, ever steered me in the wrong direction. He knew that this bass was exactly what I had been looking for and called me frantically when the instrument arrived, but I was out of the country. Needless to say, I missed this instrument by several hours. Not that long ago I learned that the original owner was *finally* planning to put this instrument up for sale. I waited nearly 15 years, but destiny prevailed. Anything worth having is worth waiting for. Was it ever worth the wait!
I'll also add that my bass brother, Bass Viking, made several observations when he came over to try out the Prima. He was surprised by the clarity of the instrument and said so. He commented that he liked the sound of the neck pickup soloed, which he does not normally like. His final comment was "you done good". I happen to think so too.
Pictures here:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9788806&postcount=489 and here:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9951168&postcount=648 .
