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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
Dingwall D-Bird New Bass Review
For those Tbird lovers out there looking for something different but still familiar - the Dingwall D-Bird Standard.
This is the Thunderbird club so I’d be remiss if I didn’t say I love the traditional reverse and non reverse Gibson and Epiphone thunderbirds. They are unquestionably classics in every sense of the word. I’d frame this review as - how does this Dingwall D-Bird offering (now replaced by the D-Roc) stack up against our traditional Tbird. The quick answer is, it’s as different as it is similar.
Think of the Gibson Tbird as a high powered muscle car from 1970, kind of a Hemi Cuda of sorts. A little beefier and more flowing than earlier model muscle cars but packed with a high performance engine just begging to be unleashed. Now look at the Dingwall - sleek, slim, aerodynamic shaped, built with top end speed in mind - kind of a Ferrari by comparison. I’d proudly own either car (or better yet, both), and both are worth about the same in todays market. Each car serves its intended purpose quite well.
Sheldon Dingwall and his design team appear to have taken every opportunity available to massage key features of the DBird into Ferrari territory. The three point (or earlier two piece bridge) is replaced by 4 individual single string units that offer string spacing adjustability as well as fast easy tuning and intonation tweaks. The truss rod is quickly accessed at the heel without having to remove any covers. The strap lock system is completely recessed and perfectly placed for zero neck dive playing. The tummy cut is huge, about a third of the back of the bass has been carved away to make room for our anatomy, and the forearm cut is nicely shaped as well. Both the upper and lower wings have been streamlined into about as thin as they could dare go and still house the electronics. The 3 to 5 piece rock maple neck is well rounded and kind of jazz bass feeling to me. The headstock is about as crisp and sharp and minimal as it can be and still have room for the Hipshot tuning machines. The fanned frets are a pleasure to play, really no issue at all to get used to, and the pau Ferro fretboard is glass smooth and fast with zero fret overhang and nicely rounded edges. Then there’s the attention grabbing “in your face” aquamarine sparkle finish (I expect Ferrari to copy it any day now). All in all, a boatload of great features, not necessarily an improvement over the original, but certainly a different take with performance, speed and sleek looks in mind.
But how’s it sound?
Different. Very different than a creamy smooth deep bass backline setting on a Tbird. But there’s obviously more than one setting on a Tbird, so what about the more aggressive forward in the mix gritty sound you can get from an Epiphone VP or one of the vintage Tbirds? Yep, the Dingwall does that in spades on the bottom end and continues on in that vein all the way to a screaming 10,000 RPM redline as you focus more on the rear pickups and top end of the tone knob. This bass is perfectly capable of cutting through any mix with laser precision and sledgehammer force.
The four position pickup selection knob has an odd (at least to me as a new Dingwall user) selection of pickup combinations. I would have done it differently but after a quick explanation I at least get the logic in what Dingwall did. They have it set up as (Bridge for Jazz bass; Bridge + Center for Stingray bass; Center for P bass; All three for Dingwall) for the four positions. And I get that to a degree when switching through the options. But I would have probably set it up as Bridge; Center; Neck; All three.
It looks like the selector knob can be user reset, I’ll keep it as is for quite a while if ever changing it, just because it does offer a lot of tones not available on a traditional Tbird.
So if your tone goal is creamy smooth, deep and dark, backline, foundation focused and laid back this probably isn’t the best choice for you. However, if you’re in a heavy mix with lots of content, or heavy drummers and screaming Marshall guitar stacks and want to be heard this bass will easily do the trick. It’s flexible enough to fit in just about any tone setting, but when you want low and dark there are probably better choices out there, such as the Goth bass or the 2021 NR.
For those Tbird lovers out there looking for something different but still familiar - the Dingwall D-Bird Standard.
This is the Thunderbird club so I’d be remiss if I didn’t say I love the traditional reverse and non reverse Gibson and Epiphone thunderbirds. They are unquestionably classics in every sense of the word. I’d frame this review as - how does this Dingwall D-Bird offering (now replaced by the D-Roc) stack up against our traditional Tbird. The quick answer is, it’s as different as it is similar.
Think of the Gibson Tbird as a high powered muscle car from 1970, kind of a Hemi Cuda of sorts. A little beefier and more flowing than earlier model muscle cars but packed with a high performance engine just begging to be unleashed. Now look at the Dingwall - sleek, slim, aerodynamic shaped, built with top end speed in mind - kind of a Ferrari by comparison. I’d proudly own either car (or better yet, both), and both are worth about the same in todays market. Each car serves its intended purpose quite well.
Sheldon Dingwall and his design team appear to have taken every opportunity available to massage key features of the DBird into Ferrari territory. The three point (or earlier two piece bridge) is replaced by 4 individual single string units that offer string spacing adjustability as well as fast easy tuning and intonation tweaks. The truss rod is quickly accessed at the heel without having to remove any covers. The strap lock system is completely recessed and perfectly placed for zero neck dive playing. The tummy cut is huge, about a third of the back of the bass has been carved away to make room for our anatomy, and the forearm cut is nicely shaped as well. Both the upper and lower wings have been streamlined into about as thin as they could dare go and still house the electronics. The 3 to 5 piece rock maple neck is well rounded and kind of jazz bass feeling to me. The headstock is about as crisp and sharp and minimal as it can be and still have room for the Hipshot tuning machines. The fanned frets are a pleasure to play, really no issue at all to get used to, and the pau Ferro fretboard is glass smooth and fast with zero fret overhang and nicely rounded edges. Then there’s the attention grabbing “in your face” aquamarine sparkle finish (I expect Ferrari to copy it any day now). All in all, a boatload of great features, not necessarily an improvement over the original, but certainly a different take with performance, speed and sleek looks in mind.
But how’s it sound?
Different. Very different than a creamy smooth deep bass backline setting on a Tbird. But there’s obviously more than one setting on a Tbird, so what about the more aggressive forward in the mix gritty sound you can get from an Epiphone VP or one of the vintage Tbirds? Yep, the Dingwall does that in spades on the bottom end and continues on in that vein all the way to a screaming 10,000 RPM redline as you focus more on the rear pickups and top end of the tone knob. This bass is perfectly capable of cutting through any mix with laser precision and sledgehammer force.
The four position pickup selection knob has an odd (at least to me as a new Dingwall user) selection of pickup combinations. I would have done it differently but after a quick explanation I at least get the logic in what Dingwall did. They have it set up as (Bridge for Jazz bass; Bridge + Center for Stingray bass; Center for P bass; All three for Dingwall) for the four positions. And I get that to a degree when switching through the options. But I would have probably set it up as Bridge; Center; Neck; All three.
It looks like the selector knob can be user reset, I’ll keep it as is for quite a while if ever changing it, just because it does offer a lot of tones not available on a traditional Tbird.
So if your tone goal is creamy smooth, deep and dark, backline, foundation focused and laid back this probably isn’t the best choice for you. However, if you’re in a heavy mix with lots of content, or heavy drummers and screaming Marshall guitar stacks and want to be heard this bass will easily do the trick. It’s flexible enough to fit in just about any tone setting, but when you want low and dark there are probably better choices out there, such as the Goth bass or the 2021 NR.
I had a copy of this on my bedroom wall
Marantz gear is awesome.
And super spendy for the really good vintage ones.
The thing about the M6 is that it's all power.
Hence me running through that Ashly first then into the front end of the Mesa.
We all hear things differently.
And run gear according to what works best for our needs.
As GP (Mike) would say, to each their own.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
It was for arenas. Funny thing is that it is rated at 200 watts. You can run four powered 361 Power Plus cabinets from a single 360 preamp head. I can't even begin to imagine what that might be like on stage, let alone what it would do to innards in the audience.
I used to use a 200 watt tube Marshall Major head with two Sunn 2000S cabs, they were also long throw cabs although not folded horns and used to vibrate everything. I let somebody play my bass once and walked out front and could feel the air hitting me in the stomach at about twenty feet out. I was a maniac back then, it used to actually vibrate drinks off of tables. One club we played in steady called us The Big Wind
. 200 watts through the right cab(s) can be pretty loud.
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No, I've not bought (or read) any actual paper books in years - maybe 15-20?
I find it difficult to impossible to sit and focus on a single task like that. Same reason I don't go to movies often or work at a desk any more.
*Hopefully*, that will be either resolved, it at least improved upon in the soon-ish future
I miss reading books
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I am not convinced that loud is the right word. It is a physical presence when you play through a long throw cabinet like that.I used to use a 200 watt tube Marshall Major head with two Sunn 2000S cabs, they were also long throw cabs although not folded horns and used to vibrate everything. I let somebody play my bass once and walked out front and could feel the air hitting me in th stomach at about twenty feet out. I was a maniac back then, it used to actually vibrate drinks off of tables. One club we played in steady called us The Big Wind
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I used to read a lot. The older I get, the more difficult it is to sit still. Go figure.No, I've not bought (or read) any actual paper books in years - maybe 15-20?
I find it difficult to impossible to sit and focus on a single task like that. Same reason I don't go to movies often or work at a desk any more.
*Hopefully*, that will be either resolved, it at least improved upon in the soon-ish future
I miss reading books
Yes, that's more accurate, a physical presence you could feel it in your guts
. That head actually pushed those JBL D-140's so hard one of the voice coil wires pulled out of the cone of one of them because of overexcursion.
I still read a lot, I usually alternate my psychology reading (dry) with rock star biographies, because they're quick reads, I just went through 'Stick it!' Carmine Appice, 'Bon-The Last Highway', 'Lord of Garbage'- Kim Fowley (strange book) 'Match Head' Steve Boone, 'The Fillmore East- The Venue that Changed Rock Music Forever' 'An A-Z of Hell Raisers'.
Same boat. Saw them in stores, but couldn't afford them. I'm not sure anyone I knew back then could either. Like love from afar.
Can only imagine the results that boogle turned up.I googled them and came back to say I couldn't find a band called Sex Gorilla.
Can only imagine the results that boogle turned up.
It actually brought up the correct band in one of the responses but 99% of them I couldn't post here.
Given the information stated, I think it's called prostate issues. Or Hemorrhoids, but let's not go there.
Kidding aside, I kind of am at the same place. I have to do a ton of reading for work and still read about a book a week for personal reading. But I find it difficult to sit down an read these days. I'd rather tinker or work on something in the garage. For whatever reason, I can't get into fiction, science or otherwise. I try and my brain keeps telling me "it didn't happen" and I can't focus or stay with it. Not that I'm sophisticated or anything, fiction just doesn't click for me. Likely due to lack of imagination on my part.
So you just drove right by me and didn’t stop and say hello?
I like music bios and the like. And some mindless historical fiction, like Templars and such.
I’ll throw myself on my sword but I’m not driving. Riding shotgun in a flatbed heading to National City to help pick up some surplus government equipment.
