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New Dingwall John Taylor Signature

Not sure if this belongs here, but today I took receipt of a John Taylor Dingwall. Just not the one you guys are talking about.

A couple weeks back I was drooling over the JT5 models on Sweetwater, but saw a special deal on an Artist Demo bass at FretNation at a great price.

After purchasing and receiving the bass, and confirming this information with the seller, I am happy to report I am the proud owner of the black Dingwall NG2 5 JT used on tour throughout 2022-2023 in the USA and Europe, specifically on the opener "Night Boat". As far as I know this is the only time in the set he used this bass, but it's pretty cool. And it seems to be featured in JT's official Wikipedia photo.

Needless to say it plays like a dream. And when I play it I can think back to seeing this very bass on stage back in September and thinking "wow, that sounds good".

So NBD!

:woot::drool::hyper:
 
Not sure if this belongs here, but today I took receipt of a John Taylor Dingwall. Just not the one you guys are talking about.

A couple weeks back I was drooling over the JT5 models on Sweetwater, but saw a special deal on an Artist Demo bass at FretNation at a great price.

After purchasing and receiving the bass, and confirming this information with the seller, I am happy to report I am the proud owner of the black Dingwall NG2 5 JT used on tour throughout 2022-2023 in the USA and Europe, specifically on the opener "Night Boat". As far as I know this is the only time in the set he used this bass, but it's pretty cool. And it seems to be featured in JT's official Wikipedia photo.

Needless to say it plays like a dream. And when I play it I can think back to seeing this very bass on stage back in September and thinking "wow, that sounds good".

So NBD!

Congrats! But you forgot to report the most important thing... does it have the Neve preamp on it?
 
When it was first introduced as "white" or something generic I didn't have any interest in it. I've owned exactly one white bass and it just didn't work for me. But seeing the actual color as well as the board I think it's great. But I'm sticking with black since it works with everything haha
 
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If I hadn't been amazingly fortunate to be able to put a deposit down on a Rio Dream edition, I would probably have passed on the non-limited variants and gone for a Combustion/NG3, to be honest. The ebony fretboard was a significant part of the attraction for me.

Of the non-limiteds, I think the primrose/maple board is easily the best looking of the three. In my opinion, the brown of the pau ferro doesn't really co-ordinate with any other hue on either the black or seafoam; I suspect that's down to the extra colours introduced by the stripes. An ebony board on either would have been helpful in tying all the colours together and making for a more cohesive unit.

Just my personal opinion, of course. And let's not lose sight of the fact that none of this is considering what they sound like - which some say is more important! :D
 
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If I hadn't been amazingly fortunate to be able to put a deposit down on a Rio Dream edition, I would probably have passed on the non-limited variants and gone for a Combustion/NG3, to be honest. The ebony fretboard was a significant part of the attraction for me.

Of the non-limiteds, I think the primrose/maple board is easily the best looking of the three. In my opinion, the brown of the pau ferro doesn't really co-ordinate with any other hue on either the black or seafoam; I suspect that's down to the extra colours introduced by the stripes. An ebony board on either would have been helpful in tying all the colours together and making for a more cohesive unit.

Just my personal opinion, of course. And let's not lose sight of the fact that none of this is considering what they sound like - which some say is more important! :D
I agree 100% with your take.
Do you own a SB 1000? That’s what I base my personal playability on … if so how if at all does it compare to the Dingwall?
 
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I agree 100% with your take.
Do you own a SB 1000? That’s what I base my personal playability on … if so how if at all does it compare to the Dingwall?

I'll give a quick review on my Dream bass. First off I'm terrible at reviews and do not comment on arbitrary stuff like maple vs. ebony and so on. I don't pick apart many specifics because all that matters to me is the end result, not the pieces. I'm 60 now and have been playing shows literally since I was 15. Very active today in a high profile cover band in my area. I've owned hundreds of basses. I like it! As far as playability I can't add anything thousands of other Dingwall players haven't already said. I mean it's a Combustion with fanned frets, more or less. Two band active preamp. Alot of people are making a big deal about the Neve pre. Hey, it's bass and treble and gives a wide spectrum on each knob. Nothing that different from all the other nice basses that I have owned with two or three band active EQs. I'd compare the top end to the German Warwicks that I used to own. Real crisp and snappy. To me the meat is in the low end. I have a USA Peavey Cirrus 4 (I've also owned over a half a dozen more Cirrus 4s/5s over the years) and I love it. I'd probably compare my Dream bass more closely overall (in tone) to a Cirrus than any other bass I've owned. No doubt why JT made the switch. One thing to note, the Cirrus 4 has the long 35" scale (like the Dingwall, great for long arms). Probably my only gripe about the Dream, which is same with my Cirrus, is that there seems to be a sort of built in compressor. My playing style is already pretty aggressive, and when I dig into the Cirrus or the Dream, I don't get much more out of it in terms of dynamics. For a lighter player I don't think this would be an issue, but for a hard hitter the bass just seems to "top out". On most other basses, even when I'm already playing hard, I can still push the bass even farther for accents and punches and get more out of the bass in terms of volume.

I think this is why JT loves these things (Peavey and Dingwall). I watched one of his interviews where he talked about how he liked getting an even tone across the spectrum (this is when he was talking about his Cirrus). He was comparing it to his Music Man which he considered more of a beast (which I'd also say is much more dynamic). Just for me personally I'd prefer more dynamic pickups. But that is my only gripe and I don't mean to focus on it. I have the unlimited in black on a pre-order and am excited about receiving it. I'll be keeping my Dream pristine and saving it for the bigger shows whereas I'll be taking the black one out on more dates.