Looking into a Canadian Dingwall

[kwmlondon]

I got my Combustion in November 2019 and it’s been an absolute joy and pleasure. I’ve played it most days since I got it. I’m coming up to a BIG birthday and I really feel like getting myself a Canadian instrument. I am not bothered about a fancy top, but I love the roasted ash neck. I am looking into speccing up an ABZ but it’s kinda scary to be considering spending between 4 and 5k on a bass. Any advice? 

[admiralchew]

Congratulations on the upcoming big birthday!

 

If you’re keen to get one in your hands on or near your birthday it probably makes sense to have a chat with Bass Direct as a Dingwall dealer if you’re not already doing that. They currently have a build slot for an ABZ ready to be confirmed according to their order table https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/brand_page/dingwall/ so you may be able to shortcut the current three year wait time (as per an interview with Sheldon at Guitar Summit in which he notes they’re working to bring that down). Dingwall are also potentially offering a fast-track/semi-frills version in future. I’ve linked the interview at the bottom.

 

Bass Freaks in Belgium are another dealer with good stock options and I’ve seen the odd used Dingwall bass at the Gallery and Bass Bros.

I recently received a D-ROC Custom and found the team at Dingwall to be very helpful in terms of describing what wood combinations work well and why, and they’re not shy to give their opinion. There’s sometimes a delay in responding but overall I can’t really fault them.

 

I already had an NG3 with a maple neck and opted for a wenge neck and wenge fretboard on the D-ROC. I absolutely love the feel of it and the resulting tone. I’ve got a used model with an ovangkol neck on the way and I’ve seen the roasted ash get some love over on Talkbass recently. I’d like to think it’s hard to go wrong.

 

Congratulations again and please keep us updated with the route you go!

 

 

 

[kwmlondon]

1 hour ago, admiralchew said:

Congratulations on the upcoming big birthday!

 

If you’re keen to get one in your hands on or near your birthday it probably makes sense to have a chat with Bass Direct as a Dingwall dealer if you’re not already doing that. They currently have a build slot for an ABZ ready to be confirmed according to their order table https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/brand_page/dingwall/ so you may be able to shortcut the current three year wait time (as per an interview with Sheldon at Guitar Summit in which he notes they’re working to bring that down). Dingwall are also potentially offering a fast-track/semi-frills version in future. I’ve linked the interview at the bottom.

 

Bass Freaks in Belgium are another dealer with good stock options and I’ve seen the odd used Dingwall bass at the Gallery and Bass Bros.

I recently received a D-ROC Custom and found the team at Dingwall to be very helpful in terms of describing what wood combinations work well and why, and they’re not shy to give their opinion. There’s sometimes a delay in responding but overall I can’t really fault them.

 

I already had an NG3 with a maple neck and opted for a wenge neck and wenge fretboard on the D-ROC. I absolutely love the feel of it and the resulting tone. I’ve got a used model with an ovangkol neck on the way and I’ve seen the roasted ash get some love over on Talkbass recently. I’d like to think it’s hard to go wrong.

 

Congratulations again and please keep us updated with the route you go!

 

 

 

Fantastic. Thank for this. I am in conversation with Ashley at Bass Direct and he’s helping me spec up an ABZ. The only fancy thing I really want is the roasted ash neck. I copped a feel of a NAAM demo bass Sheldon brought to GuitarGuitar and I was smitten! 

[geilerbass]

Firstly, congratulations on the big birthday. A Canadian Dingwall is a great idea as a present to yourself. And in my opinion, you should definitely notice the difference between an ABZ and a Combustion - at least, I did when I first stepped into the Dingwall world back in 2010.

 

I got an ABII from Bass Direct recently, via one of their fast-tracked build slots that Admiralchew mentioned. I would recommend this approach if you know what you want as this is by far the fastest way of getting a custom shop bass from Dingwall.

 

However, I would emphasise the issue with them being busy. I tried several times to get information direct from Dingwall, but never heard anything back. Mark and Marcus from Bass Direct were able to relay information back and forth and get my questions answered, but ultimately what was missing was the opportunity to discuss options in detail. I had an idea what I wanted, but not exactly, so I really could have done with speaking to someone from Dingwall directly. At the time, the price list and range of options wasn't available on the Bass Direct website (as it is now), so this would definitely have helped at the time. I got a spec that I'm happy with, but would maybe have benefitted from being able to explore all the options better - for example it was really hard to know what difference the pre-finish treatments would make to the end result.

 

The other issue was that there was a minor problem with the bass in that the nut groove for the E-string was not quite filed at the right angle and there was some buzz/rattle on the open string. I realised fairly quickly that it was the nut but it took a very long time to convince Mark from Bass Direct that this was the issue. In the end, I got it sorted at the Gallery (I'm in London, so taking it back to Bass Direct wasn't that straight-forward) and Bass Direct reimbursed me for it, but there was a lot of back and forth. I think they were trying to be helpful, but the communication could have been clearer initially and a lot of time might have been saved.

 

So overall, if you're keen for a Canadian Dingwall, Bass Direct is probably your best bet and I can overall recommend it. I think both Bass Direct and Dingwall have been aware that the huge increase in demand has been difficult to manage and they are actively working to improve their processes. But be aware that you might have to be a bit pushy to get the information you want, or in the event that there are any issues.

Edited October 6 by geilerbass

[kwmlondon]

6 hours ago, geilerbass said:

Firstly, congratulations on the big birthday. A Canadian Dingwall is a great idea as a present to yourself. And in my opinion, you should definitely notice the difference between an ABZ and a Combustion - at least, I did when I first stepped into the Dingwall world back in 2010.

 

I got an ABII from Bass Direct recently, via one of their fast-tracked build slots that Admiralchew mentioned. I would recommend this approach if you know what you want as this is by far the fastest way of getting a custom shop bass from Dingwall.

 

However, I would emphasise the issue with them being busy. I tried several times to get information direct from Dingwall, but never heard anything back. Mark and Marcus from Bass Direct were able to relay information back and forth and get my questions answered, but ultimately what was missing was the opportunity to discuss options in detail. I had an idea what I wanted, but not exactly, so I really could have done with speaking to someone from Dingwall directly. At the time, the price list and range of options wasn't available on the Bass Direct website (as it is now), so this would definitely have helped at the time. I got a spec that I'm happy with, but would maybe have benefitted from being able to explore all the options better - for example it was really hard to know what difference the pre-finish treatments would make to the end result.

 

The other issue was that there was a minor problem with the bass in that the nut groove for the E-string was not quite filed at the right angle and there was some buzz/rattle on the open string. I realised fairly quickly that it was the nut but it took a very long time to convince Mark from Bass Direct that this was the issue. In the end, I got it sorted at the Gallery (I'm in London, so taking it back to Bass Direct wasn't that straight-forward) and Bass Direct reimbursed me for it, but there was a lot of back and forth. I think they were trying to be helpful, but the communication could have been clearer initially and a lot of time might have been saved.

 

So overall, if you're keen for a Canadian Dingwall, Bass Direct is probably your best bet and I can overall recommend it. I think both Bass Direct and Dingwall have been aware that the huge increase in demand has been difficult to manage and they are actively working to improve their processes. But be aware that you might have to be a bit pushy to get the information you want, or in the event that there are any issues.

Really appreciate your taking the time to share this. I spoke to Mark at Bass Direct yesterday and I’m pretty sure what I want. Just a couple of small details to confirm. I’ll share the spec once I’ve got it confirmed.

[bassmayhem]

I've owned a sh*tload of Dingwalls, but sold them all. My first was a 6 string Prima, my second was a purple Sklar, then a Super P4, Super J4, Super J5, Super P5, and then a three pickup Afterburner 5 with wenge neck. The last ones I owned were the Super P4 and Super J4. A good friend of mine fell in love with the Super P4, so he bought it from me. Why did I sell them? Well, Dingwall tended to "lean towards metal players" and I ain't one of them. Silly thoughts, maybe... But the main reason was, that Dingwall didn't offer what I wanted: a fan fret bass with 37"-34" scale AND 19 mm (or 3/4") spacing on the same five string. Hence, I got my Payson Supercharger that offered just that. Another thing I didn't adapt to was the pickup switching system. I didn't want to switch - I wanted to blend. Like on a Jazz Bass. My all passive Payson does that too. Another thing that made me sell the Sklar bass was the thin body, giving the bass an anemic tone, if you didn't tweak the eq. I don't like to tweak eq. I don't like eq at all. I am happy with a passive tone control. Also, I went back to regular non fan fret instruments more and more. My main bass now is my beautiful British Racing Green bass built by the fantastic Swedish luthier Christian Olsson at Unicorn Bass. 99 % of the time my Green Machine goes to gig with me. Yes - the Dingwalls were good. Very good. We just grew apart...

 

 

[kwmlondon]

11 hours ago, bassmayhem said:

I've owned a sh*tload of Dingwalls, but sold them all. My first was a 6 string Prima, my second was a purple Sklar, then a Super P4, Super J4, Super J5, Super P5, and then a three pickup Afterburner 5 with wenge neck. The last ones I owned were the Super P4 and Super J4. A good friend of mine fell in love with the Super P4, so he bought it from me. Why did I sell them? Well, Dingwall tended to "lean towards metal players" and I ain't one of them. Silly thoughts, maybe... But the main reason was, that Dingwall didn't offer what I wanted: a fan fret bass with 37"-34" scale AND 19 mm (or 3/4") spacing on the same five string. Hence, I got my Payson Supercharger that offered just that. Another thing I didn't adapt to was the pickup switching system. I didn't want to switch - I wanted to blend. Like on a Jazz Bass. My all passive Payson does that too. Another thing that made me sell the Sklar bass was the thin body, giving the bass an anemic tone, if you didn't tweak the eq. I don't like to tweak eq. I don't like eq at all. I am happy with a passive tone control. Also, I went back to regular non fan fret instruments more and more. My main bass now is my beautiful British Racing Green bass built by the fantastic Swedish luthier Christian Olsson at Unicorn Bass. 99 % of the time my Green Machine goes to gig with me. Yes - the Dingwalls were good. Very good. We just grew apart...

 

 

This all makes TOTAL sense. I'm looking for an ABZ because I've been so impressed with the Combustion but want better. I actually don't like the flamed top, I love the pickup selection, I love the tone, I would like better hardware and a preamp with passive tone control. It's also that I've played my bass most days since I got it and have met and really liked Sheldon so. I understand why you didn't go with them in the end but this is something I've thought long and hard about.

 

This is the build I've agreed with Bass Direct

 

Model: AZ - ABZ

Pickup Configuration: 3 - 3x pickups

Number of Strings: 5

£2950

 

Body Wood: S - Swamp Ash

Contrast Layer: O - No (Standard)

Top Wood: O - No (Standard)

Pre Bleach: O - No (Standard)

Top Color: NAN - Natural

Back Colour: NAN - Natural

Finish: Hardcoat Satin

Pickguard: OO - None

Pickup Type: FDV (Alnico - Standard)

Electronics: RND - Neve - £455

Neck: RA - Roasted Ash - £510

Fingerboard: M - Maple - £190

Inlay Style: D12 - Dots with 12 Fret D - £75

Inlay Material: K - Black Pearloid

Side Dots: K - Black Pearloid

Headstock: O - Non Matching

Tuning: O - Standard

Hardware: K - Black (AB, Z, Super J and P)

Total: £4180

[kwmlondon]

Update. Deposit paid. Now I've got a year to cobble the rest together!!!!

[kwmlondon]

MAJOR UPDATE!!!! Just got an email from Ashley at Bass Direct, they've got a free slot coming up now so I could be getting the bass within two months. COULD BE NBD BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!!!

[kuetsum]

Wish I have seen this post earlier..

Have to thin the herd

 

Congratulations PO new bass rulez

Edited October 8 by kuetsum

[kwmlondon]

3 hours ago, kuetsum said:

Wish I have seen this post earlier..

Have to thin the herd

 

Congratulations PO new bass rulez

Honestly if you have a bass to that spec you want to sell please don’t say. You will really make me regret spending all that money and I’ll not enjoy my new bass so please just keep it to yourself. Cheers. 

[kuetsum]

Definitely not the same, and with a old layout which I see it as a budget budget piece.

 

Your've cooked a great spec.

Looking forward to your nbd post 

And ahre the feeling of the neve pre.

[simisker]

You won't regret choosing the Neve. 👍

 

It looks a bit odd on paper - "20Hz? Twenty?! Really?!?" - but it's just like Neve console preamps: musically sweet rather than surgically precise, and with a noise floor that's in the basement - even at the extremes. It's just quality.

[kwmlondon]

37 minutes ago, kuetsum said:

Definitely not the same, and with a old layout which I see it as a budget budget piece.

 

Your've cooked a great spec.

Looking forward to your nbd post 

And ahre the feeling of the neve pre.

Cheers. I’d love to try one if the older models, get a feel for the evolution of the design. 

[kwmlondon]

16 minutes ago, simisker said:

You won't regret choosing the Neve. 👍

 

It looks a bit odd on paper - "20Hz? Twenty?! Really?!?" - but it's just like Neve console preamps: musically sweet rather than surgically precise, and with a noise floor that's in the basement - even at the extremes. It's just quality.

From what Mark said it’s a very musical preamp and it features a passive tone so sounded more up

my street than the Glockenklang which he said was really HiFi.