[quote name='chuck_stones' post='984484' date='Oct 11 2010, 07:49 AM']Wow dude!! Those basses are real beauties! What's it like playing on a Novax fanned-fret system? Does it make it easier to play on the bottom registers or something?[/quote]
It takes almost no time at all to become accustomed to the fanned frets. Some people say it's more "ergonomic" because the slant of the frets always matches the angle of your fingers – whether up high or down low. That's especially true with Dingwalls because they are designed to have almost parallel frets around the 7th fret where a lot of playing is done.
But the main reason for the fanned frets goes to the topic of this thread. Dingwalls are multi-scale instruments. The low B is 37 inches long while the higher strings are progressively shorter. The G string is 34 inches and the C on a 6-string bass is about 33 inches. The idea is to create even tone and tension across all the strings. (Think of a piano or a harp.)
Multiple scale lengths mean that the long low strings don't need to be really loose or really thick to be in tune while the high strings don't need to be too thin or too tight to reach their proper pitch.
In addition to the design, Dingwall basses are really well-made.
I discovered Dingwalls about 6 years ago, right after I bought my first 5-string bass, which was a 34-inch Fender Deluxe Jazz Bass. The B-string was very floppy. It sounded completely different from the rest of the strings. It set me off to learn more about what makes a good B-string. Eventually I made the Fender's B-string tolerable with a good set-up and trying different strings. I found that a tapered B-string with an exposed core helped. But by that time, I was a total Dingwall convert. I also have 4-string Dingwall Super J.
