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New Dingwall John Taylor Signature

I had to try a Dingwall 5, I have to say I felt the tone options weren’t as wide as I was hoping, I was very underwhelmed, I sent it back, but they look cool.
I owned an early AB1. Sounded fantastic, loved that it was passive. Best B string of any fiver I've ever tried by a loooong shot. For me though, the scale length was simply too much and was uncomfortable to play in the lower registers. I don't play fivers anymore, and the Dingwall body shape ultimately isn't really my thing. But John's bass is perfect for him!
 
I owned an early AB1. Sounded fantastic, loved that it was passive. Best B string of any fiver I've ever tried by a loooong shot. For me though, the scale length was simply too much and was uncomfortable to play in the lower registers. I don't play fivers anymore, and the Dingwall body shape ultimately isn't really my thing. But John's bass is perfect for him!

My first Dingwall was a 5-string D-Roc Standard that I got in a trade. The 37" scale B-string was a bit long for me as well, though the bass as a whole was amazing. What has gotten me totally hooked is my recently-acquired 5-string Super J, which has a 35" B-string. Dingwall actually refers to it as a "medium scale instrument," which it is in many ways; the G-string is 32" scale. Very comfy!
 
limited edition color way. The standard colors will be: Black, Vintage White and Seafoam.

I'm most interested in the preamp, since it seems fairly standard besides that. It officially drops tomorrow

I guess I’m old too, since it rankles me when people say “color way” or that something to buy “drops” like it’s a baby or something.
 
About 20 years ago, Taylor Guitars released their "Expression System", whose preamp Rupert Neve had a hand in developing. I wonder how similar a circuit the new Dingwall preamp is!

I remember that. I really doubt this thing has anything to do with that.
In the AMS days, there was certainly a range of product with the "neve" name on it, but that's 30 years or so ago.
 
I can honestly say that I've never sat down and intentionally listened to Duran Duran before this morning. Musically it's not my cup of anything, but the bass playing and tone on Rio are undeniably excellent.

I'm definitely interested in the Neve onboard preamp, but the visual aesthetic of this bass doesn't do it for me.
I was playing that kinda music in the 80's(or at least attempting to). Taylor and many other Brit New Wave bassists really assimilated funk, disco, and other groove genres like Reggae in such cool ways, making for really "smart" bass playing in a very pop context. I still appreciate JT for how he's not at all flashy. Just well-crafted parts that drive the song, with cool tones, and often are big hooks themselves.
 
My first Dingwall was a 5-string D-Roc Standard that I got in a trade. The 37" scale B-string was a bit long for me as well, though the bass as a whole was amazing. What has gotten me totally hooked is my recently-acquired 5-string Super J, which has a 35" B-string. Dingwall actually refers to it as a "medium scale instrument," which it is in many ways; the G-string is 32" scale. Very comfy!
Based on how my AB-1 sounded, especially compared to my other 5 string experiments over the years, if I ever did go fiver again, I'd start with trying to see if a Super J or P would work for me.
 
I was playing that kinda music in the 80's(or at least attempting to). Taylor and many other Brit New Wave bassists really assimilated funk, disco, and other groove genres like Reggae in such cool ways, making for really "smart" bass playing in a very pop context. I still appreciate JT for how he's not at all flashy. Just well-crafted parts that drive the song, with cool tones, and often are big hooks themselves.

John Taylor wanted to be the white Bernard Edwards
He did pretty good if you ask me

decades ago I had a chance to ask him a question during a live chat forum and I asked him...if Chic asked him to fill in after the death of BE, would he? His response was a modest yes but he knew he could never fill those shoes.
 
John Taylor wanted to be the white Bernard Edwards
He did pretty good if you ask me

decades ago I had a chance to ask him a question during a live chat forum and I asked him...if Chic asked him to fill in after the death of BE, would he? His response was a modest yes but he knew he could never fill those shoes.

And then the next big question would be...if he did fill in, what bass would he bring? Stingray? Aria? Dingwall?
 
I owned an early AB1. Sounded fantastic, loved that it was passive. Best B string of any fiver I've ever tried by a loooong shot. For me though, the scale length was simply too much and was uncomfortable to play in the lower registers. I don't play fivers anymore, and the Dingwall body shape ultimately isn't really my thing. But John's bass is perfect for him!

I understand what you mean about playing in the lower registers. If not for the "reach reduction" strap button mount on the back of the body on mine, I would likely have had the same reaction to the AB and other long-scale Dingwalls. I'm recovering from a broken wrist on the fretting hand, and bending that wrist, which is more necessary closer to the nut, is still painful. The Super P's shorter scale was no issue, though.

The reach-reduction strap button location is a brilliant, elegant solution that can be applied to any bass to bring the headstock in to a more comfortable position. You can see it here just below the battery cover. it's a flush mount straplock receptacle. Plugging the bridge-end straplock into it shifts the entire bass a few inches to the right, bringing the headstock within a much more comfortable reach. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
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As much as I love my D-Roc 5, these super limited editions are really lame. They did it with the Kyle Konkiel, and now again with the JT. And here we have a limited edition drive pedal about to be announced too. All products like this do is perpetuate a toxic flipping culture. Both this and the Konkiel sold out within about an hour.

I think if they are going to make cool products like this, they should give everyone a chance to buy one. At least it looks like the JT will make it into regular production. Hopefully there will be a 5-string version, I think I would rather have that over a normal NG just because of the ebony fretboard.
 
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