Does anything else passive have a better B than a Dingwall?

[DiabolusInMusic]

Too many people think a good B stops at the open string. A good B rings strong and true with plenty of sustain just like any other string even in the higher registers, something Dingwall with their 37" scale has mastered in my opinion.

I have heard some great low B's at 34" and 35" but I have never heard a great low B all the way up the neck that wasn't 37", which obviously was a Dingwall.

In regards to it being passive has little to nothing to do with it. The bass will have a good B regardless if the pickups can handle it well, Dingwalls can also be ordered with active pickups you know. My Carvin low B sounds great in passive mode.

 

[topo morto]

If it can be done without a total derail

Please derail away Some of the techniques I use to get the B sounding fatter are setting the action to give it some space to do it thing, left hand muting, picking with nails to get definition or the thumb joint to get solidity, as well as picking over the pickup to get a good thump.

Thanks guys for the suggestions of specific basses. Thanks also for the comments on +'s / -'s of Dingwalls, really gives me a good idea what I'd be getting myself into.

 

[bassbenj]

Well, if Dingwall has the best B string you've encountered, then you don't necessarily need to keep looking. It's fine to keep aware of what's out there, but old timers like me know that the constant search for "better/best" can be expensive, and the end result is usually that you've found something different -- even if it's wonderful in its own way, it might not be better.

Philosophy aside... I think the Modulus Quantum B string is as good as Dingwall. FWIW, I currently play Sadowsky fivers. The 34" B string might not have the crystal purity of Modulus or Dingwall, but the bass overall has a more traditional timbre, and that's far more important to me than modern 'piano' tone... and I should stress that I don't think the Sadowsky B is inferior in any way.

But this is about you, not me -- which is why I recommended Modulus.

Exactly. I consider my Modulus to have the "best" B. Yes, a Dingwall is "tight, responsiv and clear" as someone said, but at the same time you find that there are problems. One such was that when I considered buying a Dingwall, I found the kinds of strings you could buy for it to be extremely limited. And those were of the bright variety. So if your idea of a "best" B string isnt' that Dingwall sound, there's little you can do about it. Which is why my Modulus gives me the tone I love.

Which just shows you there is no magic formula. My Ken Smith which is just a plain old ordinary 34" scale has a B so excellent that you'd actually have to live with both basses for years (as I have) before you could finally say that yes, the Modulus really is the "best" one.

Now that said, I'll also say that I've never been a fan of Low strings on medium or short scale basses. But given the sound of an Ashbory or the like on a super-short bass I can't really say that it's "impossible" for shorter scales to sound decent.

 

[SoVeryTired]

Please derail away Some of the techniques I use to get the B sounding fatter are setting the action to give it some space to do it thing, left hand muting, picking with nails to get definition or the thumb joint to get solidity, as well as picking over the pickup to get a good thump.

Thanks guys for the suggestions of specific basses. Thanks also for the comments on +'s / -'s of Dingwalls, really gives me a good idea what I'd be getting myself into.

I've found with a balanced tension set (Circle K) I don't need to make allowances for the B string - I play it like any other. And that's on a 34".

 

[topo morto]

I've found with a balanced tension set (Circle K) I don't need to make allowances for the B string - I play it like any other. And that's on a 34".

May I ask where you got those in the UK?

 

[SoVeryTired]

May I ask where you got those in the UK?

Sent from the US!

 

[JamesGoodall]

I've found with a balanced tension set (Circle K) I don't need to make allowances for the B string - I play it like any other. And that's on a 34".

+1
Only in my case its a Balanced Drop-G set and another bass with a low C#. I will fanboy Circle K till the day I die or i find something better. It will most likely be the former.