kwmlondon

I skipped over to 5 stringers never to return. I tried a Dingwall in a store and that low B made me tingle. I’ve spent the last 4 years trying to get to grips with the extra string, extended range and fanned frets and I just can’t go back. It just feels right to me.

My brain isn't quite nimble enough to cope with a drop tuner but that's a really good way to deal with songs in Eb! Kubiki's E/D string is definitely the most elegant and brilliant way of getting an extended range out of a 4 string bass though.

The upside is there are absolutely fantastic instruments out these at better prices than collectible ones. I have a messed about with late 80s made in Japan strat that’s a fab guitar and not particularly valuable.

On the downside you’d end up with a bass that would be the same sort of quality as a 449 Squier, the upside would be that you can always sell it for decent money because it’s a “proper” Fender. In that light it’s not a bad purchase.

I’d assume I’d spilled some wine in the green reader.

More than happy to help. Hope it all went well!

I can't belive this. I'm waiting for Dingwall to build and send my bass on to the UK and in the meantime I'm without a 5 string fretted bass - it's what I play almost exclusively now. Mike very kindly loaned me a Yamaha 5 string for the duration and heroically found me in Cobham services car park! An absolute hero and gentleman and I can't thank him enough. May have do to a video call with him when I can take him through my box of treasure/junk to see if I can pay him back with any prime bits I'm not using but really he's helped me out a huge amount.

But they only work with Orange amps.

You see now you've piqued my interest...

Is that an AI page translation or are the marketing team stoned?

It’s real.

Didn't seem like you had much to change from the way you sounded. The last few frets on the E and B string can take a bit of getting used to but as you and I have small hands we both have to pivot anyway so it's just a matter of calibration more than anything.

I had a USA Pro Jazz that was absolutely amazing except it had terrible dead spots. That was really frustrating as it played like a dream, sounded epic, looked amazing - a really special instrument, but the dead spots were not niggles but huge issues.

I watched the Philippine McKnight reviews on YouTube and he felt that the the Fender Standard Tele was okay for the money, basically a bit of a premium for the brand but probably not unreasonable at $499 though he’d personally go for a new Squier or used MIM at the price. The Strat, however, at $650 was poor value and not worth the money for the quality of the guitar.

Yep. Fender reissue 70s USA Jazz in natural. I’ve always loved thise early 1970s models, and I got a really good discount buying direct from fender and it was the most disappointing bass I’ve ever had. Fit and finish were bad and the E string was anaemic and weedy. The vintage case was absolutely awful too, felt cheap and tacky. After that I never bought another high end Fender.

Dave just bought my Dingwall. Absolutely perfect transaction and a very nice guy. Good grief, he's a helluva player though! My bass has never been played that well up until now - to say it's going to a good home would be an understatement! Anyway, thanks for buying, hope you enjoy it. Kim

Looks like the universe has different plans. Someone wants to buy it and it may be gone within a week. Which will leave me without a Dingwall for a couple of months which will make me sad.

I'm VERY glad I've not sold my Combustion yet!!!

To be fair, the SimS pickups may be able to do what they say, but they'll always be compromised by the positioning and the preamp. If the pickup is located to do the P-bass thing it won't QUITE get the J-bass single coil sound, though it'll do the job. I think there are those Fishmans that use modelling to get specific sounds, though that doesn't appeal to me for some reason.

If only they'd known about NAMM and Christmas and stuff before quoting a build time, these things are so unpredictable...

I do think people get too hung up on wanting a bass that sounds like specific other basses though. You can do a lot of clever stuff with pickups and preamps but for a bass to sound like a precision it really speaking I think it will have to have a split-coil pickup in the right place and for a bass to sound like a 'Ray the humbucker needs to be a certain distance from the bridge and the preamp must be just so. What you CAN do though is get a bass to do the job of a P-bass or 'Ray but in its own way. That's just my opinion.

You do see the odd Yamaha BB435 come up at good prices. My old bass teacher had one and it was a proper gigging workhorse for him. Sounded lovely too.

I tried one in The Bass Gallery and I really didn’t get on with it. Absolutely gorgeous but I just didn’t like the painted neck and I don’t know if the strings were dead or the amp was rubbish but I didn’t dig the sound at all. Incredible build quality and look though.

Bums. Just had an update that the team is focussed upon n NAMM and delivery date is three months away. Boo!!!

Terrific!!!