Dingwall Owners Club

[Bocete]

I see ABI's with three knobs, three knobs and a switch, and four knobs. Are they all from different runs?

If I had one with three switches and a knob, the controls would be:
Volume
Passive Tone Control
BluEQube
4-Way Pickup Selection

Right?

I'm sure there has been discussion on it before, but what exactly does the BluEQube do?

I am almost done planning out my ABI.

EDIT: Also, out of curiosity, have many Dingwalls been made with two different neck woods? Like wenge/bubinga? I think I saw one or two, but don't remember fully.

I've never used the BluEQube, but I've seen it referred to as a mid cut switch, or a slap switch. Note that BluEQube has been discontinued ever since they started wiring the bridge pickup in series, as the BluEQube became redundant.

ABIs with only three switches are the most recent ones: volume, NSPB pickup selector, passive tone control.

ABIs with switches are most likely to control a BluEQube.

Those with four switches are from a limited run called AB-I elite. They are active: they have the same preamp and control layout as AB-IIs of that time. I don't know if the switch is active-passive or a BluEQube switch.

As for multiple woods in the neck - I can't recall seeing a Dingwall like that. There was a bass will multiple woods in the fretboard recently.

 

[Sheldon D.]

Hey Josh,

It can be daunting trying to figure out what's available based on what we've done in the past - 'cause we've made a ton of refinements over the years.

Take a look at this page
http://www.dingwallguitars.com/basses/bass-specifications/

This will give you an idea of what's available on which model. From there you can start visualizing your ideal bass. I'd hate for you to get your heart set on something that we don't or can't offer.

 

[Josh Pelican]

So, if I read the site correctly, current ABI models just have two knobs (volume, tone) and a switch (pickup selector)? I haven't seen any like this.

I'm sorry if I'm missing something here. I don't want to look like a complete idiot.

 

[Willem]

No 3 knobs. The pickup selector is a 4 way rotary switch (neck, parallel, series, bridge).
The order is volume, pickupselector, tone when going neck to bridge.

 

[Josh Pelican]

Ah, okay. I thought it was a knob but I misread it.

Well, that still works. Some people will say "Less is more!" I would like an ABI in Purpleburst, but it's not listed on the site anymore.

We'll see what happens when I send the e-mail. Transparent Blackburst or an ABII would work nice, too.

 

[Willem]

IMO the blackburst is purpleish.

 

[Josh Pelican]

Yeah, I've noticed that. With the ABI, I'd be more than happy with both.

This Transparent Blackburst is just beautiful:

But that's not available on an ABI... yet.

EDIT: Hmm... I might just go for an Transparent Blackburst ABI and see if they'll do the neck in Bubinga. It's a long shot and it's been done in the past! If not, I will definitely settle with Maple. I still love how they look.

In the meantime, I am going to keep my eye close for ABI and ABII models for sale on here and on the Dingwall forums.

 

[IvanBassist]

What kind of wood is the top of that ABII made of? it is amazing!

 

[BurningSkies]

What kind of wood is the top of that ABII made of? it is amazing!

That's a maple top.

 

[IvanBassist]

That's a maple top.

What kind of maple?

 

[BurningSkies]

What kind of maple?

That sort of falls under just 'figured'. While we talk about flame and quilt, Maple can do a whole bunch of non-standard figurings and do them irregularly/non-evenly.

Fer example:

Or:

 

[IvanBassist]

That's interesting! I didn't know maple could look like that. Thanks for the reply BS

 

[Josh Pelican]

I found some of the necks with multiple woods:

Figures, they're all Prima Artists.

 

[IntrepidCellist]

Even if he's not doing a multi-wood neck, they're all multi-piece necks with the grain orientations flipped so they're very stable. I've only had to adjust the rod a few times since owning mine, and that's because my basement apartment undergoes major climate changes from summer to winter!

 

[BurningSkies]

Trust me the standard AB-1 maple neck, 5 piece laminate with asymmetric neck contour, compound radius fretboard and wenge board is a beautiful thing. Really.

 

[Josh Pelican]

Even if he's not doing a multi-wood neck, they're all multi-piece necks with the grain orientations flipped so they're very stable.

Oh, I know that. They're 5-piece, right? But those Prima necks look so slick.

Trust me the standard AB-1 maple neck, 5 piece laminate with asymmetric neck contour, compound radius fretboard and wenge board is a beautiful thing. Really.

Anything with a wenge neck is a beautiful thing.

But the contrast between maple and wenge is awesome.

 

[Bocete]

Introduction for non-Dinwall or Comustion owners: all Canada-made Dingwalls have a pickup selector rotary switch that alters between neck pickup only, both series, both parallel and the bridge pickup only. As per the laws of physics, the series setting is quite louder then the others. One recent addition to the Dingwall experience p) is a rotary switch with a series setting of same volume as other settings.

Hey,

Some time ago, my pickup selector switch started losing contact when I apply the slightest amount of force to tilt it, happening even as I grab it to change the pickup config. It worked fine once I left the switch alone and went back to playing, so the issue wasn't that urgent.

I consulted Sheldon a bit over e-mail and ordered a new pickup selector switch. Not only do I live overseas, I live in a country backwards enough that I don't have access to paypal. Ordering anything online makes my stomach turn. He was understanding and helped me get my new switch as soon as possible, much more quickly then I could have anticipated. Really, I can't stress this enough

The new switch was the most recent type, with a trim pot for the series setting that can keep the signal in level with other settings. Replacing the old one was straightforward, and it now works like a charm. I like the new selector already. I wave my hands in the air as I say thanks to the Sheldon! :lol:

One other comment I'd like to make: I really wanted to hear the series setting compared a/b with the parallel setting. The volume difference between them on the previous switch made it hard to objectively hear the difference. Verdict: they are very alike With my neck pickup in the (default) parallel mode, the two settings are surprisingly similar. With the neck pickup in series, however, the difference between the settings we all know is definitely there. Both settings share the same output level, of course. I might start using the neck pickup in series predominantly, though.

 

[Blues Cat]

Changing manufacturers. Fanned Nickel Steel strings now made by D'Addario.

Thank you Bocete for doing such a great job with the artwork.

 

[IvanBassist]

I have a question for you guys.

Have any of you used a Tech 21 VT Bass with your dingwall?

From what I've read it is a very good pedal and a bit of distortion would help for the band I play in right now.

My concern is that it may alter the sound of my ABZ too much when set to clean because I would like to use it as an outboard preamp too.

Would you recommend using it as a distortion/preamp pedal or should I get the VT bass for distortion and a onboard preamp?

Thanks,
Ivan

 

[Grand Wazoo]

I have a question for you guys.

Have any of you used a Tech 21 VT Bass with your dingwall?

From what I've read it is a very good pedal and a bit of distortion would help for the band I play in right now.

My concern is that it may alter the sound of my ABZ too much when set to clean because I would like to use it as an outboard preamp too.

Would you recommend using it as a distortion/preamp pedal or should I get the VT bass for distortion and a onboard preamp?

Thanks,
Ivan

Ivan I actually happen to have a Tech 21 VT Bass and an ABZ 5, I can confirm that it doesn't alter the sound of the bass in a way that it could be deemed as drastics. Also you must appreciate this pedal for what it is, which is a character pedal, in that it is designed to emulate a particular amp sound in this case the Ampeg B-15 and the Ampeg SVT series. Don't expect it to be a sound modelling pedal such as a chorus or a flanger, you do get a decent amount of overdrive and distortion if you crank up the gain knob and the character knob. However I recommend this pedal a lot and I personally wouldn't leave home without it. It's become an essential part of my rig.