fretmeister Posted December 5 Share Posted December 5 I've had two, a Dingwall ABZ5 with 37-34 inch scale and an Ibanez with 32-30. I didn't find any tonal advantages at all and as at the time I was playing in a big band with transposing instruments and I needed the low C and F quite a lot I found that quite an annoying stretch over the course of a gig. I'm glad I tried them, but ultimately they are not for me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted December 5 Share Posted December 5 I had an Ibanez SRMS805 fan fret. To be honest, it felt completely natural and took no adjustment in my playing. The clarity on the B string was excellent and the tone was much more consistent across all strings than other 5 strings I've used. Ideal for heavily distorted, low tuned modern metal sounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_dinger Posted December 14 Share Posted December 14 On 05/12/2024 at 12:34, Linus27 said: I've only had a very quick go on one and I wasn't a fan. I see what you did there. Very good!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted December 15 Share Posted December 15 Can't really offer anything to the discussion, other than... Fanned fret basses mess with my head and look, to me, like they're suffering from serious neck twist.😕 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_dinger Posted December 15 Share Posted December 15 (edited) 2 hours ago, SteveK said: Can't really offer anything to the discussion, other than... Fanned fret basses mess with my head and look, to me, like they're suffering from serious neck twist.😕 It's real. The Torzal Twist bass. Read more here https://www.torzalguitars.com/natural-twist Edit - they seem to also supply a fan-fretted twist bass. Look at the headstock end for the twist, and the bridge for the fanning. My brain hurts. Edited December 15 by bass_dinger 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted December 15 Share Posted December 15 1 hour ago, bass_dinger said: It's real. The Torzal Twist bass. Read more here https://www.torzalguitars.com/natural-twist Edit - they seem to also supply a fan-fretted twist bass. Look at the headstock end for the twist, and the bridge for the fanning. My brain hurts. It's great that someone's made a twisted neck bass, to solve the problem of... er... er... mmm... 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLowDown Posted December 15 Share Posted December 15 I didn't gel with mine and because of the scale length I didn't find it at all ergonomic, plus I don't fancy paying extra for strings. On balance, the cons outweigh the pros. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted December 15 Share Posted December 15 54 minutes ago, SteveK said: It's great that someone's made a twisted neck bass, to solve the problem of... er... er... mmm... 🤔 Carpel tunnel syndrome and other hand injuries. It has really helped people with that sort of problem keep playing. It’s a brilliant invention. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted December 16 Share Posted December 16 Ive never owned a fanned fret bass, but I have played a few. I found them extremely easy to play lower down the neck, but not quite so easy at the top end. It felt natural at one end and very un natural at the other. What ive never got on well with are Dingwall's. Ive not found one that sounded like it had a soul in it. I guess ive only played about 4, and they were nice instruments, but sound wise very cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted December 16 Share Posted December 16 1 minute ago, dave_bass5 said: What ive never got on well with are Dingwall's. Ive not found one that sounded like it had a soul in it. I guess ive only played about 4, and they were nice instruments, but sound wise very cold. This ^^ I've owned two and sold them both. I found them lifeless and soulless sounding.... probably why so many end up put through Darkglass pedals and end up sounding the same.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted December 16 Share Posted December 16 1 minute ago, cetera said: This ^^ I've owned two and sold them both. I found them lifeless and soulless sounding.... probably why so many end up put through Darkglass pedals and end up sounding the same.... Yeah. Maybe why Sheldon started to put a DG module in them 😇 I did a gig years ago when a mate of mine brought two basses along for me to play. 1 per set and the 3rd set with whatever I wanted. At the time I was using a 4 string Fender (which I still use as my gigging bass). A Dingwall and an old Ibanez Roadstar. First set came and went. it was my first time playing a FF but it was ok, I didn't struggle much, not even with the extra string. He was a bit put out that I refused to use it again and did the rest of the gig with the cheap as chips Ibby. it has so much more life and presence. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted December 16 Share Posted December 16 'Are you a fan of the FANNED FRET BASS?' Yes. Yes I am. Check out my sig. Adjustment time for me was measured in seconds, whereas a guitarist I worked with couldn't stop staring at my fretboard like he was failing to make sense of it. I'm now on my 2nd and 3rd Dingwall. The main benefits to me are interlinked - the longer scale lengths of the lower strings even out tone across the strings, and they give a tighter feel and punchier sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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