Hardly ever. Very few non-fanned basses make me long for their sound and touch Let's not forget that the rotation of my Dingwalls take almost a month to complete, so there is no time for the rest of my herd (let's not mention desire too)... Maybe they should invent Bass-agra (like Viagra):P, for the nostalgic bass players that long for the passion they had for their non-fanned basses, but they cannot play them any more cause they feel they are not as potent (as basses) as their fanned ones. It would help them pick up their other basses and not feel the lack of passion for them. As for me, I am very happy and passionate for my Dingwalls basses (do not lust after the Dingwall of your neighbour.... )

My AB-II is my only bass right now.

I only own one bass, and it does everything I need. I've considered buying other basses, because something with fewer strings would be easier to play. I don't want to sell my ABII and I don't have money for another Dingwall. Instead, I've decided to practice more. If other bassists can master a 6, why can't I do it?

[quote="Brim":1cccv240]My AB-II is my only bass right now.[/quote:1cccv240] +1

[quote="BuffaloBob":2ava0exl][quote="Brim":2ava0exl]My AB-II is my only bass right now.[/quote:2ava0exl] +1[/quote:2ava0exl] +2

[quote="nastyn8c":610cb9vi]I only own one bass, and it does everything I need... [u:610cb9vi][b:610cb9vi]I've decided to practice more.[/b:610cb9vi][/u:610cb9vi] [/quote:610cb9vi] +10000!

I own 2 ABII-5's, one's a fretless. My buddy has one of the new MM HH/S and I really like the way it sounds and plays. I play that occaisionally.

I never take a regular bass to a gig anymore, unless it's just a crappy room or crowd, or if it's outside and conditions just won't allow a Dingwall. I try to avoid those kind of gigs anyway, so it's a non-issue, really. I have 4 regular basses left, and will probably sell 2 of them to make room for my Z2. The ones I'll keep are a custom PJ that I have way too much into to ever regain what I spent building it, and the other is my '63 Dano Longhorn, my second bass guitar, so it must stay with me after nearly 40 years. I take my regular basses down and plunk around for a minute now and then, that's about it. They mostly serve as decoration in my music room. Mark

I still like to pick up my StingRay5's a P-Basses sometimes. They don't come to gigs anymore, but they could if the situation was right. They do make my Dingwalls feel all that much better afterwards though.

I've found that I use my parallel 4 & 5 stringers for practice and leave the DW's packed and ready for the weekend gigs or practice. Laziness or my personal justification of making the DW's feel so much better by comparison at gigs or practice?!?

about 50/50 between the dingy and the others. not much time to practice these days anyway

I play my parallel fret guitars daily. Do those count? They're kinda like little basses... sorta...

Lol, last night I grabbed my first bass, a cheap washburn... so, at some point while I was playing, I looked down and my initial spontaneous reaction was "WTF is wrong with those frets??"

Aside from a week or so of shop/retrofit time, I've played my other basses on average 5 times a year over the last 10+ years, and probably about 25% of the time the first few years I owned my Dingwall. There are things I really like about other basses but they are completely overruled. Aside from just the fanned fretting there are many other traits that factor into the equation, versatility being the most important of those traits for me. BTY, Sheldon's basses wear quite gracefully so don't be afraid to rack-up some mojo on your Dingwall!!

Well, a little less than a year ago I agreed to meet a guy to buy his Lakland 5594 (5 string). It didn't sell on ebay, so I was gonna get it for $1700 w/ tweed case (a very fair price). I had never played a Lakland, but I knew they had 35" B strings (a must for any 5 str) and this bass was striking: birdseye maple fretboard, quilt maple tobacco burst top, banjo frets (like Dingwalls), Bartolini pups and elec, and the quality and reputation that all bassists have heard of if you don't live under a rock. I drove 6 hours round trip for it, got to see The Red Hot Chili Peppers in Nashville that night too! Was almost wanting to skip the concert to play the bass at the hotel.....almost! Flea was calling too, you know! Needless to say, the bass is phenomenal. The sound, a product of all the best elements that went into the basses construction, is the voice I had been searching for since picking up my first bass 21 years ago at the age of 16. BUT, NOW I HAVE A DINGWALL ABI 5er, it has the same SWEET voice that my Lakland has, with a bit more growl & bite and (as we all know) a B string that is unmatched PERIOD! The craftmenship, attention to detail, etc is as good, and we all know how good Dingwall's customer service is via this forum! So, will I quit playing my Lakland.....NEVER! It's easier to play many of my chordal compositions that are played above the 12th fret, on a parallel fret bass. IMO, there's no real tone compromise on the A, D, and G strings of a quality parallel fret bass compared to a Dingwall. I actually prefer the tone and tension of even shorter D and G strings, like Rickenbackers 33.5" scale or even shorter scale Gibsons or Hofners. And, if I don't need the Dinger's B string and don't feel like stretching in the lower register, out comes my Lakland. DON'T GET ME WRONG, MY DINGWALL IS MY FAVORITE BASS AND THE ONE MY BAND PREFERS TOO! But, there's no reason to snub other basses, they have their strengths too. Be bilingual....have more than one bass voice! You know, if it weren't impossible to play, I'd like to have a fanned fret bass with a 37" B and a 31" G.....talk about impossible to play! The fanning would be EXTREME! But, the D and G would be sooo sweet!

[quote="JEDI BASS TRICKS":2pa3zsp2]Well, a little less than a year ago I agreed to meet a guy to buy his Lakland 5594 (5 string). It didn't sell on ebay, so I was gonna get it for $1700 w/ tweed case (a very fair price). I had never played a Lakland, but I knew they had 35" B strings (a must for any 5 str) and this bass was striking: birdseye maple fretboard, quilt maple tobacco burst top, banjo frets (like Dingwalls), Bartolini pups and elec, and the quality and reputation that all bassists have heard of if you don't live under a rock. I drove 6 hours round trip for it, got to see The Red Hot Chili Peppers in Nashville that night too! Was almost wanting to skip the concert to play the bass at the hotel.....almost! Flea was calling too, you know! Needless to say, the bass is phenomenal. The sound, a product of all the best elements that went into the basses construction, is the voice I had been searching for since picking up my first bass 21 years ago at the age of 16. BUT, NOW I HAVE A DINGWALL ABI 5er, it has the same SWEET voice that my Lakland has, with a bit more growl & bite and (as we all know) a B string that is unmatched PERIOD! The craftmenship, attention to detail, etc is as good, and we all know how good Dingwall's customer service is via this forum! So, will I quit playing my Lakland.....NEVER! It's easier to play many of my chordal compositions that are played above the 12th fret, on a parallel fret bass. IMO, there's no real tone compromise on the A, D, and G strings of a quality parallel fret bass compared to a Dingwall. I actually prefer the tone and tension of even shorter D and G strings, like Rickenbackers 33.5" scale or even shorter scale Gibsons or Hofners. And, if I don't need the Dinger's B string and don't feel like stretching in the lower register, out comes my Lakland. DON'T GET ME WRONG, MY DINGWALL IS MY FAVORITE BASS AND THE ONE MY BAND PREFERS TOO! But, there's no reason to snub other basses, they have their strengths too. Be bilingual....have more than one bass voice! You know, if it weren't impossible to play, I'd like to have a fanned fret bass with a 37" B and a 31" G.....talk about impossible to play! The fanning would be EXTREME! But, the D and G would be sooo sweet![/quote:2pa3zsp2] I just checked out the spec sheet for the Super J for the first time. Sounds like Sheldon agrees that shorter D and G strings sound sweeter. He's the Man!! How about making a 35.5 to 32.5 scale 5 or 6 string......I'd be buying one!!

[quote="JEDI BASS TRICKS It's easier to play many of my chordal compositions that are played above the 12th fret, on a parallel fret bass. [/quote] +1

[quote="lomo":305wijj6][quote="JEDI BASS TRICKS] It's easier to play many of my chordal compositions that are played above the 12th fret, on a parallel fret bass. [/quote] +1[/quote][/quote:305wijj6] Honestly, I've found it merely to be different. You can get creative with the fanned frets and use chords you wouldn't normally use, especially stuff that's utilizes same fret, different string.

[quote="nastyn8c":ljo9rgtd][quote="lomo":ljo9rgtd][quote="JEDI BASS TRICKS] It's easier to play many of my chordal compositions that are played above the 12th fret, on a parallel fret bass. [/quote] +1[/quote] Honestly, I've found it merely to be different. You can get creative with the fanned frets and use chords you wouldn't normally use, especially stuff that's utilizes same fret, different string.[/quote][/quote:ljo9rgtd][/quote:ljo9rgtd] Valid point! It hadn't crossed my mind to consider rethinking how I fret the chords, DUH ! Another thing that came to mind after reading your comment, chords (above the 12th fret or so) that required impossible stretches should be much easier on the Dingwall. I think I'll get off the 'puter and go make up a new piece using these ideas! Thanks!!

I know it's been a while since anyone has replied to this thread and this is just a bit off the topic since the parallel bass I still do play is fretless, but there it is. I play the fretless a lot...mostly because I don't have a fretless Dingwall (and if anyone out there would like to comment on what it's like playing a fretless Dingwall, I would sure like to know). I don't play my fretted basses anymore. My ABI is all the bass I need for that. Thank you Sheldon for giving me the one bass I need. Greg