Picked this up last month and posted a pic in the Dingwall Club, but thought I’d share initial impressions with the broader audience.
Dingwall Pro Shot:
Some of my Pics:
Specs:
I sold an Alembic I owned for a long time to buy this so my expectations were pretty high
First Impressions:
My current go to bass is ’75 AVRI Jazz with DiMarzio Model J’s and GHS Pressure Wounds. This is the one that recently booted the Alembic along with a Fender P and a couple of other basses
So the Dingwall is in tough competition to become my main player - but so far its definitely giving it a run for its money. In head-to-head comparisons the J with the DiMarzio's has a bit more heft and roundness to its tone versus the higher output and clarity of the Dingwall.
I honestly have never played better than during my first all out, free-for-all blues jam with the Dingwall – so its definitely off to a great start
I hope this helps anyone curious or on the fence for a Dingwall
Dingwall Pro Shot:
Some of my Pics:
Specs:
- Dingwall Super PJ
- Swamp Ash body - Natural to Blackburst
- Wenge neck and fretboard
- Passive Electronics with 4 way rotary pickup selector (Neck, Neck/Bridge Series, Neck/Bridge Parallel, Neck)
- Weight: 8.6 lbs
- Strings: Dingwall Stainless Steel
- Order time: 8 months (1 month early)
I sold an Alembic I owned for a long time to buy this so my expectations were pretty high
First Impressions:
- Build quality is excellent – absolutely no disappointments here
- Super comfortable and easy to play – whether sitting or standing - and I am not referencing the fanned frets
- The wenge neck, its shape and the fretboard radius play really smooth and fast
- The banjo frets make playing lighter easier and are a bit more forgiving
- The Dingwall enhancements to a typical P body are excellent – I can’t say enough about this - there is some real ergonomic mojo going on here with the shape of the body and how it interacts with the neck and the player
- I believe the body is slightly smaller and thinner than a Fender P making it light and comfortable
- The lower horn cut out makes reaching a high D on the G string while standing with a strap slung low a breeze
- Playing lower on the neck (F on E string) is equally comfortable and I don’t find my self stretching at all
- The hipshot bridge is nice and chunky but has set screws versus adjustable screws for intonation adjustments. Perhaps this is better over the long run but I found it was not as easy to fine tune
- The Pups, rotary sector and tone control offer a huge variety tones to cover most genres – Geddy to Jamerson is possible - however it is definitely a more modern, HiFi sounding P - all tones come through with high output and clarity and cut through
- I like a little hair on my tone - right on the edge of breakup and I have found I need to dial back the gain/drive quite a bit compared to my other basses to keep things in check
- Its early days but I have been favouring Neck/Bridge in Series with tone at 85% for a full/warmer sound but still with a ton of clarity and punch
- The Dingwall Stainless strings are pretty aggressive and have a nice growl to them especially when digging in. However, after a few practices I decided to swap them out for something a little warmer and less aggressive to help tame things down a little
My current go to bass is ’75 AVRI Jazz with DiMarzio Model J’s and GHS Pressure Wounds. This is the one that recently booted the Alembic along with a Fender P and a couple of other basses
So the Dingwall is in tough competition to become my main player - but so far its definitely giving it a run for its money. In head-to-head comparisons the J with the DiMarzio's has a bit more heft and roundness to its tone versus the higher output and clarity of the Dingwall.
I honestly have never played better than during my first all out, free-for-all blues jam with the Dingwall – so its definitely off to a great start
I hope this helps anyone curious or on the fence for a Dingwall
Just kidding. But that two tone blackburst is one h'll of an underrated finish. But since it's so beautiful I wouldn't cover it up that much with a pitch black pickguard. I'd rather had a "see through" plastic pickguard so one could see all of the grain and wood. Or rather, no pickguard at all! And of course, then you have to make it different with a back cavity, or "back loaded" controls, as it is called.
