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Dingwall Z3 mod to 6-way switch: Which pickup combo for 6th position?

Which is the best option for Dingwall 3x pickup selector position 6?

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xnewyorka

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Commercial User
Jun 26, 2006
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5,559
NYC Area
#1
Looking for input from Dingwall owners on which pickup options they think would be most useful if a Z3 rotary selector is converted from 4-way to 6-way.

I am strongly considering keeping one of my three Z3's, and if I do keep it, I will convert the pickup selector from 4-way to 6-way to gain more tonal options. (The 4 standard options are already great. But more options is even greater, right?)

Here is my current thinking on my desired 6 positions - I am pretty settled on options 1-5, but open to your feedback.
I'm specifically looking for your recommendation for position 6, the subject of the poll:

1. Bridge solo
2. Bridge + Middle Series (this is MM tone, right?)
3. Bridge + Neck Parallel (this is Jazz bass tone, right?)
4. (Bridge+Middle parallel ) in series with Neck (this is D-Bird standard position 4)
5. Neck Solo
6. Either Bridge + Middle in parallel, or Bridge + Neck in series, or Middle solo (Which is most useful? Would one of them approximate a P-Bass sound, and if so, which? Or give some other very useful tone that is not available in the other 5 positions?)

Here are several other wiring layouts for reference:

Dingwall 3x standard wiring (what the bass currently has):
1. Bridge
2. Bridge + Middle series (my favorite 3x setting)
3. Bridge + Neck parallel
4. Neck

Dingwall D-Bird standard wiring:
1. Bridge
2. Bridge Middle Parallel
3. Middle Solo
4. (Bridge+Middle parallel ) in series with Neck (my favorite D-Bird setting)

The custom 6-way wiring recently done by Mo for TB member @nismaniac :
1. Neck
2. Middle + Neck series
3. Middle solo
4. Bridge + Neck parallel
5. Bridge + Middle series
6. Bridge

LeFay 3x standard wiring:
1. Bridge
2. Bridge + Middle parallel
3. Bridge + Neck parallel
4. Neck
5. Bridge + Middle series
6. Bridge + Neck series
 
Last edited:
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#3
Selta said:
Middle solo. Though I'd also ditch Bridge solo and put B+N Series in it's place.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much, I wondered about that very same thing.
I just fixed the typo I made in Le Fay position 6, which is actually Bridge and Neck in series. Thanks for making me notice that error!
 
Last edited:
#5
I honestly don’t know. I like what @nismaniac did. Makes sense.

However, I hardly ever change from jazz setting to neck only (p bass) when I play. I get so much flexibility there with the series/parallel switches and 3-band eq. I can see the use for mm and bridge, just haven’t needed them yet. 6 positions would be overwhelming. Lol
 
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#11
reddavid said:
I honestly don’t know. I like what @nismaniac did. Makes sense.

However, I hardly ever change from jazz setting to neck only (p bass) when I play. I get so much flexibility there with the series/parallel switches and 3-band eq. I can see the use for mm and bridge, just haven’t needed them yet. 6 positions would be overwhelming. Lol
Click to expand...

You know what's funny is that even with 6 options, I still feel slightly limited! It doesn't take long at all to become comfortable with the 6 options, they're easily recognized tonally. The 3 positions which are just the solo pickups are mostly for monitoring the tone of each pickup to make sure they're even when they're in combination with the others, but of course it never hurts to have options! If they made a 7 or 8 position rotary switch, that would be perfect because then I would add neck/bridge series and maybe the Dbird option of all 3 together.


image (1).jpeg
 
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#12
nismaniac said:
You know what's funny is that even with 6 options, I still feel slightly limited! It doesn't take long at all to become comfortable with the 6 options, they're easily recognized tonally. The 3 positions which are just the solo pickups are mostly for monitoring the tone of each pickup to make sure they're even when they're in combination with the others, but of course it never hurts to have options! If they made a 7 or 8 position rotary switch, that would be perfect because then I would add neck/bridge series and maybe the Dbird option of all 3 together.


View attachment 3153568
Click to expand...
I didn't want to be the one to say it - but yes, I agree - I think 8 options would be 100% PERFECT! :-)
 
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#13
Bassheart365 said:
Having installed and uninstalled a D-Bird switch into my Z3 - I will also add that I have no use for a 3-on option.
Click to expand...
That is interesting - I wonder if it somehow sounds different when in a Z3 vs. a D-Bird.
I haven't spent very much time playing a Z3, but I've played the D-Bird a fair bit, and I almost always gravitate toward the 3-on option. And I know the switch never left that position when the original owner had it as well.
 
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#15
xnewyorka said:
Looking for input from Dingwall owners on which pickup options they think would be most useful if a Z3 rotary selector is converted from 4-way to 6-way.

I am strongly considering keeping one of my three Z3's, and if I do keep it, I will convert the pickup selector from 4-way to 6-way to gain more tonal options. (The 4 standard options are already great. But more options is even greater, right?)

Here is my current thinking on my desired 6 positions - I am pretty settled on options 1-5, but open to your feedback.
I'm specifically looking for your recommendation for position 6, the subject of the poll:

1. Bridge solo
2. Bridge + Middle Series (this is MM tone, right?)
3. Bridge + Neck Parallel (this is Jazz bass tone, right?)
4. (Bridge+Middle parallel ) in series with Neck (this is D-Bird standard position 4)
5. Neck Solo
6. Either Bridge + Middle in parallel, or Bridge + Neck in series, or Middle solo (Which is most useful? Would one of them approximate a P-Bass sound, and if so, which? Or give some other very useful tone that is not available in the other 5 positions?)

Here are several other wiring layouts for reference:

Dingwall 3x standard wiring (what the bass currently has):
1. Bridge
2. Bridge + Middle series (my favorite 3x setting)
3. Bridge + Neck parallel
4. Neck

Dingwall D-Bird standard wiring:
1. Bridge
2. Bridge Middle Parallel
3. Middle Solo
4. (Bridge+Middle parallel ) in series with Neck (my favorite D-Bird setting)

The custom 6-way wiring recently done by Mo for TB member @nismaniac :
1. Neck
2. Middle + Neck series
3. Middle solo
4. Bridge + Neck parallel
5. Bridge + Middle series
6. Bridge

LeFay 3x standard wiring:
1. Bridge
2. Bridge + Middle parallel
3. Bridge + Neck parallel
4. Neck
5. Bridge + Middle series
6. Bridge + Neck series
Click to expand...
Seems to me like your trying to justify keeping all three of them. I own a dingwall ng2 and never change the 4 way. So honestly if I was you I’d probably sell my least favorite one and use the money to buy a super series or a D bird or justify keeping it a different way for example a different tuning maybe.
 
#16
Nephilymbass said:
Seems to me like your trying to justify keeping all three of them. I own a dingwall ng2 and never change the 4 way. So honestly if I was you I’d probably sell my least favorite one and use the money to buy a super series or a D bird or justify keeping it a different way for example a different tuning maybe.
Click to expand...
Nah, I'm trying to justify keeping one Z3 vs. selling all three of them. I have more basses than I can possibly play.
I bought these basses thinking I was going to become a Dingwall dealer and wanted to have them on hand for customer demos, and to make audio recordings of the various wood and pickup options. But that hasn't panned out, and the right thing to do would be to put these beautiful instruments in the hands of owners who would actually play them.
I have never spent any time playing the Z3's, just a few minutes to quickly demo each of them.
The only Dingwalls I ever actually play are the NG2 and the D-Bird.
There are several other basses that I do spend time playing when I can (LeFay, Marleaux, MTD, Sadowsky, Sandberg, Roscoe, Skjold.) I really love the tonal variety of the 6-way switch in the LeFay Pangton, probably my favorite bass overall (please pardon the sacrilege), and I am wondering whether if I had a similar 6-way switch in a Z3 if I would grow to feel the same way about the Z3. For sure the B-string on the Z3 is better, i.e. more piano-like. But other than that, I like the LeFay better. I'm just not sure how much of that is because of the pickup selection options vs. other characteristics of the instrument.

Oh - and I have a Super J5xxx and a Super P5. Neither of those have gotten any play time yet either.
 
#18
packrat said:
Do folks have a strong opinion on bridge + middle (series) on a dbird vs bridge + middle (parallel) on a traditional 3x?
Click to expand...

You’ve got them backwards actually ;)

They're both useful, parallel is more of the classic MM chime on the top end whereas series is more mid forward and beefy as well as darker.
 
#19
xnewyorka said:
Looking for input from Dingwall owners on which pickup options they think would be most useful if a Z3 rotary selector is converted from 4-way to 6-way.

I am strongly considering keeping one of my three Z3's, and if I do keep it, I will convert the pickup selector from 4-way to 6-way to gain more tonal options. (The 4 standard options are already great. But more options is even greater, right?)

Here is my current thinking on my desired 6 positions - I am pretty settled on options 1-5, but open to your feedback.
I'm specifically looking for your recommendation for position 6, the subject of the poll:

1. Bridge solo
2. Bridge + Middle Series (this is MM tone, right?)
3. Bridge + Neck Parallel (this is Jazz bass tone, right?)
4. (Bridge+Middle parallel ) in series with Neck (this is D-Bird standard position 4)
5. Neck Solo
6. Either Bridge + Middle in parallel, or Bridge + Neck in series, or Middle solo (Which is most useful? Would one of them approximate a P-Bass sound, and if so, which? Or give some other very useful tone that is not available in the other 5 positions?)

Here are several other wiring layouts for reference:

Dingwall 3x standard wiring (what the bass currently has):
1. Bridge
2. Bridge + Middle series (my favorite 3x setting)
3. Bridge + Neck parallel
4. Neck

Dingwall D-Bird standard wiring:
1. Bridge
2. Bridge Middle Parallel
3. Middle Solo
4. (Bridge+Middle parallel ) in series with Neck (my favorite D-Bird setting)

The custom 6-way wiring recently done by Mo for TB member @nismaniac :
1. Neck
2. Middle + Neck series
3. Middle solo
4. Bridge + Neck parallel
5. Bridge + Middle series
6. Bridge

LeFay 3x standard wiring:
1. Bridge
2. Bridge + Middle parallel
3. Bridge + Neck parallel
4. Neck
5. Bridge + Middle series
6. Bridge + Neck series
Click to expand...

I’d ditch the bridge solo and add middle solo and one of the other two options, depending on what ether you gravitate more toward J esque tone or MM esque tone.
 
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