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Questions about my new (to me) Dingwall

B

bassCanadabass

Jan 25, 2009
265
74
#1
Hey Talkbass,

I just picked up a V1 Combustion (the original version without the active/passive switch, older rectangular pickups) & I have some questions.

1. The 1st two knobs seem to be neck volume & bridge volume, instead of a volume and pickup selector knob. Is this original, or has my preamp been modified? I can send a picture of the preamp if that would be helpful.

2. The action is high. I tried lowering the bridge, and after many counter clockwise turns (and the screws getting noticeably higher), the action didn't come down much. Any tips?

3. The electronics are a bit noisy, any tips to bring that down? I saw another person has mentioned it too, maybe these are just a bit noisy.

4. Would you recommend the Dingwall strings, or other special strings for a fan fretted bass?

Thanks very much!
 
#2
1. That is correct. Original.
2. Are the bridges stuck? The old ones have base plates, maybe you can remove them first. Otherwise maybe you have to insert a shim.
3. Foiled Electronic department?
4. Payson were my to go strings. Elixir were also great.
 
#3
Chrishi87 said:
1. That is correct. Original.
2. Are the bridges stuck? The old ones have base plates, maybe you can remove them first. Otherwise maybe you have to insert a shim.
3. Foiled Electronic department?
4. Payson were my to go strings. Elixir were also great.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much!

1. Great, thanks for confirming!
2. It might be a bit stuck, I might just take it to a tech.
3. Yes, foiled.
4. Sweet! Will look into those!
 
#4
I would start with the dingwall strings. They are probably the cheapest and easiest to get hands on option. Never had any problems with them. Nickel vs stainless, pick your poison. You can buy a rotary pickup selectors aftermarket if you want to change that option. Did you try adjusting your truss rod for the high action? Feel free to also jump in to the dingwall owners thread. Lots of very knowledgeable and helpful people hanging around!
 
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#6
I have a first gen Combustion as well. I'm able to get the action just about low enough for my liking, but it would need a neck shim to get it down as low as most of my other basses. I've only used Dingwall strings with no complaints. The stock preamp was too noisy even with full shielding, so I swapped it out. The rear pickup coils were hard-wired in series, and the front pickup coils in parallel, so I added the extra wires and switching so I could select either option on either pickup. I also added a single coil option so each pickup covers half the strings, so when they're combined they are like a single P-bass pickup. I also added switching for combining the 2 pickups in either series or parallel, and a preamp bypass. Also, the pickups have tiny magnets added below the E and A string poles to increase the bottom end. I think this was a mod Dingwall came out with after the original release. It sounded good when I first got it, but it sounds fantastic now. I prefer the tone and versatility over my Afterburner, but the Afterburner blows it away in overall quality and playability.
IMG_20240303_181619062_HDR.jpg
 
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#8
DDawg said:
I have a first gen Combustion as well. I'm able to get the action just about low enough for my liking, but it would need a neck shim to get it down as low as most of my other basses. I've only used Dingwall strings with no complaints. The stock preamp was too noisy even with full shielding, so I swapped it out. The rear pickup coils were hard-wired in series, and the front pickup coils in parallel, so I added the extra wires and switching so I could select either option on either pickup. I also added a single coil option so each pickup covers half the strings, so when they're combined they are like a single P-bass pickup. I also added switching for combining the 2 pickups in either series or parallel, and a preamp bypass. Also, the pickups have tiny magnets added below the E and A string poles to increase the bottom end. I think this was a mod Dingwall came out with after the original release. It sounded good when I first got it, but it sounds fantastic now. I prefer the tone and versatility over my Afterburner, but the Afterburner blows it away in overall quality and playability.
View attachment 7067476
Click to expand...
Holy smokes those switches sound incredible! If I keep it I'll definitely have those mods done. What preamp did you swap it with?
Matt Liebenau said:
2: you said the screws got higher but did the bridge saddles actually move? I think some of the bridges had a set screw to lock the saddles in place. It would need to be loosened for the saddle to actually move.
Click to expand...
I don't think they did, will have to check. Thanks very much!
 
#9
I used a Tone Monster preamp with stacked bass/treble and sweepable midrange controls. I've used them in a few basses and I think they're quiet enough with plenty of range despite the cheap price. If money was no object then I would upgrade to something like a John East as I really like being able to adjust the mid frequency on the fly. When I cut mids, I usually set the frequency a little higher than when I boost, something around 750 hz cut vs 500 hz boost.
 
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#10
DDawg said:
I have a first gen Combustion as well. I'm able to get the action just about low enough for my liking, but it would need a neck shim to get it down as low as most of my other basses. I've only used Dingwall strings with no complaints. The stock preamp was too noisy even with full shielding, so I swapped it out. The rear pickup coils were hard-wired in series, and the front pickup coils in parallel, so I added the extra wires and switching so I could select either option on either pickup. I also added a single coil option so each pickup covers half the strings, so when they're combined they are like a single P-bass pickup. I also added switching for combining the 2 pickups in either series or parallel, and a preamp bypass. Also, the pickups have tiny magnets added below the E and A string poles to increase the bottom end. I think this was a mod Dingwall came out with after the original release. It sounded good when I first got it, but it sounds fantastic now. I prefer the tone and versatility over my Afterburner, but the Afterburner blows it away in overall quality and playability.
View attachment 7067476
Click to expand...
Any chance you have a wiring diagram for that?

I asked a tech to try to copy your mod, but he's not comfortable without a wiring diagram. Thanks very much either way!
 

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