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the big -unlimited posts- party - show your basses!
- Thread starter john turner
- Start date
- Status
I've had this beauty for about 14 years now and the best bit is that way back when I got some inheritence from my lovely grandma (god bless her) the first thing I did was think, "Right - now I'm gonna buy a Warwick" - but all I did was send the Bass Centre a cheque for £1150 - and they sent this gorgeous thing back - pure luck on my part, great judgement on theirs - it is still one of the best basses I have ever played and it is still kicking ass all these years later.
I have a new hand-made one on the way - a fretless five - pictures will appear in due course - a guy called Jeff Chapman is making it for me - he made a great bass for my friend Franc O 'Shea - it will be ready soooooon! Thank God!
I have a new hand-made one on the way - a fretless five - pictures will appear in due course - a guy called Jeff Chapman is making it for me - he made a great bass for my friend Franc O 'Shea - it will be ready soooooon! Thank God!
It's gonna be dark African Mahogany (please don't get upset about this wood coice - it's actually an old shelf that happened to be a simply gorgeous bit of wood - so it's not like I went out and lopped off some endangered tree!) but it is slightly thinner width wise than this - plus it's going to have that slight orange glow like the Thumb - here are some pics of Franc's fretted 5:
<img src= http://www.munkio.com/jeffchapman/franc_bass/bass1_400.jpg> and <img src=http://www.munkio.com/jeffchapman/franc_bass/bass3_400.jpg> more info here Invalid Link Removed
<img src= http://www.munkio.com/jeffchapman/franc_bass/bass1_400.jpg> and <img src=http://www.munkio.com/jeffchapman/franc_bass/bass3_400.jpg> more info here Invalid Link Removed
Indigo said:
Basically it's not a Tobias but based on the one Franc O'Shea had and eventually had modified - adding a new finger board and upping the neck from 24 to 26 positions - the body shape is very elegant but is merely based on the Tobias - which I happen to think is a very beautiful shape, I'll post some pics of mine when it's ready - off to see the guitar wizard (my builder) tonight - should be with me soooon!
TimothyGroovy
Commercial User
- Aug 3, 2000
- 2,376
- 2,111
- Disclosures
- Owner: Uni•Sound Endorsing Artist: Sadowsky Guitars, Olinto Bass, LaBella Strings
Jeff -
Only a few hours of playing time in (it really did arrive just yesterday), but so far I love it. A few first reactions:
Looks: Fantastic. I chose the AB-II over the AB-I as much for the oil-finished bubinga top as for the active electronics, and I'm not disappointed. It's a beautiful instrument. What did surprise me was how light it was -- since in appearance it slightly resembled a Carvin LB76 I used to own (which was a tank), I expected a much heavier instrument, but the body is both slightly smaller and slightly thinner that it looks in photos. The result is a bass that's a lot lighter than my Lakland or Fender Jazz (though not quite as light as the Rob Allen).
Playability: Awesome. Very smooth neck, great low setup (thanks Sheldon, thanks Bass NW), the thing is a dream to play. I read that people get used to the fanned frets after about 10 minutes of playing, and my reaction is that this observation must apply to (a) people who play entirely by feel without ever looking at the fretboard (b) people who look at the fretboard from a very peculiar playing angle (i.e., as if facing the bass), or (c) very slow learners. The way I play, I look "across" the fretboard, so that as long as the frets are straight (which of course they are), I can't really tell if they're at an unusualy angle or not. As a result, that 10 minutes for me disappeared entirely -- no learning curve whatsoever. If anything, I think the angling of the frets may actually be somewhat more "natural" a fit to my left hand than conventional straight frets.
Sound: First off, the electronics on this machine are terrific -- quiet, great controls (all the flexibility you could want in terms of setting your tone). The bass sounds great in passive mode, and the 18v active electronics add lots of added possibilities. The effects of the BlueQube is a lot more subtle than I had anticipated. As far as string tension and the like, I bought the Dingwall partly in search of the "ultimate" B string. The B is very good, but I can't say it is vastly better than the B on my Lakland. But what is much better (than the Lakland and than any other bass I've ever played), is the tonal consistency across the strings (which of course is the "broader" result of the fanned frets). This is really unbelievable. There is almost no change in tone or color moving from one string to the next, and playing a note at the 5th fret sounds virtually identical to the next open string.
Anyway, as you can see, I'm pretty enthusiastic about my new Dingwall. Again, many thanks to Sheldon and to Bass NW for a wonderful instrument.
Only a few hours of playing time in (it really did arrive just yesterday), but so far I love it. A few first reactions:
Looks: Fantastic. I chose the AB-II over the AB-I as much for the oil-finished bubinga top as for the active electronics, and I'm not disappointed. It's a beautiful instrument. What did surprise me was how light it was -- since in appearance it slightly resembled a Carvin LB76 I used to own (which was a tank), I expected a much heavier instrument, but the body is both slightly smaller and slightly thinner that it looks in photos. The result is a bass that's a lot lighter than my Lakland or Fender Jazz (though not quite as light as the Rob Allen).
Playability: Awesome. Very smooth neck, great low setup (thanks Sheldon, thanks Bass NW), the thing is a dream to play. I read that people get used to the fanned frets after about 10 minutes of playing, and my reaction is that this observation must apply to (a) people who play entirely by feel without ever looking at the fretboard (b) people who look at the fretboard from a very peculiar playing angle (i.e., as if facing the bass), or (c) very slow learners. The way I play, I look "across" the fretboard, so that as long as the frets are straight (which of course they are), I can't really tell if they're at an unusualy angle or not. As a result, that 10 minutes for me disappeared entirely -- no learning curve whatsoever. If anything, I think the angling of the frets may actually be somewhat more "natural" a fit to my left hand than conventional straight frets.
Sound: First off, the electronics on this machine are terrific -- quiet, great controls (all the flexibility you could want in terms of setting your tone). The bass sounds great in passive mode, and the 18v active electronics add lots of added possibilities. The effects of the BlueQube is a lot more subtle than I had anticipated. As far as string tension and the like, I bought the Dingwall partly in search of the "ultimate" B string. The B is very good, but I can't say it is vastly better than the B on my Lakland. But what is much better (than the Lakland and than any other bass I've ever played), is the tonal consistency across the strings (which of course is the "broader" result of the fanned frets). This is really unbelievable. There is almost no change in tone or color moving from one string to the next, and playing a note at the 5th fret sounds virtually identical to the next open string.
Anyway, as you can see, I'm pretty enthusiastic about my new Dingwall. Again, many thanks to Sheldon and to Bass NW for a wonderful instrument.
DUDE! I know where you got that frettless F. I heard the demo Adrian did, and that is one ubelievable bass!! You are totally fortunate to have it.Jugghaid said:
Yes....yes I am. Adrian is a great guy, but he can't have it back.vics said:DUDE! I know where you got that frettless F. I heard the demo Adrian did, and that is one ubelievable bass!! You are totally fortunate to have it.
Pshh, dont lie, you DID win the lottery!Jugghaid said:Yes....yes I am. Adrian is a great guy, but he can't have it back.
OK, here is the current setup that I use:
Ferdinand Rikkers custom made 5-string:
the body is made of avangkol with a burl maple top, the neck consists of wenge with laminated ovangkol, the fretboard is a strip of ebony, Armstrong pick-ups, triple active circuitry.
Glockenklang Soul top + Epifani T410
I'm a lucky guy .....
Steven
Ferdinand Rikkers custom made 5-string:
the body is made of avangkol with a burl maple top, the neck consists of wenge with laminated ovangkol, the fretboard is a strip of ebony, Armstrong pick-ups, triple active circuitry.
Glockenklang Soul top + Epifani T410
I'm a lucky guy .....
Steven
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