admiralchew Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 (edited) It's not strictly a new bass day but I recently received two basses in quite quick succession and I think they're both very worthy of a new bass day post. I've chatted with a few people on here about them (most because they were wondering what was enough to part me from Cog pedals) and I said I would put this post up when I'd spent time with both basses. I've been lucky enough to play some of the basses I've dreamed about over the last few years but one that's been firmly etched on the list of dream basses and one which I never thought I would actually own is a Ritter Roya 5-string. Owing to some fortunate timing and very optimistic book-keeping I was recently able to welcome this beautiful bass, named by Jens Ritter as The Red Line. It has an alder body, poplar burl top, black flamed maple fingerboard and Ritter's parametric preamp and triplebucker pick-ups. The neck is maple, it's built to a 35-inch scale and it's been given an arresting paint job that gives the bass its name (more photos below). The preamp and pick-up combination is extremely flexible so it's hard to say precisely what the signature tone is (it reminds me of a Pope preamp in terms of flexibility) but I've been having a lot of fun seeing what sounds I can dial in. I've tried to write the details in a matter-of-fact way but the result is absolutely mesmerising. The bass was exhibited at Guitar Summit in Mannheim a couple of months ago and it's one of the most beautiful basses I've seen in person (although I expect I'm horribly biased here). I should say too that Jens Ritter was very patient in answering all of my questions too, particularly as I was mithering him just before Guitar Summit. Here are a few more photos of it: Knowing the Ritter was coming was incredibly exciting but I was just as excited a few weeks later when my lovely wife went above and beyond (and beyond again) and surprised me with the most amazing gift for one my my milestone birthdays: a Dingwall AB II that I had been enamoured with since I first saw it (and which may look familiar to some on here). It's an incredibly generous gift and, frankly, I'm going to have to try much harder for birthdays and have my work cut out at Christmas. It has a chambered walnut body, wenge fretboard and, unusually for a Dingwall, an ovangkol neck. It has three FDV pick-ups and a Glockenklang preamp. It was originally built for NAMM but was instead tweaked and sent to George Baldwin (Hilltide). Here he is using it far better than I could ever hope to: I love the rustic colouring and styling of the bass on the modern-ish body and it sounds magical: it's got a deep growl but is very articulate. It's a wonderful bass all round and it's a nice thought that this will forever be the birthday bass. A few more photos: Edited November 12 by admiralchew 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 Lovely basses. I really like the Dingwall colour scheme. The Ritter top is nuts, too! Nice playing also! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admiralchew Posted November 12 Author Share Posted November 12 1 hour ago, Pea Turgh said: Lovely basses. I really like the Dingwall colour scheme. The Ritter top is nuts, too! Nice playing also! Thanks very much! George is a really incredible player; I think he could sell me any bass with his playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killerfridge Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 Holy moly that Ritter is stunning. I don't think I'd ever play it, just mount it on the wall and look at it all day! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 "...and surprised me with the most amazing gift for one my milestone birthdays..." Where to find such a gem? And I don't mean that glorious Ritter, but your astonishing wife. Happy 25th birthday! 1 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 Lovely Ritter. I think the Roya shape is fantastic, a couple of my Antoniotsais are definitely homages to it (I didn't know about Ritter when I bought them). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 wow - what is the fretboard on the Ritter neck? I have a significant birthday coming up but I'm pretty sure I won't get a bass! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 Congratulations @admiralchew ! I played a few Ritter's a long time ago at the Frankfurter Musik Messe when I still had hair (and they were very long) and I clearly remember Jens asking me to remove my perfecto brown leather jacket before even thinking touching an instrument... Amazing basses, amazing finish, amazing tone, amazing versatility, amazing ergonomics and amazing look, but I would be afraid to take it outside home... Talking about gifts, here is one, bought brand new, from my wife a few years ago, and not even on a special occasion: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killerfridge Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 6 minutes ago, Hellzero said: Congratulations @admiralchew ! I played a few Ritter's a long time ago at the Frankfurter Musik Messe when I still had hair (and they were very long) and I clearly remember Jens asking me to remove my perfecto brown leather jacket before even thinking touching an instrument... Amazing basses, amazing finish, amazing tone, amazing versatility, amazing ergonomics and amazing look, but I would be afraid to take it outside home... Talking about gifts, here is one, bought brand new, from my wife a few years ago, and not even on a special occasion: That is one beefy pickup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admiralchew Posted November 12 Author Share Posted November 12 2 hours ago, itu said: "...and surprised me with the most amazing gift for one my milestone birthdays..." Where to find such a gem? And I don't mean that glorious Ritter, but your astonishing wife. Happy 25th birthday! Haha, thanks for the entirely accurate birthday wishes! 33 minutes ago, LukeFRC said: wow - what is the fretboard on the Ritter neck? I have a significant birthday coming up but I'm pretty sure I won't get a bass! To say I was surprised and delighted to receive a bass is to massively understate it. It was an incredible gesture. The fretboard, according to the spec sheet, is black flamed maple. 18 minutes ago, Hellzero said: Congratulations @admiralchew ! I played a few Ritter's a long time ago at the Frankfurter Musik Messe when I still had hair (and they were very long) and I clearly remember Jens asking me to remove my perfecto brown leather jacket before even thinking touching an instrument... Thank you for the congratulations and amazing bass there! I love the woods/colours. You’re right about Jens: it went to Guitar Summit with a note from him that he wouldn’t let people touch it, and when he put a video of the bass up he was wearing white gloves. The craftsmanship and design is extremely impressive. I can imagine his designs splitting opinion but like @tauzero I find the Roya in particular a beautiful shape. The black strings were a nice touch too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 18 minutes ago, Killerfridge said: That is one beefy pickup! It's 4 pickups in fact... 😉 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 1 hour ago, Hellzero said: It's 4 pickups in fact... 😉 / LeFay make Ritter's pickups? or vice versa? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admiralchew Posted November 12 Author Share Posted November 12 57 minutes ago, LukeFRC said: LeFay make Ritter's pickups? or vice versa? Good question! I’m not sure. The triplebuckers are very impressive though, at least in conjunction with the preamp. I’ve managed to get some nice jazz bass and StingRay-esque sounds from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Okon Posted November 13 Share Posted November 13 14 hours ago, LukeFRC said: LeFay make Ritter's pickups? or vice versa? nope, Ritter pickups are custom made Häussel to Ritter‘s specs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted November 13 Share Posted November 13 22 hours ago, LukeFRC said: LeFay make Ritter's pickups? or vice versa? Le Fay pickups are made by the Dobbratz brothers, the two owners of Le Fay. Andreas Richter is now making their preamps: https://www.richter-ee.de/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted November 13 Share Posted November 13 34 minutes ago, Hellzero said: Le Fay pickups are made by the Dobbratz brothers, the two owners of Le Fay. Andreas Richter is now making their preamps: https://www.richter-ee.de/ Oh my misunderstanding - I completely missed the post where you share your LeFay gift! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 On 12/11/2024 at 17:45, itu said: Where to find such a gem? And I don't mean that glorious Ritter, but your astonishing wife. Has she got a sister? Asking for a friend... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admiralchew Posted Saturday at 18:08 Author Share Posted Saturday at 18:08 On 14/11/2024 at 11:43, MacDaddy said: Has she got a sister? Asking for a friend... Haha, sadly not. Her brother's a really lovely guy though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admiralchew Posted Saturday at 18:17 Author Share Posted Saturday at 18:17 I've spent a good amount of time with the AB II this week. The neck profile is very thin front to back and the ovangkol is smooth without being tacky: it reminds me of the sanded and oiled backs to the Geddy Lee signature jazz basses in terms of feel. That and the low action make this an extremely enjoyable bass to play. It sounds excellent too: it's got a brand new set of Dingwall nickel strings which, when combined with the semi-hollow body and wenge fretboard, results in a mellow but zingy tone. The Glockenklang preamp is, thankfully, flexible enough to make that work. It's a little different but I'm enjoying it! The guys at Dingwall sorted through their inventory too and were able to find the broadly matching brown Dingwall strap, which was a nice bonus. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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