One was in Rawdon and the other one was on the east end of Montreal (Promenade Belle-Rive) in a large park in front of St-Lawrence River, two very nice set-ups.

Very cool! Where were your St. Jean gigs?

Hey everybody, I've been following the DW forums but it's been a while since I posted and now that I managed to get on stage twice last week with my AB-1, it's time for a little update! As some of you may know, Saint-Jean Baptiste is a national holiday in the province of Quebec (Canada) and it's that time of year when bands are hired to play outside in front of big crowds (5-15 thousands). It's not often that I get the chance to play in front of such big audiences and we had 2 gigs in a row. The repertoire is a mix of folk, traditional, funk, prog and hard rock (a little of everything: fingers, slap, muted thumb, picklike motion with thumb and index). It was the first outings of my AB-1. Normally, my Status 6 would be my prime bass and the Warwick Thumb BO5 my sub. But as I needed a fiver with the right spacing, the DW was the bass I rehearsed with and then played live. The AB-1 is plugged into a Demeter VTB201--SLA power amp ---Super Wizzy cab built by Steve Azola (two EA wizzy 12" in a cab). So first, the soundchecks: just played a few notes and that was enough for the soundman to ask what kind of bass I was playing! He really digged the tone and was amazed at the quality of the low B (aren't we all!!). The second soundman asked if I used a compressor on my rig as the notes were so even on all strings...An immense advantage of that slanted bridge and one of the things I love the most about my DW: you go from B to G, you get a tad closer to the bridge at each string, giving clarity and tone equally on each strings. Anyway both soundmen were totally amazed by the tone and did not tweak a knob on their board to have the bass sounding as good in FOH as it did on stage (comments by musicians in the crowd and members of our band). Playing outside on a very large stage is always a challenge especially for a rig of medium size like mine (400watts). I thought, when I first played the AB-1 a few months ago, that it sounded a little harsh, well, on both stages the bass delivered extremely precise fundamentals with exceptionnal depth all over the stage. And that's what I'm always aiming at: It cuts without sacrifying fundamental or depth. I find that often on big stages you hear the rumble without being able to really "hear" the fundamental. Well, none of that with the DW. Forget the rumble!!! You get great depth and exceptionnal clarity. The low B is so great that I changed quite a few fingerings to take advantage of its tone and playability. I also thought, on my first trials, that the 4 rotary switch was not allowing enough possibilities. Well, it covered all the tones I needed and then some. Very versatile, a flick of a switch (BluQube) or a turn of a knob and you have all the tones you need at your fingertips. Form funk to folk, from trad to hard rock (and did we rock!!!), the AB-1 was up for every tonal challenges! I was very surprised of how well the DW rocked. I assumed that it would best behave on more neutral grounds or more sophisticated environments. Well, I was almost on my knees (and I'm no spring chicken) jamming some 70's classic rock in front of 6000 with total amazement on how the bass reacted and sounded. I know I'm singing to the choir here but I cannot say enough about the playability, comfort and overall ergonomics of Sheldon's bass: no pain after 2 1/2 hours set of running around, no shoulder or elbow stress, nothing: lightweight, perfectly balanced and a neck and fretjob that make it so easy on the bassplayer! Finally, there's always the WOW factor involved when playing a fanned-fret. The DW got its share of fans in the last few days!!! After those two shows, my AB1 is now my main axe and I'm afraid that DAS is creeping its ugly face, big time for a sixer... I already own 6 high-end basses (+ 1 EUB and 1 UB) but only one DW . My wife is not allowing another bass ...Anyone interested in a Status StealthII six strings, or a Lakland 4-94 or a Warw..... Thanks agains Sheldon for a fantastic bass!! And peace to all!! Charles

[quote="Bellbass":96ih0ngu]Ergonomically, it's the greatest bass I've played, tonewise I've gotto work on it a bit before being a 100% sold. Peace Charles[/quote:96ih0ngu] Hey Charles, +1 on the ergonomics. As to tone, it has taken me close to a year to get exactly what I wanted to hear from my Dingwall but my oh my it has been worth every second of trial and error. In case this helps, I decided to put my bass in series/passive mode and then fiddle with the EQ on the amp to get what I was after. I use an Eden and found that boosting the lower mids @ 160K AND 300K (about 1:00 plus or minus a click for boost) and setting the bass, high mids (4K) and treble fairly close to flat did the trick. I use the DW round wound strings. I've played through a 2x10, a 1 x 12 and a 4 x10 with these basic settings and just made minor adjustments for each cab to get what I was after. With those same settings on the amp I also get a very nice sound in parallel and bridge p/u soloed, but with those settings I boost the bass a bit on the ABII. Let us know what your experimentation yields.

You say "worn" for the strings-if you dig flats try D'Addario Chromes Super longs-they'll just barely fit and will be the fattest thing you've ever heard. For now just roll back the tone a bit. Now that there are 3 of us, a Montreal meeting is a must-chez nous when my SJ5 lands!

Hey everybody! No chance with my drummer today but I was able to play it through my rig. Little problem with the E string (the string broke "internally" somehow, it's dead and there's a spring sound to it that ain't natural - I'll mail Sheldon to see what's wrong) and there's a little static on the selector everytime I dial it. I've gotta play it more but I'm so used to V/V/T that the 4 options seems a little limited. And I'm not sure about the difference in output from the PU selector. Other than that, it sounds good but very different from what i'm use to. Very sizzling but I need to wait a bit, I like my strings a little worn. Ergonomically, it's the greatest bass I've played, tonewise I've gotto work on it a bit before being a 100% sold. Peace Charles

Another Dingwall owner in Montreal! Welcome to the club and congratulations on the bass.

Thanks guys for the warm welcome! I now know the love for the fanned frets and Sheldon work is well deserved. I'm gonna test the bass today as I'm leaving for my rehearsal room where I'mmet with my good friend and power drummer. I'll play, for the first time and through my gear, my Dingwall (affectionately called "Bill Wong' by my no less affectionate wife in "honour" of a Chineese food restaurant in Montreal but mainly due to my poor english accent - I'm french Canadian). Concerning the selector switch, I'm used to a V/V/T configuration as I stripped almost all my basses of their active pre. And although I love that configuration, I'm eager to see all the options available through the selector switch. I'll keep you posted. Charles Spreading the love!

So admitting the addiction is the first step of the "12-step process" (or in Fullrangebass's case, the 19-step process). I like the fact that you referred to your new ABI as "my [b:2faap352]first [/b:2faap352]Dingwall". So here's to the next one!

Welcome and congratulations! I think you'll find that the 'honeymoon' phase of owning your Dingwall doesn't wear off. At least it hasn't with me, or most of the others who post around here. You'll also find that you're only going to want more of Sheldon's work for your very own...so be careful! I think you'll discover that with the 4 position switch, BluEQube, and the tone control you'll soon adjust to a non-blend bass. I love mine and wish that more people used this layout. You'll find that there are actually a very wide variety of tones available between these few controls and pretty much all of them sound great. I still find myself 'rediscovering' different tones on this bass. While I love the Series setting, I recently re-discovered the parallel setting and have been totally digging it almost non-stop. The bridge position is full of nice throaty aggressive upper mids and the neck solo'ed is smooth and warm!

[quote="Bellbass":1kvy838g] Take care everybody and a happy new year to everybody at Dingwall, to all Dingwall enthusiasts and their loved ones. [/quote:1kvy838g] Welcome aboard, Charles, and a happy new year to you and yours. We look forward to seeing a picture of you and your new baby on the "Show Your Dingwall" thread whenever you can get around to it. May there be much fanned fret fun in your future. John

[quote="Bellbass":2g3p8xc9]I'm so afraid that I'll end up being an addict of his work...I mostly play 6s fretted and fretless and I can't imagine my wife's reaction if I told her I "need" two other Dingwall...Oh well, that's part of the fun, I guess. Charles[/quote:2g3p8xc9] Welcome, Charles. Contrary to what you may think, wives can be very supportive of Dingwall acquisition addiction. My wife has supported me in all of my Dingwall endeavors, and insisted on my latest order of a Zbass. Of course, it helps that you will most likely unload nearly all of your regular basses, either to help fund other Dingwalls, or to just get rid of them because they just sit in the case post-Dingwall. Mark

Welcome to the "Eponymous Ding-aholics" Club Charles. I truly understand how you feel (and I understand your "wife-bypass" Dingwall acquisition plan). I need to add that I never found any other 6str bass comfortable until I got my first 6str Dingwall. I know that is sth for you to consider in a very serious manner PS don't be afraid that you'll become a Dingwall addict. Be sure!!!!

Welcome to the fanned fold. Sheldon chose the 4-way selector because the pan knob robs tone (it's true). Your bass will kill through the stage rig (do an A-B comparison for your drummer-he'll hear the Dinger way better). Also, check the strings thread for other options should you like more variety.