The SP1 is the latest addition to our ever-expanding Ready To Play range and, as the model name suggests, draws much of its inspiration from the Custom Shop Super P. The initial brief was to come up with a more affordable instrument that combined elements of Leo Fender’s iconic blueprint with some of the innovative features for which Dingwall Guitars are now famous, including the customary multi-scale fingerboard. Select 4- or 5-strings, and from Metallic Black, Vintageburst, Dark Candy Green, and Ducati Pearl White finishes.
The first thing we did was to make the body profile thinner, so you get a lightweight body, but with a more solid tone. The body is alder, while the bolt-on neck is a single piece of maple. The rosewood fingerboard is flawlessly finished, with smoothly rounded edges and 22 banjo-sized frets.
Aside from the multi-scale design, visually, the first thing you’ll notice that’s different about the SP1 is the scratchplate, which started out as a hand-painted design by Hugh Fisher. We’ve now digitized Hugh’s designs and had them UV printed. Each one is slightly transparent, so the colour of the body also influences the look of the pickguard. And because the pickguard material is transparent, we can print any colour.
“I don’t think it’s coincidental that the bassists who first recognized Dingwall’s potential were session guys who play and record bass day in, day out. These players need a versatile instrument that can deliver a studio-quality sound, be comfortable to play and remain straightforward to use. The Dingwall SP1 ticks all those boxes, and you can expect to see a lot more of them around in the future.” – Sheldon Dingwall
The SP1 is passive, so there are no batteries or EQ boost, but the quality of the tonewoods, alnico-loaded pickups, and the overall construction mean that there’s absolutely no need for them. The front control is volume, and the back is a master tone. Between these is our Quad-Tone Pickup Selector. In its first position, fully anti-clockwise, this selects the front pickup alone; one click clockwise is the front plus the back pickup in series, then in parallel; and finally, the back pickup on its own.
We spent years refining the pickup design for the SP1, and the end result has been so successful that we’re now using the same concept in our Custom Shop Super P.” – Sheldon Dingwall.“
The Dingwall Minimalist bridge features a custom riser system that’s designed to provide an increased range of flexibility when it comes to adjusting the action. If you play with a heavy technique, instead of raising your individual bridge saddles, which can put stress on the string and cause premature breakage, you can raise the entire bridge unit. That way you can move between a high action or a low action just by adjusting the shims, which leaves the saddles only for fine tuning. The tuners are lightweight, open-gear designs, and there is also a bullet string retainer to help maintain a decent break angle across the Graphtech nut.
Dingwall strings have been meticulously tested to maximize performance and deliver a tone that blends effortlessly with any style of music. We were the first company to design strings specifically for multi-scale instruments. Available in both nickel and stainless steel, our strings provide an even tension for optimal balance, letting you experience the warmest highs and the tightest lows possible.
Note: basses are shipped with Dingwall Nickel Strings as standard.
