Dingwall instruments are proudly crafted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, right here in Canada. One gets the impression that the same amount of care went into the building of this bass as the high-end Dingwall models. Extremely impressive. The fit, finish and quality of materials is similarly excellent, especially considering the cost of this bass.
I'm going to have to weigh this instrument properly, but my impression is that it's at least two-and-a-half pounds lighter than anything else I own (including the 4-stringers). Beautiful balance. Did I mention the light weight???
But what impressed me the most are the "electronics". Unlike my Wal basses (and so on), there's not much to adjust here and yet this passive instrument is extremely versatile. Yes there is volume, a passive tone control (treble roll-off) and a slap contour (bluEQube), but the real magic is in the pickup selector. Position one, the bridge pickup only, is to my ear slightly MM-like and reminds me of a Sterling, or perhaps the bridge pickup of a Fender Jazz. Position 2 is both pickups in parallel and it is very much a Jazz-bass tone. Postion 3 is both pickups in series; very active sounding but I haven't come up with a valid comparison yet (think expensive boutique basses). Position 4 is the neck pickup solo which has a wonderful P-bass punch. What more would one need? Active? I don't miss it on this instrument.
Clearly a great deal of thought and effort has gone into creating an instrument that maintains a precise consistency of tone, balance and sustain across the whole fretboard. Astonishing! The varied string lengths, which for the most part are unique to fan-fretted basses, would be a major contributing factor. The 37" B-string? It's the best I have ever heard or played and sustains nearly forever.
In summary I would rate this instrument very very highly, which is especially amazing for an instrument in this price range. It's only my personal opinion, but I would not hesitate to recommend a Dingwall wholeheartedly (and to include a very high level of praise indeed).
Five stars (out of five).
