Dingwall Owners Club

[bebass]

Yes indeed. I've had FDV's in all of my Dingwall's pretty much since they were released

You're not helping me (by fueling this desire for FDV).

We had the very first production basses in the USA with FDVs and I was sold in the first 5 minutes of playing. Ordered everything since then FDVs and now they are standard.

 

[MDBass]

You're not helping me (by fueling this desire for FDV).

I'd say sorry, but I think I'm actually helping...if you catch my meaning

 

[singlemalt]

On the Sklar, does it have series/parallel switches for the Super Fatties?

I had Super Fatties in my SJ5, and still have one in the bridge position. I replaced the neck with a P tone, split P style pickup.

The first thing I tried with the Super Fatties was changing the neck pup wiring to series. I liked that so much I did the same to the bridge pup. This is super simple and easily reversed. You simply connect two of the four leads together.

If you want to get fancy, you could drill a couple holes and add a pair of mini toggle switches. I didn’t go that far, since I liked the series sound and preferred the simple fix.

Now, I get a great sound with the bridge soloed and really like the two pups in parallel, the next to last rotary selection, before soloed bridge. The series, series setting is huge and the solo neck is much more P like.

Here’s a picture of the neck pup wired in series:

Black to green, takes minutes!

 

[NaH]

I'd say sorry, but I think I'm actually helping...if you catch my meaning

This doesn't help either:

Though that Candy Tangerine seems a bit darker than:

Though there is the classic woods to consider as well... I am liking the new fretless board...

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

This doesn't help either:
View attachment 2855070

Though that Candy Tangerine seems a bit darker than:

View attachment 2855071

Though there is the classic woods to consider as well... I am liking the new fretless board...

View attachment 2855072

That top one seems to be more blood orange. Love it!

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

Anyone aware of any recordings of the same bass with the FD3s and then the FDVs? I would love to be able to compare them directly. I will probably just buy them and try them at some point.

 

[NaH]

Anyone aware of any recordings of the same bass with the FD3s and then the FDVs? I would love to be able to compare them directly. I will probably just buy them and try them at some point.

I'd also be curious about that. I'll buy them as soon as they have 3-D printed shells available (I still have square pickups). Man, I'd buy a 3-D printer if it would help. I really, really would.

 

[xnewyorka]

I have two separate issues/questions related to position markers: The fingerboard, and the side dots.

I have a brand new ABZ with maple neck, wenge FB, and blue luminlay side dots. The luminlay is awesome in the dark, but when I'm home, I prefer to play with the lights on! I am having a hard time seeing where I am on the neck. Specifically:

1. Fingerboard: I can't see the dots on the fingerboard because they are hidden from view by the strings. So unless I crane my neck and angle the bottom of the bass away from my body, the dots are invisible.
Has anyone tried adding stick-on position markers on the fretboard? If so, did you use pre-cut ones, or cut your own, and how well did it work? I would like to try block style markers, and I'm thinking that they will need to be custom cut so that the edges of the blocks are exactly parallel to the frets, otherwise they may look a little silly.

2. Side dots: I can't see the side dots very well because there is no visual contrast between the light blue luminlay dots and the maple neck. Although the dots are centered right at the seam between the fingerboard and the neck, there is not enough dot surface in the fingerboard for my aging eyes to pick it up very easily. I am thinking about trying to cut some black electrical tape into a donut shape with the center hole the size of the luminlay dots, then cut the donut in half and carefully place it around the dot on the maple side so that it wraps half way around the dot like a "C". I realize that this will probably look silly, and they will be so small that they may not stay in place very well, and they might also be annoying to the touch. The other option I have in mind is to make the "C" with a black sharpie, which would probably work great. But the idea of drawing on my brand new $4,000 bass with a permanent marker is absolutely revolting to say the least. Maybe put some scotch tape on there first, then draw on the tape, then cover it with another layer of tape? I dunno - looking for ideas!

Did anyone else have these issues and then find that after enough practice and getting familiar with the fanned frets and building the muscle memory, you don't need to look down often to see where you are? If so, how long did it take?

I am totally fine below the 12th fret or so, but as soon as I get into the upper registers, I am completely lost, and especially if I try to play chords.

 

[been_effected]

Thanks,
As much as I love the Darkglass pre - and I DO love it - I have grown to appreciate the EMG as a slightly more overall versatile pre and I actually slightly prefer the Combustion to the NG2 in many situations. I think the ideal setup is to have a Combustion and a NG2 or the Combustion with a Canadian bass with the Darkglass pre. Or perhaps a Canadian bass with the Glock and an NG2 although I personally would prefer the Canadian with the Darkglass and the Combustion with EMG as an all around combination. The thing is EVERYONE does not play metal and I do think the NG2 has become more "famous" in the metal circuit. But the truth, IMO, is either the Combustion with EMG or the NG2 with Darkglass lends itself to any genre with, again IMO, the Combustion being slightly more appropriate for Country, Jazz, certain Rock styles, etc. And of course string selection, playing styles, and amp & cab selection mean as much as the pre differential. Oh, just musing...in the end it is what any particular player likes.

Or perhaps the EMG pre with a B7K/AO/VMT in the chain...?

I'm going back and forth at the moment trying to work out whether I want to keep the EMG preamp or switch it out for the Darkglass pre, given that the Combustion I'm getting (and upgrading to 3X) will probably be the only 5 string and only Dingwall I can afford for a while.

Or we could go with the Darkglass and switch to passive?

 

[Andyman001]

I have two separate issues/questions related to position markers: The fingerboard, and the side dots.

I have a brand new ABZ with maple neck, wenge FB, and blue luminlay side dots. The luminlay is awesome in the dark, but when I'm home, I prefer to play with the lights on! I am having a hard time seeing where I am on the neck. Specifically:

1. Fingerboard: I can't see the dots on the fingerboard because they are hidden from view by the strings. So unless I crane my neck and angle the bottom of the bass away from my body, the dots are invisible.
Has anyone tried adding stick-on position markers on the fretboard? If so, did you use pre-cut ones, or cut your own, and how well did it work? I would like to try block style markers, and I'm thinking that they will need to be custom cut so that the edges of the blocks are exactly parallel to the frets, otherwise they may look a little silly.

2. Side dots: I can't see the side dots very well because there is no visual contrast between the light blue luminlay dots and the maple neck. Although the dots are centered right at the seam between the fingerboard and the neck, there is not enough dot surface in the fingerboard for my aging eyes to pick it up very easily. I am thinking about trying to cut some black electrical tape into a donut shape with the center hole the size of the luminlay dots, then cut the donut in half and carefully place it around the dot on the maple side so that it wraps half way around the dot like a "C". I realize that this will probably look silly, and they will be so small that they may not stay in place very well, and they might also be annoying to the touch. The other option I have in mind is to make the "C" with a black sharpie, which would probably work great. But the idea of drawing on my brand new $4,000 bass with a permanent marker is absolutely revolting to say the least. Maybe put some scotch tape on there first, then draw on the tape, then cover it with another layer of tape? I dunno - looking for ideas!

Did anyone else have these issues and then find that after enough practice and getting familiar with the fanned frets and building the muscle memory, you don't need to look down often to see where you are? If so, how long did it take?

I am totally fine below the 12th fret or so, but as soon as I get into the upper registers, I am completely lost, and especially if I try to play chords.

try the sharpie in a hidden area, let it set a week or so and try to remove it with denatured alcohol.
(before going through with the final mod make sure that the anything that will contact the ink is "poly-finished")
I have a MIM Fender Jazz V that the PO had "blacked out" the entire head stock with sharpie ink, and I was able to remove it.

 

[IvanBassist]

We had the very first production basses in the USA with FDVs and I was sold in the first 5 minutes of playing. Ordered everything since then FDVs and now they are standard.

Kind of a bummer that I can't get FDVs on my SJ since it has the old pup-shells. Would love to give them a try

 

[bebass]

Or perhaps the EMG pre with a B7K/AO/VMT in the chain...?

I'm going back and forth at the moment trying to work out whether I want to keep the EMG preamp or switch it out for the Darkglass pre, given that the Combustion I'm getting (and upgrading to 3X) will probably be the only 5 string and only Dingwall I can afford for a while.

Or we could go with the Darkglass and switch to passive?

I think the EMG with the Alpha Omega is awesome!
Why don't you wait and give it a try before changing to the Darkglass pre? Either setup can sound fantastic.

 

[been_effected]

I think the EMG with the Alpha Omega is awesome!
Why don't you wait and give it a try before changing to the Darkglass pre? Either setup can sound fantastic.

This is true, I could see how I feel. The Combustions that I have played have all been older models - 2011ish, and I understand there's been quite a few changes in ~6ish years. I've also not liked EMG's historically (preamps or pickups) so I'm probably biased...

 

[Thumper]

All this talk of FDVs, been there, had to have them. As I've stated before, I really like an FDV in the bridge position of my SPJ5.

For my SJ5XXX, I love the FD3 at the neck position, no plans to change it. I'm putting a P tone PUP in the middle position and will experiment with either a Ptone or FDV at the bridge.

I did try to make recordings of my SPJ5 before and after FDV, my hat is off to y'all who have submitted recordings, my playing sounds so bad, I can't even listen to them much less submit them!

 

[The_Owl]

All this talk of FDVs, been there, had to have them. As I've stated before, I really like an FDV in the bridge position of my SPJ5.

For my SJ5XXX, I love the FD3 at the neck position, no plans to change it. I'm putting a P tone PUP in the middle position and will experiment with either a Ptone or FDV at the bridge.

I did try to make recordings of my SPJ5 before and after FDV, my hat is off to y'all who have submitted recordings, my playing sounds so bad, I can't even listen to them much less submit them!

Don't worry about it. I've been playing bass for 20+ years, but I sound terrible recorded compared to in a band. I haven't had enough experience recording to be good at it.

When I get back home, I could record some clips of my newly acquired SP5.

 

[bebass]

I have two separate issues/questions related to position markers: The fingerboard, and the side dots.

I have a brand new ABZ with maple neck, wenge FB, and blue luminlay side dots. The luminlay is awesome in the dark, but when I'm home, I prefer to play with the lights on! I am having a hard time seeing where I am on the neck. Specifically:

1. Fingerboard: I can't see the dots on the fingerboard because they are hidden from view by the strings. So unless I crane my neck and angle the bottom of the bass away from my body, the dots are invisible.
Has anyone tried adding stick-on position markers on the fretboard? If so, did you use pre-cut ones, or cut your own, and how well did it work? I would like to try block style markers, and I'm thinking that they will need to be custom cut so that the edges of the blocks are exactly parallel to the frets, otherwise they may look a little silly.

2. Side dots: I can't see the side dots very well because there is no visual contrast between the light blue luminlay dots and the maple neck. Although the dots are centered right at the seam between the fingerboard and the neck, there is not enough dot surface in the fingerboard for my aging eyes to pick it up very easily. I am thinking about trying to cut some black electrical tape into a donut shape with the center hole the size of the luminlay dots, then cut the donut in half and carefully place it around the dot on the maple side so that it wraps half way around the dot like a "C". I realize that this will probably look silly, and they will be so small that they may not stay in place very well, and they might also be annoying to the touch. The other option I have in mind is to make the "C" with a black sharpie, which would probably work great. But the idea of drawing on my brand new $4,000 bass with a permanent marker is absolutely revolting to say the least. Maybe put some scotch tape on there first, then draw on the tape, then cover it with another layer of tape? I dunno - looking for ideas!

Did anyone else have these issues and then find that after enough practice and getting familiar with the fanned frets and building the muscle memory, you don't need to look down often to see where you are? If so, how long did it take?

I am totally fine below the 12th fret or so, but as soon as I get into the upper registers, I am completely lost, and especially if I try to play chords.

I wonder if vinyl would work.
I find I still have to look when playing upper chords but not as much as when I first tried the fan fret. I think the more one does the easier it gets.

 

[Waltsdog]

2. Side dots: I can't see the side dots very well because there is no visual contrast between the light blue luminlay dots and the maple neck. Although the dots are centered right at the seam between the fingerboard and the neck, there is not enough dot surface in the fingerboard for my aging eyes to pick it up very easily. I am thinking about trying to cut some black electrical tape into a donut shape with the center hole the size of the luminlay dots, then cut the donut in half and carefully place it around the dot on the maple side so that it wraps half way around the dot like a "C". I realize that this will probably look silly, and they will be so small that they may not stay in place very well, and they might also be annoying to the touch. The other option I have in mind is to make the "C" with a black sharpie, which would probably work great. But the idea of drawing on my brand new $4,000 bass with a permanent marker is absolutely revolting to say the least. Maybe put some scotch tape on there first, then draw on the tape, then cover it with another layer of tape? I dunno - looking for ideas!

I have plastidip all over my Combustion, as long as it's not in a spot that sees lots of wear it will hold up just fine, it peels off when you want to remove it. Stickers would do the same job of course.

 

[xnewyorka]

I have plastidip all over my Combustion, as long as it's not in a spot that sees lots of wear it will hold up just fine, it peels off when you want to remove it. Stickers would do the same job of course.

That is cool - I would like to give that a try to add accents to the side dots. Can it be painted on in a thin line, with a small model brush or a toothpick?

 

[Waltsdog]

That is cool - I would like to give that a try to add accents to the side dots. Can it be painted on in a thin line, with a small model brush or a toothpick?

You can paint it on with a brush but I’m not sure how tricky that would be. The actual dip (not the spray can) is super thick so it may be more trouble than it’s worth.

 

[xnewyorka]

You can paint it on with a brush but I’m not sure how tricky that would be. The actual dip (not the spray can) is super thick so it may be more trouble than it’s worth.

I just had an idea - I will make a template out of something sturdy like sheet aluminum. Heading to Home Depot right now. They have the black Plasti Dip in stock for $7. Report and/or photos to follow tomorrow.

Wondering if maybe I won't need a fingerboard solution if I have highly visible side dots...