 Dingwall Prima Ed Roman's Highest Recommended Bass Dingwall's top of the line bass guitar, Ed Roman personally owns one & spent 6 years trying to get the dealership. Currently nothing is as good on the market. This guitar represents the ultimate in sustain and articulate tone. Sheldon Dingwall took the money no object approach and came in at less than 1/3 of what a top of the line Alembic costs. We also have over 15 Alembic Basses in stock, Come in and compare for yourself, You won't believe how good the Dingwall sounds!!!! THE NOVAX® FANNED-FRET SYSTEM™ – UNDER LICENSE FROM NOVAX GUITARS® After years of building basses mostly using the Novax® Fanned-Fret System™, but also some with standard parallel frets, we've come to the conclusion that the use of this technology makes basses better - period. The tension and tone from string to string is more even and low note definition is greatly improved. EQing a bass whose strings are all of a similar tonal character is so much easier than when the low strings have a darker quality and the higher strings have a brighter quality. Body woods – Dual density swamp ash core, optional exotic wood top. Neck Construction 5-piece Laminated Quarter-Sawn Hard Rock Maple Dingwall takes neck construction very seriously due to Sheldon's extensive experience in guitar repairs coupled with our geographic location. During his many years in the repair business Sheldon constantly had to deal with humidity related problems made worse by our extreme local climate. Many of these problems could have been minimized through simple design changes and materials choices. Touring musicians are constantly amazed at how stable Dingwall instruments are. Many state that their Dingwall necks are as stable as their Graphite necked instruments. Currently the Prima and Z-series necks are laminated from 5 pieces of quarter-sawn hard rock maple. Contrary to popular belief a laminated neck is not any stiffer than a one-piece neck. The main advantage of a well made laminated neck is that it will be more stable and less prone to warpage. Another advantage is that it allows a Dingwall to laminate up a large stress free block so that they can have an angled headstock with continuous grain throughout. There are many ways to achieve an angled headstock, but the continuous grain style is the most stable. Provided the headstock angle is kept to a minimum, it is also very strong. Dingwall places stability at the top of their mission statement. Here at Ed Roman's we long ago have learned that a bolt on, or bolt in, neck is by far the best way to achieve better tone. However without stability a bolt on neck can even be made to sound even worse than the traditional cheapest way to build a guitar with a glue on neck. Remember a bolt on neck is wood to wood a glue on neck is wood to glue to wood. The Glue causes tremendous instability and it absorbs up to 30 percent of the tone transference that is only possible with wood to wood construction. Again I must stress that the neck joint has to be super tight to be super stable !!!!!! Read More About Neck Construction Techniques
Semi Elliptical An elliptical shape is the most natural feeling, efficient shape there is. It doesn't matter what position you are playing anywhere on the neck, it is always extraordinarily comfortable. The Prima and Z-series necks are some of the thinnest, most comfortable necks made. Due to the extra strong truss-rod and carbon fiber reinforcement, they are extremely stiff as well. Truss RodPressure Fit, Double Expanding, Single Acting The double expanding style is an industry standard. However, Dingwall's method of installation involves gluing the truss rod into the neck under nearly 1000-LB of pressure. This creates a coupling of steel to wood, minimizing dead spots and increasing both sustain and harmonic content. Much like our direct coupling that we employ on our Quicksilver & Abstract guitars Adjustment - Hidden Plateless The hidden, plate-less truss rod adjustment has always been a design feature of Dingwall instruments. The truss rod is the most commonly adjusted component on most guitars, so access to the truss rod adjustment should be as easy as possible. Carbon fiber reinforcement – twin tapered spars Dingwall uses specially tapered carbon fiber spars that provide a maximum of reinforcement near the heel joint where the stress is highest, gradually tapering to a minimum of reinforcement near the nut. There is nothing wrong with the tone of a carbon fiber neck. Most people prefer the tone of wood necks and feel that the tapered spars offer the best compromise between the tone of wood and the stability of carbon fiber.
Oil Wax The finish on a neck makes a big difference in the feel of the neck. Most people prefer the smooth, natural feel of an oil-finished neck. It has also been our experience that an oil-finished neck is more humidity stable than a painted neck (providing the fingerboard is not painted as well). Even though oil provides less moisture vapor protection than a painted finish, an oil-finished neck is considered a balanced finish. In other words the fingerboard side of the neck has the same finish and therefore the same moisture protection as the back of the neck. So the whole neck gains and loses moisture at an equal rate. This is true of a neck that is painted both front and back as well such as most maple necks. Necks that are painted on the back of the neck but whose fingerboards are oiled would be considered to have an unbalanced finish where the moisture gain and loss will be slightly more inhibited through the paint. Not much mind you, but enough to make the neck less stable through humidity changes.
Angled (compound) If you look closely at the angle of our headstock, you will notice that it's actually a combination of two angles. This adds considerable complication to the construction process but provides a perfectly linear string path to the tuners. The headstock features a pau ferro face veneer as standard (maple fingerboards get a maple veneered head face) and is also available with an optional matching veneer cut from the same wood as the top. This is a great look and is a very popular option.
Materials- Wenge, Pau Ferro Or Maple Bass guitars have relatively long necks. Any mismatch between the fingerboard and neck shaft with regard to movement due to humidity changes will be very noticeable. What this means is that from a design standpoint, we look for woods that are stable first, then from that group we choose the best sounding woods, then from that group we choose the best looking. We've found pau ferro and wenge to be very stable when laminated to a maple neck. The two woods sound very similar, so we use them interchangeably depending on quality available at the time. Maple fingerboards of course are very stable and add a nice snap to the high end. Radius- Compound, 7-1/2” To 25” We started with a 7-1/2” radius at the nut. This is a very comfortable and familiar feeling radius. Then using Computer Aided Design, we adjusted the radius to match the increasing width of the fingerboard while maintaining the exact same thickness under each string. The latter point is critical to achieving a low action. A side benefit is that the flatter radius at the bridge makes right hand work easier and keeps the strings a more consistent distance from the pickups for more even response.
Gotoh GB-70 These are among the smoothest most reliable tuners made. Hipshot Drop A Or D Tuner Option You haven't lived until you've heard our E string dropped down to a D or our B string dropped down to an A! Adding a Hipshot is one of our most popular options. When you consider how much music is written in the key of D and A it makes a lot of sense. Once you've tried a great sounding low A, you'll be hooked
Banjo Size - 24, Fanned Leland Sklar turned Dingwall on to small frets. We use a size that is normally used on banjos. The small frets intonate very precisely, feel sleek and have a warmer, woodier tone. Mandolin Size For the player with finesse, who is looking for the ultimate in playability, Dingwall also offers Mandolin frets. Necks fretted with mando frets sound even more woody and natural. Fret noise is almost non-existent. Playability takes the term “effortless” to a new level. Players with a light to medium touch can expect 5-10 years before replacement is necessary.
3mm Pearl Face And Side Dots Leland also designed our standard dot pattern of 3 mm pearl dots spaced halfway between the 1st and 2nd strings. Abalone dots are an option. Our optional bar design has evolved from the inlay design Sheldon used on the very first necks he built. Bars are available in either pearl or abalone. Custom Inlays More elaborate inlays can be made available, just ask.
Phenolic Phenolic is long wearing and very consistent. We believe it to be absolutely the best material for a nut !!!
Large Head Machine Screws In published tests, “Lee Valley Tools” showed the pullout resistance of various wood screws compared to machine screws properly installed in wood. The results were hands down in favor of the machine screws and tapped threads. We at Ed Roman's have been
employing this for years on our Quicksilvers, Scorpions,
LSR's, & Pearlcasters. One of the many reasons we decided to
carry Dingwall basses is because they also use machine
screws with special large heads designed to distribute the
pressure in soft materials like wood. This system is a
little more costly and labor intensive to use but results in
an extremely strong neck joint. IMPORTANT (More Solid Reasons Why Dingwall Is Truly The Best)
BODY – DUAL DENSITY CORE, EXOTIC TOP AND BACK
Experience with the Fanned-Fret™ system has opened up a whole new way of thinking about an instrument. Instead of blending woods of different densities and tonal responses in a sandwich array affecting the tone of each string equally like all the other companies. Dingwall turned traditional thinking on its side by laminating across the width of the body. This allows Dingwall to use a higher density wood such as Walnut for the bass side to accentuate the highs and give power to the lows without affecting the treble strings. They then use a lower density wood (Alder) for the treble side to bring out the resonance and warm up the treble strings without making the bass strings sound muddy. For such a simple idea, the results are pretty dramatic – warm, punchy treble strings with solid snappy bass strings. Once you try it you will be a believer,
"Dingwall knows more
about designing and building Bass Guitars than anyone I have
ever met." The total body thickness including top and back is only 38mm (1.5”). This keeps the weight of the bass down, while increasing the plate (face area) to thickness ratio for a more responsive, resonant tone. Due to the small headstock design, the balance is perfect.
 Top of the line exotic Dingwall cuts their top and back woods in house, labeling and storing them in sequence so that the back of the instrument is a perfect match to the top. They have a wide choice of exotic top and back woods to choose from for a number of budgets and tastes. The dual density core woods contribute so much to the tone that the top and back woods have a minimal affect. This is a good thing as it allows them complete freedom to choose the most amazing looking woods available without fear of compromising tone.
Rock maple plugs Strap pin screws commonly loosen over time leading to stripped wood. You can imagine the damage that could happen if a strap pin let go. Part of the problem is most tone woods used for bodies are relatively soft. Secondly the screws are mounted in end-grain, which doesn't hold screws well. All Prima and Z-series bodies receive edge grain hard maple reinforcement plugs. You will never see the improvement as it's hidden under the strap pin washer, but it's there, protecting your investment. In softer woods like alder and low-density swamp ash they install similar maple reinforcement plugs under the neck mounting bolts. These provide a firm seating for the neck bolts beefing up this high stress area.
Dingwall Designed Individual Saddles With Sub Plate System. Featuring a unique pin system that anchors the string by utilizing the hole in the ball. This eliminates any stress points on the string where it wraps around the ball. Designed to be “set & forget” simple. Once the string height and intonation are set, the saddle is locked down to the sub plate for perfect coupling. This also guarantees that the saddle never goes out of adjustment accidentally. Aircraft aluminum is used for the saddles and sub plate as it is lightweight and has a wonderful ring (Aluminum is the material of choice for xylophone bars). The riser screws are made from 18-8 stainless steel. These screws will virtually last forever. I introduced this idea back in 1989 on some of the basses I was building then. Dingwall has taken this to the next level with the Sub Plate. If ever I should build any more bass guitars myself I will recommend to my customer to use a Dingwall Bridge, Dingwall Strings, & Dingwall Electronics. They are without a doubt the best available on the market today. Personally now that I am using the fanned frets, I wouldn't use any other fret system but occasionally, I am sure that someone will be afraid of the fanned frets and/or simply want something different.
For those that crave the “wood look” Dingwall installs matching wood control knobs. The knobs are cut from the actual body blank and are unique to the instrument. They feature a brass insert with a set-screw and are finished to match the top.
Exclusive Proprietary Custom Dingwall Pickups Here at Ed Roman's, when we initially heard the Dingwall pickups, it was enough for us to say that if we should ever build any more custom basses ourselves. We will insist on these pickups We've worked closely with Bartolini through the years to develop a set of pickups that provide a silky smooth tone with great balance and an uncanny ability to “sit” in the mix. Dingwall FD-1 Recently, Dingwall teamed up with Fury Guitars to co-produce the FD-1 pickups. These pickups feature a vintage influenced tone with a lot of “grind” and “bark” that gives the sound an aggressive edge. The pickups have high output yet are extremely noise and feedback free. These pickups have great definition and clarity and are able to cut through the densest of mixes.
Standard The Prima model comes stock with a 9 volt 2-band equalizer. Active Bartolini A popular option is the NTMB-18 volt 3-band equalizer This pre-amp is incredibly transparent sounding. The bass and treble contours have a gentle natural sounding slope and the mid range is switch able between three pre-set frequencies. Both pre-amps feature a push/pull switch on the volume control to completely bypass the pre-amp for passive operation. Aguilar 2 or 3-Band Eq The new kid on the block is the Aguilar OBP-3 pre-amp. We all really like this pre-amp and for thunderous bottom end and crystal clarity, it can't be beat. Both systems come stock with the Dingwall 4-position rotary switch for better highs and the ability to combine the pickups in series. A blend is available as an option.
Star Grounding The Prima and Z1 models feature a unique shielding system that features a machined brass pan with an integral ground buss near the output jack. All ground wires are soldered to the buss (star grounding) eliminating potential ground loops. The cavity walls are lined with heavy aluminum foil and the cavity cover is coated with high-grade Electro Dag conductive paint.
Dingwall Exclusive Design The coolest battery compartment we have ever seen!!!!!!! The batteries are held tightly in a foam-lined recess. The cover plate is held in place by two strong rare earth magnets. The battery leads are the best quality available with plated contacts for long trouble free life. We copied it when we built Ted Nugent his Quicksilver with the gun built into the back. Rapid deployment was a necessity for Ted or what good would the gun be. ha ha... Dingwall is very proud of their battery compartment – and they should be. It took over a year to design and went through 15 revisions in the process.
bluEQube™ The bluEQube, when switched in, softens the upper mids, giving the tone a smooth acoustic quality. This is great for when the music calls for a sweeter, less aggressive tone. The BluEQube circuit also provides a great slap tone. Some use it as a pre-set slap contour. The cool thing is, that it is 100% passive, so is available in either active or passive mode.
Neutrik Locking The Neutrik locking jack is one of the best ever made. Rugged and beefy, we take great pride in the way we've integrated this jack subtly into our body design.
Dingwall Custom Made Stainless Steel Dingwall spent years fine tuning and perfecting their strings. They only have to work with their basses, so that allows them to really fine tune the physical characteristics of the string rather than average them out to fit the majority of basses. This means that Dingwall strings reproduce every subtle nuance you will find in our instruments. Ed Roman has Dingwall Strings available if you need them.
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Dingwall
Z 1 & Dingwall
Z2
Currently
the Prima and Z-series necks are laminated from 5 pieces of
quarter-sawn hard rock maple. Contrary to popular belief a laminated
neck is not any stiffer than a one-piece neck. The main advantage of
a well made laminated neck is that it will be more stable and less
prone to warpage. Another advantage is that it allows a Dingwall to
laminate up a large stress free block so that they can have an
angled headstock with continuous grain throughout. There are many
ways to achieve an angled headstock, but the continuous grain style
is the most stable. Provided the headstock angle is kept to a
minimum, it is also very strong. 
that an oil-finished neck is more humidity stable than a painted
neck (providing the fingerboard is not painted as well). Even
though oil provides less moisture vapor protection than a
painted finish, an oil-finished neck is considered a balanced
finish. In other words the fingerboard side of the neck has the
same finish and therefore the same moisture protection as the
back of the neck. So the whole neck gains and loses moisture at
an equal rate. This is true of a neck that is painted both front
and back as well such as most maple necks.
and natural. Fret noise is almost non-existent. Playability
takes the term “effortless” to a new level. Players with a light
to medium touch can expect 5-10 years before replacement is
necessary. 
Designed
to be “set & forget” simple. Once the string height and
intonation are set, the saddle is locked down to the sub plate
for perfect coupling. This also guarantees that the saddle never
goes out of adjustment accidentally.
Dingwall
is very proud of their battery
compartment – and they should be. It took over a year to design
and went through 15 revisions in the process. 
I, II & Elite