Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
New Dingwall John Taylor Signature
- Thread starter 6-3-2
- Start date
For completeness sake, here is an article from Bass Gear Mag. Hot off the press.
Dingwall Guitars John Taylor Model
Dingwall Guitars John Taylor Model
Yeah, well … Can‘t argue with aesthetic preferences. I actually agree, but if we’re being completely honest, the regular Hipshot Y-tuners are already an aesthetic compromise to me: I much prefer the look of Gotoh GB707s - which used to be installed on earlier Custom Dingwalls, by the way - but I vastly prefer the Hipshots overall.
It’s just the tuning key, you know? I get being thrown by something sticking out like a sore thumb from an otherwise almost over-engineered design, but at the end of the day, I also don’t really care about these miniscule details - anymore, that is. It’s been a journey.
I've done some crazy things and spent awful amounts of money changing things that were less obvious than these tuners... One day I'll reach that level of indifference that you talk about. I've been working hard to focus on the music rather than on the gear. But like you said it is a journey. Part of it I guess it will be stop coming to Talkbass gear threads.
I'm definitely in the "I'll mod anything" camp and if you feel that it makes a difference, then it does!
With that it mind, I looked up the price of a set of five Hipshot USA Ultralites. Ouch. I'm hoping that the ones on the Dingwall are Just Fine. And they probably will be! But if there are improvements to be made then there are options.
With that it mind, I looked up the price of a set of five Hipshot USA Ultralites. Ouch. I'm hoping that the ones on the Dingwall are Just Fine. And they probably will be! But if there are improvements to be made then there are options.
I did want to ask the question if on the John Taylor signature standard production models if the tuners were Hipshot?
At the price point getting up there at close to $3 grand I would think the tuners would be Hipshot's.
$3 grand for a overseas instrument, that is just crazy depressing!!!!
At the price point getting up there at close to $3 grand I would think the tuners would be Hipshot's.
$3 grand for a overseas instrument, that is just crazy depressing!!!!
It's funny, the little things that mean so much to many players. I've been at this over 40 years having played thousands of gigs, and the tuners on any mid level bass or better never made a lick of a difference to me. I realize it makes a difference to some people, but never ever have I had any problem with the stock tuners on any bass, ever. Some you need to turn more than others, but they all do their job. Part of the deal is how the strings are wound around the tuners. Get that right and pretty much any mediocre tuner will perform perfectly. In ownings hundreds of basses, never once did I ever change a set of tuners, or cared what stock tuners the bass came with. My experience anyway!
If the limited edition (more expensive) doesn't have Hipshots, I doubt the standard will. Exactly why I'm disappointed, they cost almost $3k.
Check out FretNation. Jason has a great price for the US Hipshots:
Hipshot USA Ultralite 3/8" Bass Tuning Machine - HB6Y 20650 (Sold Indi
I wasn't a fan of Duran Duran at that time so pardon the ignorance, but you people led me to New Religion (yeah, sounds great) and thence to John Taylor gear. While my brain had just been feverishly analyzing how to best generate an edge like that with a two pickup bass, I learned that his bass at that time had only one pickup. So, I think a resonant filter was involved. I wouldn't mind any comments about this, as I also have no experience with those.
You got it in one. The Aria SB-1000 he used at that time works on a filter system (in Active mode). It's a 6-position rotary switch. The Tone knob is also in play.
If you dig that sound, Arias can be quite the rabbit hole to go down! But for those of us that love 'em they are very interesting.
If you dig that sound, Arias can be quite the rabbit hole to go down! But for those of us that love 'em they are very interesting.
Yup! I'll also add that I believe the Aria/JT signature tone is still present, even with the all passive SB-600 and SB-700 models. All the details add up to the whole, of course, but I think you can still hear that woodsy/honky tone, even in passive mode on an SB-1000 too. Since the SB-1000 LED flashes as soon as you plug the jack in, it's easy to forget the switch isn't flipped into active mode. I do it all the time.
Now to semi-contradict myself and agree about the filter idea, I believe that to mimic the Aria/JT tone with a non-Aria bass would require a one pickup bass along with a really nice eq that does resonant filter peaks. I'm thinking of something like the Sountoys FilterFreak plugin, in hardware form. When my Dingwall arrives, I will surely be messing around and see how close I can get while solo'ing the neck pickup. Just for fun, of course!
I have an Aria SB-1000 and my Dingwall NG2 does a decent job at that sound with the neck (middle) pickup soloed. I don’t know if the JT signature has the option to solo that pickup. I know the standard NG3 doesn’t.
I'm glad you bring this up. I don't believe you can solo the middle pickup on the JT.
I wouldn't mind modding mine to be able to do this. I'm gonna ask Jason at FretNation about this. I know he does other Dingwall mods.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Thanks! This kit was actually a collaboration between me and Jason.
