Forum
Hi Forumers!
I'm planning to order a Dingwall bass right away. Before I do, I want to get some community feedback to make sure I'm headed towards something I will be satisfied with.
First, a quick background on me. I switched from guitar to bass about 2 years ago. Almost immediately after switching, I joined a [url=http://www.bellewether.ca:3qcrzbzs]band[/url:3qcrzbzs] and went directly into the studio. Our album was recorded almost entirely on my main bass -- An ash-body Fender American Deluxe P-Bass w/ Joe Barden pickups and D'Addario Chromes Medium Flatwounds. While recording, I thought this combo sounded good. However, after release it sounded more mellow than the sound in my head.
Since leaving the studio, I have been working really hard on my playstyle to get a more aggressive sound. Besides my playing, I switched to D'Addario XL Regular-Light Roundwounds. I briefly tried Prosteels, but it completly eradicated that thick beefy low-end P-Basses are known for. I also tried out a bunch of different basses. These include Dingwalls (Combustion, Z3 Exotic, Super-J Exotic, Super-P), Yamaha (Attitude 3), Fenders (a bunch of different Ps and Js), and a handful of Warwicks.
Of all the basses I tried, the two that were the absolute best were the Yamaha Attitude 3, and the Dingwall Super-P. The Attitude 3 was thick and boomy, but also sounded super aggressive. The Super-P everything a Fender Precision is, but 100% even across the strings, and ridiculously comfortable. Plus it was a 5 string while the Attitude 3 was a 4 string. AND they're featherlight compared to my 12lbs Deluxe P.
The tone I'm going for is the coveted "grand piano left-hand" sound. You can hear a comparable tone on Silversun Pickups "Panic Switch". I also really like the bass tone in Bush's "Comedown". I also want some flexibility to get some other tones out of it too. I can provide some more examples of recorded tones if that helps.
I tend to play with a fairly heavy touch, and hate it when my strings totally fret-out. As far as I'm concerned, it's wasted engery. A guideline I heard at the [url=http://www.canrockbassbash.com/:3qcrzbzs]CanRockBassBash[/url:3qcrzbzs] is to let a little bit of fret sneak into your notes when you're playing above 70% effort. But in order to get this I have to set my action really high. I had some techs look at my frets, but they all say it's fairly even. The Dingwalls play so nice, I have never had this problem when trying any of them.
With all that said, here's what I'm considering...
Super-P Standard 5 String (Alder body)
Maple Fingerboard (Maple Neck)
Passive pickups (because I never use my Deluxe active)
One P-Style pickup (because I never use my Deluxe's Bridge J pickup)
What do you guys think? Am I going along the right path? Should I even be considering a Super-P, or should I be looking at something more flexible like a Z3?
Last note - I'm in a little bit of a rush, because I want to get the order placed before I go back in the studio this January. Hopefully Sheldon, Dingwall Sales, and co. will be able to make delivery for mid-January if I place the order/deposit this week.
Thanks everyone! Can't wait to hear from you! Hopefully Sheldon can post too 
Andrew
Andrew
[quote="AndrewK":2p9ld9ca]Deposit paid, order placed! Here's what's coming:
[list:2p9ld9ca]Super-P Standard 5 String (Alder body, Morado fingerboard)
East P-Retro Pre-amp
Vintage White
Tortoise Pickguard[/list:u:2p9ld9ca]
Thanks to those who posted! Thanks go to Dingwall Sales as well for answering all my questions via email. I felt well informed when making my decision.
Andrew[/quote:2p9ld9ca]
dude-good for you; i swear the angels sing in four part harmonies when i play my super -p.
i am so happy for you- and happy for me because i will have someone to relate to
Deposit paid, order placed! Here's what's coming:
[list:wihvswcn]Super-P Standard 5 String (Alder body, Morado fingerboard)
East P-Retro Pre-amp
Vintage White
Tortoise Pickguard[/list:u:wihvswcn]
Thanks to those who posted! Thanks go to Dingwall Sales as well for answering all my questions via email. I felt well informed when making my decision.
Andrew
soulvaccination:
You're right, the Ampegs add quite a bit of character to the tone. I chose this one because it was a good price vs. power. $700 for a 1000W @ 8Ohms was quite resonable. Not that I need THAT much power... I didn't really know how much I'd be playing or in what environments. I needed something that would get the job done at least 90% of the time.
I'm pretty much settled on the Super-P. Since starting this thread, I've changed my mind on the fingerboard and will likely go with Morado . I have been reading a bit on tonewoods, and it sounds like Morado is somewhere between Maple and Rosewood in terms of warmth. I don't want it too warm, but I don't want it too bright either. Plus, maple appears to be the prefered fingerboard wood for slap players. I don't really slap that much (although I have been practicing it).
Leaning towards actives now, but that could change again by the weekend. It's one of those things... I would rather have them and not need them, than decide I need them and have to wait 6 more months for a replacement.
0
Undo
Votes
I've seen you at a bass bash in Calgary. Tough to sit through those without Sheldon selling you on a Dingwall! 
After reading your comments I'd agree you should go with the super-p (at least for now). You can always upgrade later if you want to as the value of even the lower priced dingwalls hold pretty steady. Honestly, their passive electronics are pretty clean compared to most passive basses and you shouldnt worry too much about noise ratios.
I play a Z3 as my main bass and bought it because I play lots of different styles with a couple different bands and like the fact I can get any tone I would need for almost every show with one bass ( and sometimes a fretless). If you're happy with a solid fundamental tone that works for the music you play just go with it. It's better to do that than shell out the couple extra grand and find you leave all the fancy settings on the same position 95% of the time.
As for amps, dingwalls sound great with almost anything and axe music would probably let you bring your rig down and try a couple dingwalls to find your ideal tone. They're very different basses, almost like comparing a Swiss army knife to a Bowie knife. They do the same thing (kind of) but they force you to approach things very differently while getting the same job done. Best plan is to try them out back to back and see if it's worth it or not, but it sounds like you've already settled on what will meet your needs. Your amp/cabs should give you a pretty clean piano type tone, but you'll probably like the GK, Aguilar, Markbass, etc with the smaller cabinets a bit more than the ampeg for that clear tone. Ampegs are great but they aren't the most "transparent" amps out there.
After reading your comments I'd agree you should go with the super-p (at least for now). You can always upgrade later if you want to as the value of even the lower priced dingwalls hold pretty steady. Honestly, their passive electronics are pretty clean compared to most passive basses and you shouldnt worry too much about noise ratios.
I play a Z3 as my main bass and bought it because I play lots of different styles with a couple different bands and like the fact I can get any tone I would need for almost every show with one bass ( and sometimes a fretless). If you're happy with a solid fundamental tone that works for the music you play just go with it. It's better to do that than shell out the couple extra grand and find you leave all the fancy settings on the same position 95% of the time.
As for amps, dingwalls sound great with almost anything and axe music would probably let you bring your rig down and try a couple dingwalls to find your ideal tone. They're very different basses, almost like comparing a Swiss army knife to a Bowie knife. They do the same thing (kind of) but they force you to approach things very differently while getting the same job done. Best plan is to try them out back to back and see if it's worth it or not, but it sounds like you've already settled on what will meet your needs. Your amp/cabs should give you a pretty clean piano type tone, but you'll probably like the GK, Aguilar, Markbass, etc with the smaller cabinets a bit more than the ampeg for that clear tone. Ampegs are great but they aren't the most "transparent" amps out there.
Spacer:
I'm thrilled to hear any feedback, so don't worry about complicating things further. Dingwall offers an active option for the Super-P which I may consider. I was trying to decide if the price uplift was worth it, seeing as how I don't really use my Deluxe Precision active. You raised a really good point with the actives though... Sound Engineers like active's SNR.
I'm playing through an Ampeg SVT7PRO, with one of two Eden cabinets: D210XST or D410XST. I haven't tried running both at the same time, though. The 410 is pretty new. I've done only one gig with it, which was outdoors. I'm not sure if it's completely broken in, because every once in a while it smells like elmers wood glue.
I'm not super experienced with the differences in amps, but I've played through a few different ones. For an indoor gig, I borrowed the bass rig from the player of a preceding act to reduce setup and teardown time. It was a TEC electronics w/ a TEC 2x10 cabinet. I've also tried an Eden World Tour Amp (again, can't remember the model) but didn't buy it. They have some quality control issues and spotty tech support for their amplifiers. I'm otherwise madly in love with Eden speaker cabinets.
For now I'm going to keep using the SVT7PRO. I'm sort of in the market for a smaller head to be used only with D210XST, but haven't decided what to use. Leaning towards GK.
I didn't mention this ealier, but when I tried the Super-J and Z3 exotics I couldn't tell a difference. The price difference is about $2K between those two, so I'm pretty sure I should not be going over the price of the Super-J Exotic. So far the Super-P is below that range, plus I've had more time to play around with one. It was passive.
AK
I listened to the songs that have the bass sound that you like. I have a Z3 and am able to get both of those tones with added punch and clarity plus many other sounds. I am curious to know what type of rig you are playing out of as this will have a big impact on your overall tone as well. I have not played a Super P so I cannot testify to the variety of tones that you can get out of it. If you want an aggressive sound then I am not sure why you want to rule out an active bass. To me the active circuitry gives you more precise tonal options to compensate for different rooms, P.A. systems, bass rigs, music types and song mood. Though my Z3 and Z1 sound good in passive mode (which I do use from time to time to record direct) most of my live playing is done in active mode.
Sorry to add more confusion to your choice.
Z1-6 string, Z2-5 string, Guild Pilot Pro 5, Lakland 44-02, HJC Customs fretless 4
Thunderfunk 550-B, Ashdown Mark King 210 combo, Ashdown EVO-II
2-DNA 112 cabs
Iv@N:
[quote:3ddvdtum]I'd get the Super P if I were you. Apparently you don't need all the flexibility that a Z3 offers, if you are not using the bridge pup of your bass. Why spend like 2-3k more for nothing?[/quote:3ddvdtum]
Good point. I wasn't really considering a Z3, though. I just put it out there because it's probably the most flexible bass that Dingwall makes.
joebar:
[quote:3ddvdtum]as an owner of a super p myself, you have to get one.
you will not be disappointed.[/quote:3ddvdtum]
I'll take your word for it.
Thanks for the feedback guys -- I'm sold! Will post an update once my order is placed.
Thanks for the feedback guys -- I'm sold! Will post an update once my order is placed.
[quote="Iv@N":2iou24q0]I'd get the Super P if I were you. Apparently you don't need all the flexibility that a Z3 offers, if you are not using the bridge pup of your bass. Why spend like 2-3k more for nothing? [/quote:2iou24q0]
as an owner of a super p myself, you have to get one.
you will not be disappointed.
[/quote:2iou24q0]
as an owner of a super p myself, you have to get one.
you will not be disappointed.
Singlemalt,
Thanks for the feedback!
I've already decided what colour I want, and discussed it with Dingwall Sales via email. Colour was important only as far as getting something that was not the same as any of my other guitars.
Other than the body wood, the fingerboard wood has the next biggest effect on tone. I understand morado is warmer, but maple is brigher. Since I'm going for something snappier, I think maple is the way to go. There are no other options for neck wood, afaik. Just 5-ply maple.
AK
0
Undo
Votes
Solid plan. The alder bodies are lighter, and you get to pick the color. Killer B string and super solid G string. Kind of the best of all worlds, combining the longer scale low strings and a punchy short scale treble side.
You get lots more string choices with the shorter scale length.
Only trouble is picking the solid color paint or the clear/stained finish and which pickguard looks the best to you.
- Page :
- 1
There are no replies made for this post yet.
Be one of the first to reply to this post!
Be one of the first to reply to this post!
