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Need Help With A Dingwall Order

OmegaZero

OmegaZero

Jan 3, 2019
18
25
Portland, OR
#1
I have an NG2-5 and I almost love it. I'd been interested in Dingwall basses forever but never had the opportunity to play one until I scored this on Reverb about a year ago. The tone is fantastic, and for a mass-market model the fit & finish are great. At this point I'm ready to move up the ladder to another Dingwall model and I'm looking at the Super J. No disrespect to the NG, but the Super series vintage aesthetic is a better fit for me personally. The other issue is that I play guitar at least half-time these days and switching between 24.75"/25.5" and 37" scales on the fly is a bit much for me. I end up mostly playing my Fender J in sessions for just this reason, and that's not where I want to be. I think the less extreme scale of the Super J will help, but I'm concerned about the tone I might be giving up. If I order a Super J with NG appointments (Maple+Alder, FD3 pups, Darkglass module, etc.) how close am I likely to be compared to the tone of my NG? Does anyone happen to have both and can compare/contrast? The shorter scale on the upper strings might be an improvement, but giving up that 37" B may not...

Context... I play mostly session and sit-in gigs, so my situation is inconsistent. Genre can be anything from small group jazz to blues rock to prog metal (sometimes within the same gig). I've had significantly more luck toning down the NG for jazz than I have amping up the Fender for metal, so that's where I'm headed with the new order.

Thanks in advance for opinions and advice.
 
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#2
Congrats on the NG2! Definitely an amazing bass with a great sound.

I don't have a Super P/J myself, but I did order a Z-3 with the Darkglass Tone Capsule and am pretty comfortable saying that you'll probably be pretty close to the same sound with the FD3s. If I remember correctly the pickups in the NG-2 are slightly different than what is in custom models but they sound very close to my ears. The primary differences in tone are subtle but you should enjoy a much tighter sound with all that syrupy low-end and the nice defined mids and highs.
 
#3
Thanks @pravus - appreciate the input. I know the Darkglass module has a strong character, so it seems like there's a fair chance of it sounding as expected in many high quality basses. Mostly what I'm thinking about is the difference in scale length between the NG and the Super. Going from 37" to 35" on the low side seems like I'd be giving up a lot of awesome, and the more I think about it going from 34" to 32" on the high side seems like I'll lose some snap there as well. On the other hand, the crew at Dingwall are exceptional so they wouldn't have done the Super if it was disappointing sonically, right? The best sounding instrument is of little use if you can't play it well. Worth the trade? Would be a lot easier if I could just keep both, but alas that's not in the cards.

I was really hoping to get a diverse bunch of experienced players' thoughts on the difference in scale length, but I seem to have phrased my question poorly. I wanted to post this on the Dingwall forum as well as here - maybe if I can get my account there fixed I'll still try that too.
 
#5
OmegaZero said:
I was really hoping to get a diverse bunch of experienced players' thoughts on the difference in scale length, but I seem to have phrased my question poorly.
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Yep, that was basically the one thing in my mind that I don't know how to account for. I've never played a "normal" scale Dingwall so I really can't comment on the string tension and overall sound. I have to imagine it's great because it's Dingwall, but that being said I think I do really enjoy the longer scale on the basses I have. I've never played a bass that feels anything like them, especially on the B and E strings.
 
#6
OmegaZero said:
If I order a Super J with NG appointments (Maple+Alder, FD3 pups, Darkglass module, etc.) how close am I likely to be compared to the tone of my NG? Does anyone happen to have both and can compare/contrast? The shorter scale on the upper strings might be an improvement, but giving up that 37" B may not...
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I've owned both and would say that the Super is really its own thing and if you go in trying to replicate what you get from the 37" basses you might be left wanting. IMO the Supers lend themselves more to a traditional sound or a more vintage kinda vibe and that's where they work best for me (I have one on order now to replace the ABZ I play in one of my bands).

The 35" B string will not be as clear and piano-like with the Supers but with the Darkglass, Alder & FD3s you'll be in the same tone ballpark. Have a listen to some of MDBass old Super J videos and you should get some idea of how versatile they are Matthew Denis (@matthewthebassplayer) • Instagram photos and videos

Something to keep in mind, there is also a big difference in feel, the Supers have a really wide and flat neck it's a very different feeling from an NG. They also have 19mm spacing at the bridge so the string spacing might feel odd too.

Looks like your close to a few Dingwall owners and I think at least one or two stores in the NW, you should be able to find one to try if you put some feelers out.
 
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#7
I agree with Waltsdog's assessment. I have been playing my SJ5 (Alder/Maple, FD3, Glockenklang) for the past year and absolutely love it. I didn't think it could get better. I have used it on many shows, mostly country, but also rock, blues, pop-ish stuff, as well as on a few studio sessions. It sounds fantastic for everything, especially the studio country sessions.

Then last week I picked up an NG3 and immediately took it to an open jam a friend hosts. I was the house player for the day. The first thing I noticed was that the NG3 is a lot more "in-your-face". The B-string is the best I have ever experienced. The bass responds amazingly well to dynamics and cuts through any mix. We had 4 electric guitar players up for most of the day and you could still make out every bass note. Someone said the bass felt like you were being hit in the forehead with a 2x4.

I thought the Super was more aggressive than traditional basses, but after playing the long scale, I feel the Super is much more traditional. Note that I barely use any EQ on either bass. On the SJ, I may boost the low end a smidge, but usually flat. On the NG, I was rolling back the low-mids, depending on the song/style we were playing. Both preamps are very versatile. The Glock is incredibly smooth. The Darkglass is definitely more aggressive, but can also really tame the NG. I think a Darkglass in a Super J would make it a different animal.

Even if my next gig is country, I think I will bring the NG... I'm really excited about playing that bass some more. It might also cut a bit better as this show will feature 3 Tele pickers, 2 of which have won CCMA (Canadian Country Music Association) Guitar Player of the Year 7 times (each)! Guitar diarrhea at its finest! It's such a fun show. Nothing like a "rock" bass on a country picking show. :)

Ps. I really thought my next Dingwall would be a SP, but now I really want a Z3!
 
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#9
OmegaZero said:
Thank you all for your input. It seems like the predictable, inevitable conclusion is: I just need to play a Super and see for myself. Up until now the issue there has been getting my hands on one. Luckily @rushproject was able to help me with that as I relieved him of his Super PJ5 today. :D

Thank you all again!
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Nice score. Please report back with your thoughts. Congrats.
 
#10
Yeah, this Super P5 is a really excellent bass. I thought the fit & finish on the NG was good... this really is just fantastic. As expected, it answered my question about the scale length pretty quickly too. Both are awesome, but if I can only have one I want the long scale. So I guess someone else is going to get a chance to play this lovely. I really don't want to pass it on, but I need to fund my ABI (or maybe Z2) order. Mixed feelings really - such awesome basses these are.
 

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