Dingwall SP1 vs Combustion

[zelig.audio]

Replying/asking to you three, but anyone else who can chime in too, of course.

Yesterday, I got the chance to try an SP1 at a store, but you know how it goes: music stores on a Saturday are crowded and noisy, so I didn't get to try it on an amp I know and there was all kinds of sounds around. I liked the bass a lot, but I have one question for you all who know these basses well: can you make it snap when you dig in like in the sound clip here?

I have both. The SP1 adds that low B to your P sound, which is nice at times. You could also do flats on your P and half rounds/ian allisons on your SP1 to have a touch more bite. The combustion is super clean and the low B is more percussive/clear, but the sound is definitely different. Can't really go wrong with either, but if you wanted a larger range of tonality, Combustion might be the way to go. You *could* grab a Nashville combustion with the selectable mid pickup and the tone control knob - I have one, and the tones out of that are SICK! You can do middle only, which mimics a P, and when rolled off is pretty darn good, and when you take it out of the mix, the out pickups have a jazz bass-esque sound with the traditional blender vs. the rotary. That's my two cents, and a strong suggestion of the Nashville. It is a little more, but the options and the Neve pre are worth every penny. - Jeff

Sound is so subjective, but in my opinion, and based on the feedback we have received from customers, with the right pre one can play and sculpt a tone for any genre. I am a Rocker and old Blues guy. But for my ears, my answer would be yes, one can easily - again, with a the right pre ( I test with a Genzler Magellan 800+ amp), sculpt for a modern sound or an old school sound.

I would also not say that the Combustion would sound too big or detached from the whole. We have customers playing Country, Jazz, Rock, and Metal who say it fits right in.

With the right combination of strings and amp/eq, anything is possible.

Personally I'd have a much harder time EQing something like a Stingray or Dingwall NG-2 to suit my taste, but I've been playing P basses of one type or another for 25+ years and that's just what I know how to work with the best.

 

[NKBassman]

Replying/asking to you three, but anyone else who can chime in too, of course.

Yesterday, I got the chance to try an SP1 at a store, but you know how it goes: music stores on a Saturday are crowded and noisy, so I didn't get to try it on an amp I know and there was all kinds of sounds around. I liked the bass a lot, but I have one question for you all who know these basses well: can you make it snap when you dig in like in the sound clip here?

Yes, my SP5 snaps like that quite nicely when you dig in.

 

[PitBossMan]

Replying/asking to you three, but anyone else who can chime in too, of course.

Yesterday, I got the chance to try an SP1 at a store, but you know how it goes: music stores on a Saturday are crowded and noisy, so I didn't get to try it on an amp I know and there was all kinds of sounds around. I liked the bass a lot, but I have one question for you all who know these basses well: can you make it snap when you dig in like in the sound clip here?

Dude – just buy one and test it at home and return it if you hate it. It's a great bass, who knows if it's best for you? Better to spend some time with it rather than five seconds in the music store. That's why they have return policies.... sorry if that sounded harder than I meant it but you're in a forum of people who love their instruments and we all think they fit the bill, but you may find that it doesn't fit exactly your needs. Maybe it's not for you, maybe it is? Good luck, and bass on my guy.

 

[zelig.audio]

Dude – just buy one and test it at home and return it if you hate it. It's a great bass, who knows if it's best for you? Better to spend some time with it rather than five seconds in the music store. That's why they have return policies.... sorry if that sounded harder than I meant it but you're in a forum of people who love their instruments and we all think they fit the bill, but you may find that it doesn't fit exactly your needs. Maybe it's not for you, maybe it is? Good luck, and bass on my guy.

Yes, that sounded a bit harsh haha, but I see your point. It’s just that here in my corner of the woods return policies aren’t that easy. They do exist, but they kind of make it a bit hard, especially when it’s an instrument they don’t have in store and have to order from the supplier. That’s why I’ve been on the fence. I tested the SP1, but they didn’t have the combustions for me to try this time.

That said, I ended up ordering a JT3 online. I already have a traditional P bass for all things traditional, so I decided I’d go really modern on the other end. I’m not getting married with any of those basses anyway, so if after some time I decide to go another direction I’ll part with them and consider the hit the cost of learning etc.

Thanks for the help you all.

 

[PitBossMan]

Yes, that sounded a bit harsh haha, but I see your point. It’s just that here in my corner of the woods return policies aren’t that easy. They do exist, but they kind of make it a bit hard, especially when it’s an instrument they don’t have in store and have to order from the supplier. That’s why I’ve been on the fence. I tested the SP1, but they didn’t have the combustions for me to try this time.

That said, I ended up ordering a JT3 online. I already have a traditional P bass for all things traditional, so I decided I’d go really modern on the other end. I’m not getting married with any of those basses anyway, so if after some time I decide to go another direction I’ll part with them and consider the hit the cost of learning etc.

Thanks for the help you all.

Glad to hear it. As far as returns, I was implying more towards Sweetwater, but I get the concept that if you don't have it locally it makes it tough. You will not be disappointed with the JT! I hope you were able to get it from Fret nation, he was running a killer deal on them!

 

[zelig.audio]

Glad to hear it. As far as returns, I was implying more towards Sweetwater, but I get the concept that if you don't have it locally it makes it tough. You will not be disappointed with the JT! I hope you were able to get it from Fret nation, he was running a killer deal on them!

I’m in Canada, so sweetwater isn’t that simple to deal with, but, yes, there was a store running a deal with the JTs here too, which is who I got it from. Since I started looking at combustions, I always thought the JTs were the most interesting (along with the nashvilles), but the prices scared me a bit, so when I saw this one I thought I’d jump on it.

On a side note, I don’t really love the JT3 looks though and the guys from Dingwall told me that the sales on the JTs were because they’re burning current stock to release the new colours. Who knows what’s coming and of course I thought what if they come super pretty next, but the deal was too good to pass.

 

[PitBossMan]

That makes more sense, if you don't have access to a couple of the ones where it's easy to return then I can understand your hesitation and forgive the tone in that sense.

I still don't think at any color you can go wrong with a JT. I'm glad your guys had a good deal as well!

Looking forward to hearing the review