I purchased all 3 of my ABII-5's without playing one. They're as close to perfect as you can get for my tastes. [quote="theothertimh":39666ft5]Ok, I think the Dingwall basses are the coolest damn thing I've ever seen. Thats the problem I've only seen pictures. Kind of the old Playboy under the mattress thing, the photo's get you goin it's just not the real thing. There is a gorgeous ABII that is about to be available thru a local dealer. Are these basses that great that you would buy one prior to playing it? Are they love and first sight and the sparks fly when you pick one up?[/quote:39666ft5]

I've bought mine internationally, sight unseen. Many people here have. No regrets at all, by the way.

I bought my ABII without ever having played a Dingwall before, or even a fanned-fret bass for that matter. I just read a lot of reviews and talked to a lot people who have played them. Figured it would suit my style of playing. Let me tell you, the bass delivered and then some! Won't find a better B-string anywhere. The bass has the truest sense of tuning over any other bass I have ever played. The fan frets played tricks with my eyes at first, but it only took a few minutes to get used to and a little practice to master. I find that the lower frets are the hardest to get used to. Some people have a little issue on the top frets, but I find they are actually easier for me than a straight fret bass. Overall, a very ergonomic bass. Might have to retrain a little muscle memory, but the set up makes a lot of sense for hand positions (at least for me). The tone is amazing! Also, the electronics on the ABII are very versatile and I can dial in different tones for days. The clarity I get out of this bass is second to none. Simply awesome! Did I mention that the construction and woods look top notch and artistically beautiful? Trust me, I have a hard time believing that you wouldn't immediately fall in love with a Dingwall. Even if it ends up not suiting your style of playing, I'm sure you would still marvel over this finely crafted instrument.

I do believe that the craftsmanship is incredible. I've only seen one photo of the bass, body only, incomplete. It will be gourgeus. Everything I've read or heard about these basses is positive, I'll be taking that leap of faith.

If your local deal is for a new one, why not consider asking them to match what most internet dealers will offer: a 24 or 48 hour trial period. That's what Bass Central, Bass Northwest and many other dealers offer for 'net sales. I suspect that'll be enough time for you to be comfortable with the purchase.

Most of us bought before trying. I know I did...for both of mine. Now, the real question is if you'll like the feel or the tone of a Dingwall, and that's really for you to decide. I happen to really like it for what I do. I want to keep things clean way down low but have definition, and that's what Sheldon's basses do for me. The playability and comfort factor for me is also the greatest I've found. Again, all subjective. Find a place with a good return policy just in case you're one of the people who doesn't dig what a Dingwall does. And there are a few out there who don't.

Bought mine without ever trying. Best decision I've ever made My AB-II has never let me down, and I would guess that more than half of us are like me: I sold all of my parallel fret basses right away. It's no longer a question of what bass do I want to buy next. It's about what Dingwall is next. It's a sad sad road, but Sheldon has all flavors of basses for whatever taste you're having at the moment. So go ahead, make the leap. You'll be happy you did.

Bought my first one after a short testdrive at the retailer. I accidentally bumped into an AB4, compared it to some 'normal' basses I came for (I think those were a Fender P usa and jazz) and left the shop an hour later with my first DW . The other 2 DW basses were ordered later without testing. You basicall cannot go wrong in choosing an ABII. It's a fine instrument. Never regretted any 3 of them, although I never owned a vintage instrument, which I could have bought instead of my Prima. Do any of you DW owners own one or more nice vintage pieces? If so, do you combine them with your DW during a gig or do you prefer to play just the DW and if so, why?

I've bought my first ABI in 2000- sight unseen. I was aware of these basses thru online reviews, loved the concept and saw one(042) at the bassplace in Arizona. Made a few phone calls and have never looked back. I've since received 3 additional Dingwalls - all sight unseen. Best Decisions- I've ever made

[quote="marton":2itrz7ll]Never regretted any 3 of them, although I never owned a vintage instrument, which I could have bought instead of my Prima. Do any of you DW owners own one or more nice vintage pieces? If so, do you combine them with your DW during a gig or do you prefer to play just the DW and if so, why?[/quote:2itrz7ll] I have played vintage basses (J and P ). Count me among those who feel that the emperor is indeed naked. IMO they are collectible because they are old and therefore in limited supply. In my view, they are usually inferior to modern instruments in build quality; they have dead spots and frequently don't intonate well, and often have higher action as compared to a new, well-built bass. As far as the tone goes, if you dig old school thump, you can get there just as well with a new J or P, maybe some flats and a little attention to eq, as long as you don't listen with your eyes. Old school tone to me is about what's not there, and it's always possible to remove tones from a mix. Now I'll go done my asbestos suit The best thing about a vintage bass, like any used bass, is that it holds its' value better than a new one. As usual, IMO, IME, YMMV

I played a SuperJ for about 10 min. a year ago, then ordered my Combustion. I was afraid it wasn't up to the standard of my at-the-time current bass but IT BLEW IT OUT OF THE WATER! Go for it!!

Sight unseen, and none to be found for a test drive. I saw the photos of my bass and the seller did an excellent job describing the bass's dimensions, weight, condition and tone. He was being conservative: it was much better than I'd hoped. I got on this forum, I bookmarked the websight, drooled, got quotes from Bass NW, called every store in Portland, OR. I could not find one near enough for a try-out. I took the leap and could not be more pleased. Sunday, I heard it back in a recording for the first time. I was digging how it sounded in the live mix and it was even better in the recording. Clear and defined, punchy and warm. It gets better everyday! I'm even liking the DR Hellborg strings after a few days of missing my TI jazz flats. The DR's are mellowing out and sounding better, more punchy, less zingy.

I bought mine used after a guy showed up at a rehearsal I was at with one (the actual one that I bought) and he let me play it for a few minutes. I am a traditionalist tone wise and had always been a vintage guy with a pedjudice against active electronics and fanned frets. Five minutes in, I was hooked. Our drummer said he could finally hear me clearly and the fanned frets were very intuitive. I must add that in the eleven years since then, the experience has only improved. Sheldon has been an example of business excellence at every contact from advice on settings to pup replacement. I don't believe you can go wrong with anything produced by Dingwall. Besides,if for some reason you don't like it, the used market is very strong.

I was too scared of the fanned frets to even consider buying one before trying one out. I was, like, "cool concept but doubt it will suit my playing". Well, fortunately I had the luck to try out a couple of dingwalls - ten minutes later I was sold. I bought my own prima without playing it first, never regretted it.

I bought a Z even though I had only tried a ABII and a Super J if that counts, I definitely love it, and I'm quite certain even if I couldn't have tried any Dingwall out first, I still would have done the same thing. It was nice to try the fanned frets out first and see if it was really easy to adjust like everyone says, and it was. I wouldn't have any worries about buying a Dingwall without getting to play it first.

I am fortunate in that I live near a Dingwall dealer (Jive Sound). So about four years ago I played an ABI and an ABII before settling on the ABII. Shortly thereafter I ordered a Z to be built to my specs. That bass, a Z1, arrived about a year ago. Of course all custom instruments are bought without having been played; you just need to have faith in the builder. More recently I scored a Z2 without having played it. All three of my Dingwalls are great! Basically if you buy a Dingwall, you can be assured of a high quality instrument. Whether or not the particular sound is what you are looking for is a matter of personal taste. But as has been mentioned, the basses are pretty versatile so you are likely to be able to get a sound you like out of any Dingwall. Good luck.

All three of mine were bought "blind". All three are awesome.

I played a similar ABII before buying mine. Then I ended up getting an ABI and SJ5 without having played either and a Combustion is on the way. I love my Dingwalls!

I was in the same boat... shopping... very curious... compelled by the sound physics behind it all... but couldn't find one to play. I e-mailed Dingwall Sales and he suggested I join the forum and find an owner near me. The lovely and talented BurningSkies let me try his, and I KNEW. I bought my own (online) without trying it, but haven't regretted it for a second.

[quote="marton":5phaozhf] Never regretted any 3 of them, although I never owned a vintage instrument, which I could have bought instead of my Prima. Do any of you DW owners own one or more nice vintage pieces? If so, do you combine them with your DW during a gig or do you prefer to play just the DW and if so, why?[/quote:5phaozhf] I was lucky enough to have a chance to try my Voodoo before purchasing, it was new sitting on the wall of a tiny music store in my fairly small town.I liked it but wasn't emmediately taken by it, after going back a few times it really grew on me and seeing the reduced price I had to have it(I'm glad I bought it when I did!). Years later when I retrofitted to FD-3's the ability to solo the neck pup and get a great P-Bass vibe was inspiring. I had never liked P-basses but having a "5 string P-bass on steriods" in my back pocket so to speak, with tones ranging from mellow, to thunderous, to agressive actually led me to buy and old P-bass. Predictably, I rarely play the P bass as the Voodoo covers that tone too well, along with every other tone and vibe I need spanning 5 decades of material I may find myself digging into throught the course of an average evening. That and the extra string! One important thing, if you do end-up disliking the Dingwall it shouldn't be too hard to flip and you won't take a bath financially, far less than many other makes anyway. If I could afford a second Dingwall I would have no concerns buying without playing first. The chances of getting a dud are nill and if there do happen to be any issues you can be confident they will be addressed in a way that will bring complete satisfaction, period!