Sheldon Dingwall

Hi James, Combustions are 37". Super J's and the new Super P are 35".

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1322573382' post='1452804'] You didn't miss out on anything special - another Precision bass body rip-off, just with the as expected varying string length's Dingwall approach. Designed by someone with zero original thought. [/quote] I can agree on the P-bass body rip-off part. I'd argue the original thought comment though;) [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1322577817' post='1452971'] IMO the OP is being a little over-sensitive. I can also see where noel27k is coming from. I personally find it rather disappointing, that an otherwise interesting bass manufacturer like Dingwall feel that it is necessary to "dress up" their ideas in the rather dull and unimaginative J and P clone guises. [/quote] If you take a closer look I'm sure you'll find lots under the hood that's interesting too. The answer to the question of why is simple. More than building basses we're in the business of building tools for musicians to create music with. In that respect some tools just work better for certain applications than others. In the case of basses there are a lot of styles of music that call for a more traditional looking and sounding instrument like a P. Speaking of traditional vs original styles can anyone name me 10 violins that don't look like a Strad? Am I ever glad I don't build violins! [quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1322587795' post='1453214'] (and not view it as a cynical marketing ploy, or an exercise in pandering). But, does the bass-buying marketplace really need yet another Fender clone from Dingwall? Personally, while observing that the design concept is well executed, and the instruments built and finished to a high standard, I found the sound to be somewhat sterile, which left me wondering if the execution was one of those more science over substance achievements, and if it's not the inherent "dissonances" of the imperfect "tuning" of the traditional fretted design which makes it a more natural listening experience for the human ear. The claimed characteristics for the concept of varying scale length just didn't communicate to my ear, nor did the feel of the instrument offer back anything more to my touch than the other more traditional instruments I own, and play.[/quote] I prefer to call it responding to our customers requests vs pandering. I can agree that viewed from the outside in, the marketplace overall doesn't need another P. However when viewed from the inside out, the Dingwall customer base does. We have several thousand customers who appreciate what we bring to the table, a good percentage of them would love a P but with our particular take on it. By the way, thanks for the kind words on concept, build quality and for at least giving us a test. The feel is a personal thing. It works for some and not others. Sorry the tone didn't work for you. I suspect the tone quality that you find "sterile" would be what we call "transparent" and "even". It's been our experience that all other things being equal a bass with these qualities is easier to fit in the mix and communicates more effectively to the audience than a bass with less balance and more let's say "personality". I'd be interested to see if your opinion changed once you played one at rehearsal or live. Someone was asking about scale. We shortened the scale of our Fender style basses to a. create a slightly faster decay compared to our long-scale basses, b. warm up the G-string tone and c. allow more string choices as we felt the Fender style basses would find there way into more rootsy styles of music where flats and nickel strings (that we don't currently offer) would be desired.

Unless you see an obvious burr on the saddle under the strings, I don't see anything mechanical that looks to be contributing. So could be a bad batch of strings or it could be stage volume. If you're having trouble hearing yourself on stage or at rehearsal you'll unconsciously compensate by playing harder. The result will be greater potential for broken strings. The solution - crazy as it seems is to turn up your amp.

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='1206253' date='Apr 20 2011, 11:46 AM']I had the oppotunity to try a fanned fret Dingwall at my teacher's (his son has one). Suprisingly the fanned frets didn't feel as wierd as I thought they would, but I thought the tone of that particular instrument a bit 'Dull' (others might say it was smooth).[/quote] In order of brightness Combustion pickups - smoothest Super-Fatty pickups (Super J, Z-series) - aggressive upper-mids but fat top end. FD-3 pickups (ABZ, Afterburner I&II, some Z-series) - the most sparkly top end.

Everyone has different ideas about what a low string should sound like. Some people only want to rumble and fill the low end. For that a thick string will do. If you're looking for a little more definition in your notes either to actually hear the pitch or the notes you're playing you'll need more harmonic content than just a huge fundamental. This is where things get complicated. IMO you'll need a combination of extended scale length and custom strings. I can only think of one guy who's really focused in on the super-low-end. He makes strings for both fanned-fret and parallel fret basses and his specialty is in the range you're looking for. [url="http://circlekstrings.com/store/index.html"]http://circlekstrings.com/store/index.html[/url] Check him out. I know one of our customers has converted one of his Dingwall's to F# tuning using Circle K's and is quite happy. He's a picky guy so that says a lot.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1173857' date='Mar 23 2011, 02:49 PM']So,if you've got say,a 35" scale,the intonation will theoretically be slightly better on the lower strings than on a a standard 34"?[/quote] That's exactly what I'm saying. With emphasis on slight and intonation in terms of the harmonics being more intune with the fundamental. In the piano world there are no pickups or electronics to post process the tone. They've basically got a soundboard, soundbox and speaking length to work with. The speaking length is a huge part of the tone of a concert grand.

[quote name='guybrush threepwood' post='1170217' date='Mar 20 2011, 05:18 PM']I don't quite understand this mate - wouldn't the scale length on the G be 32" if the B was 35"? So how can a scale length that is so different for each string improve intonation? Not doubting you or anything, just maybe I'm missing something. Is the intonation issue, with which Grand Wazoo had such a massive dilemma, an inherent problem with basses that have a standard 34" scale length?[/quote] I should clear this up. Intonation issues are pretty much only a problem on the lower strings, the higher strings are usually fine. A longer scale helps the lower strings overcome intonation issues and sound more pure. Not fanned-frets. What fanned-frets do is allow you to have a longer speaking length on the lower strings where it's needed - at least according to some people here - mainly the good looking ones while leaving the higher strings at a more "normal" speaking length. Since intonation has been brought up a lot here, I'll offer a quick thought because intonation is WAY more than just the note playing in tune according to your tuner. I think it's important to look at how in-tune the string is with itself. Stiff, heavy strings don't produce short high frequency harmonics well. Lighter more flexible strings do, but if the tension is too low will be pitchy Pitchy meaning when you attack the string hard, the pitch goes noticeably sharp and with a normal attack the fundamental may be in tune but the harmonics are sharp and dissonant. I've heard some B-strings sound so dissonant you could hear the harmonics fighting the fundamental at the 5th fret.

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1170084' date='Mar 20 2011, 03:36 PM']I think this thread is very confused due to certain features of the Dingwall basses v other basses being attributed to fanned frets. There may be improvements over particular instruments but it'll be because the Dingwall is just better built and/or set up. There is no inherent reason intonation is better on a fanned fret system v parallel fret. There is no inherent reason that a single string will sound any better/different on a fanned system v a string of equivalent scale length on a parallel fret guitar. I say this because I feel Sheldon's own post is a bit misleading there when he goes on at length about clarity.[/quote] Didn't mean to exclude other builders when talking about clarity. Just really into the importance of it as I've become more aware. [quote name='LawrenceH' post='1170084' date='Mar 20 2011, 03:36 PM']The fanned fret system WILL alter the tonal balance across the strings - for better or worse, depending on what you like (personally I like the slightly different character across the strings and feel it's an inherent part of the instrument).[/quote] I get the appreciation for the different characters of each string. A good player can use that to their advantage. In a dense mix it makes more sense to me that an instrument with a more similar tone balance on each string will be easier to eq and fit in the mix than one with 5 different tone signatures.

[quote name='purpleblob' post='1170021' date='Mar 20 2011, 02:57 PM']I've not tried a fan fretted instrument (so far) but one thing I've always hated about the low B on a 6 string is the lack of string tension when compared to the E and A strings. I've played several sixers and different guage strings and each has suffered the same problem. I doubt anyone listening to me play would notice any issues but I certainly do. This sounds to be the issue the fanned frets are aiming to fix and had I not now decided that E-C five strings were the way forward for me, I'd definitely be trying a fanned fretted instrument out to try to solve this problem.[/quote] IME a shorter scale really makes the C-string sing. Way warmer and bass-like instead of pingy and guitar-like.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1169895' date='Mar 20 2011, 01:50 PM']I'm not trying to be awkward but I stand by my post that the Dingwall B's I have tried have been world class but neither here nor there compared to a GB or Roscoe 35" for example and the Xotic Jazz bass Bass direct had at bassday was probably the most even feeling out of all I tried that day.[/quote] I could think of worse brands to be compared to. I meant to try that Xotic. They're pretty impressive looking. In our own experiments with 35" vs 37" (we offer both) 37" offers more richness, 35" is warmer. If you spent more time comparing in a quieter environment you might see things differently - or not. Try and get a Ferrari fan to like a Porsche, it's not going to happen.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1169856' date='Mar 20 2011, 01:33 PM']Sorry Sheldon I must ask for clarification on this point, I'm reading it as people who don't use fanned frets are not performance players.[/quote] Performance minded as in high-performance, as in us, F-bass, MTD, Roscoe, many others etc.

I'll step in here with a little history. Hopefully this will clear up some misconceptions. Our history: Early in my guitar building career I was getting requests for 5-string basses. The complaint was that the B-string was dull sounding and floppy. When I asked these potential customers if they'd tried the boutique/multi-laminate/fancy electronics brands or the big-brand Japanese and American brands they said yes - they all had the same problem. I didn't have a solution but to my mind it wasn't boutique construction or a big-budget. I turned down these orders. As a kid I remember sitting at the piano and marvelling at the depth and complexity of the lowest notes. On a good piano those low notes are pretty amazing. In the piano world length is a big deal especially in concert situations where the notes need to speak with clarity, power and tightness to be heard by a large audience. To me the key was scale length. To test this I hacked together a nut that could slide up and down a Fender headstock. I installed a super long scale B-string on a P and slide this nut further and further down the headstock, re-tuning and listening as the scale length increased. In this case I had to go all the way out to 37" to get the B-string to match the E in tone and clarity. Great who's going to want to play a 37" scale bass. To me extending the scale of every string of a 5-string would destroy 4-strings to try and fix one. One day I saw a photo of a Klein guitar with fanned-frets. It hit me that this provided the solution to getting the extended scale length needed by the B without compromising the whole instrument. Met Ralph Novak, built a prototype (boring details removed to save time and space) All I wanted to do was fix the B, when I witnessed the first prototype live the B was killer as expected, but what really caught me off guard was the power of the E, A and D-strings. They had a kick-drum like punch and clarity like I'd never heard or imagined before. Not a high-endy sterile clarity, but a powerful, guttural, organic clarity that was astounding. All I wanted to do was fix the B but along the way we've discovered a few more advantages. Clarity: How many clubs and concerts have you been to where you can hear bass but can't distinguish the notes? This is rarely a problem with pianos but way too often the case with bass guitar. The tight bottom-end and the more even string to string tone we get makes a huge difference here. Rarely do I see one of our basses played and not hear every single note the bass player is playing. One thing about clarity that can't be emphasized enough is that the bass player's job is to communicate the groove to the audience. Like all musicians we as bass nerds get a little obsessive about minute details of our gear. What is the point if your audience can't hear what you're playing? All the '59 this, '62 that, '76 that means a great deal to us bass enthusiasts doesn't mean a thing to your audience. A tight, clear bottom end is a huge advantage in communicating effectively with your audience. A second thing about clarity is that you can play tighter with the drummer if you both can hear the bass more clearly. This isn't such a big deal with in-ear monitors but without them it makes a huge difference. If you value a tight rythmn section don't underestimate clarity. Intonation: It's better, in some cases a lot better, but I think that's more of a scale length thing than the fanned-frets themselves. String tension: It's more even. You can attack the B like you would the E. You can attack the E like you would the A. This is of course not such a big deal on a 4 but it's pretty obvious on a 5. Some will argue that you can balance the tension by adjusting your gauges but this will be at the expense of intonation, tone consistency and clarity. Again, fixing one thing but making two or three other factors worse isn't a good solution IMO. Ergonomics: I hear this a lot from our customers. I personally don't see an ergonomic advantage. YMMV To answer the question of why haven't mainstream manufacturers adopted the fanned-frets? Look at the majority of these posts. Any mainstream marketer would look at the tone of these posts and "set their phasers on relic" . We're small enough that we can ignore the mainstream and focus on performance minded players. I've been doing this long enough to know that some will read this and "get it". Some won't. Some like their tone to be a "wash", some want their tone to be more punchy to serve the groove. Some are scared (or made un-comfortable) by the look of the frets or body shapes, some see the adventure in it. It's all good.

I wanted to give a shout out to Martin, Alex and John at the Bass Gallery. Dingwall sales manager Barry Lamb, Dave Swift and I spent the afternoon there yesterday hanging out, talking bass and fine tuning Dave's bass. Martin graciously offered the use of his bench and workshop to work on Dave's bass. This was a huge gesture considering how busy he is. I have much respect for what they do there. The Sei's that I saw on the wall and in production were incredibly beautiful. Dave Swift has been an absolute joy to work with. Mind boggling career, impeccable player, as down to earth as you can possibly get. Looking forward to the London Bass Guitar Show tomorrow. Cheers

[quote name='purpleblob' post='1133053' date='Feb 19 2011, 02:20 AM']Very nice ! Must admit I've wanted to own a Dingwall for a while, but I've pretty much realised that an E-C tuning is the way ahead for me. For those in the know (such as Sheldon or ofcourse any other owners of these lovely instruments), would I be correct in saying that the scale length etc. has been pretty much designed for the low-B or could one replace the strings with a high C tuning ? Or is this just a really dumb question ? [/quote] E-C on a Super J (32" to 35" scale) is no problem. On our long scale 5's sourcing strings would be a problem.

Glad you're liking it Meenie. I love that finish. So far that's the only one like it. We're thinking seriously of adding it to the option list.

[quote name='poptart' post='1116263' date='Feb 5 2011, 04:01 AM']Hi Sheldon, glad you made it on the UK Forum! We will have a good selection of Dingwall basses on Dass Direct stand so some and say hi to myself and Sheldon, try out some gear and have a chat ;-) Mark[/quote] I'm looking forward to it. You've got probably the best Dingwall selection of any dealer in the world. You'd have to go to a NAMM show to compare so many of our models in one place. What kind of weather can you expect that time of year?

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1115355' date='Feb 4 2011, 08:35 AM']I'm definitely gonna be there on the GK stand now Saturday and most of Sunday. Sheldon, if you're near-by, I'd love to give a bass or two of yours a whirl through a GK rig. I had a quick play on a combustion recently but didn't really have a play with the settings. I'm already saving up my pennies so that when something inevitably takes my fancy, I can come home with something shiny! Maybe I can persuade you, Sheldon to sell me a super J 5 for not a lot. It's gonna be a long weekend, got a gig on the Friday, then travelling down to London Sat morning, leaving the show early on Sunday to go straight to a gig.[/quote] I'm sure a demo through a GK rig could be arranged. I'd like to hear that actually I haven't tried any of their new stuff. Any purchase questions will have to be handled by one of our participating UK dealers. I'll be more than happy to help with technical, setup, tone or construction questions though.

[quote name='martinbass7750' post='1101277' date='Jan 24 2011, 01:57 PM']By the way, I love your basses - I'm trying to convince myself I need one![/quote] Thanks. If you need any help thinking up reasons let me know LOL

Ah OK.

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='1096864' date='Jan 20 2011, 02:45 PM']...or a free Dingwall bass?[/quote] We could do that if you buy a T-shirt. I have to warn you though these are custom hand-made T-shirts made from a blend of Cotton picked at the cross-roads and melted down first edition Elvis records. So they cost pretty much as much as the bass. Other than that, no problem.

[quote name='martinbass7750' post='1097168' date='Jan 21 2011, 03:08 AM']the Dingwall and an upright[/quote] Thanks. You couldn't hear either of these?

[quote name='martinbass7750' post='1096299' date='Jan 20 2011, 06:30 AM']I went to see them when they played in cheltenham last december - great band. The bass wasn't really audible from where I sat, about 20 metres behind the mixing desk![/quote] Which bass was he playing?

I was thinking. Any Dingwall owners coming to the show, email me your name and T-shirt size before March 6th and I'll make sure there's a T-shirt for you at the show. Combustion owners: bring your bass and I'll install a B-booster kit for free. One potential problem - if this show is anything like NAMM there may be issues with bringing your bass into the show. I'll check into this. If you're driving we could do the upgrade in the lobby if you feel comfortable storing your bass in your car.

Looking forward to the show, meeting you good folk & seeing London.

They just got some new ones in. Just currious, do you remember which model you were playing?