Dingwall Designer Guitars

Last updated
Dingwall Guitars
Type Private
IndustryMusical instruments
Founded Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
HeadquartersCanada
ProductsStringed instruments, electronics
Website http://www.dingwallguitars.com

Dingwall Designer Guitars is a manufacturer of bass guitars and electric guitars based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It employs the fanned-fret system started by Novax Guitars [1] for manufacturing basses, increasing the scale length of the strings on the bass side of the guitar compared to the treble side. This design is more akin to a piano or harp, giving the bass strings length that increases the sustain. [2] [3]

Contents

Dingwall produces 9 different models of bass guitars: 7 of them are produced out of their main shop in Saskatoon, while the remaining 2 models are manufactured in China using North American sourced materials and set-up again in Canada. The model names of the Dingwall bass guitar line-up are the Prima Artist, Z, Lee Sklar Signature, Super J, Super P, Afterburner I, Afterburner II, D-Roc series, Combustion, and NG. The company was founded in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, by Sheldon Dingwall in 1987, and its headquarters are still located there.

Dingwall is a privately held corporation, with Sheldon Dingwall serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Origins

Sheldon Dingwall played music from a young age, starting with piano at the age of 5, drums at the age of 10, and guitar at the age of 12. [4] He built his first guitar in his uncle's workshop, when he couldn't find the Floyd Rose guitar he wanted to buy, and decided to build it himself instead. His uncle mentored Sheldon with notions of woodworking, metalworking and finishing, after which he built 3 guitars, which he toured with for 3 years. He modified those guitars during his tours, in his hotel rooms, after which Sheldon decided to go back to Saskatoon to start a guitar neck manufacturing business. [5]

He got a job at a local music store, doing guitar repairs. After some time the store offered Sheldon to set up a shop in their store, first making necks, later making also bodies, and later on to entire instrument builds. Some time later he started making bass guitars, which eventually led to using fanned-frets, which have since become Dingwall Guitar's most distinguishing feature. [6]

Instruments

Basses

All Dingwall bass guitars are constructed using fanned frets. This extends the scale length of the 5th string on most of their models to 37", rather than the more common 34" achieved using traditional parallel fret bass designs.

Reviews for Dingwall basses have mostly been positive. In a review for the Afterburner series of basses, Bass Player Magazine concluded that the Afterburner was "an exceptional bass. The extra scale length clearly improves low-note focus and pitch definition, and Dingwall's uncompromising workmanship is world class". [7] Another review for Vintage Guitar Magazine also complimented Dingwall's tone and craftsmanship in a review of the Super J bass: "Every component, from the pickups and electronics to the selection of tone woods, and the hardware, are all well-conceived and executed, and the craftsmanship is superb." [8]

Other reviews have noted, though, that the fanned-fret design can make Dingwall basses more challenging to play. In an early review, Bass Player Magazine concluded that the fanned-fret design "isn't as difficult to play as you might think...but you will have to spend some time adapting your technique to get the most out of this innovative design". The review also noted the need for special strings to optimize the tone achieved from the basses, as the strings are longer than standard guitar strings. [9]

Guitars

In 2010, Dingwall reintroduced electric guitars to the instrument lineup. While only a few have been produced so far, early models have been well received. The music community Harmony Central reviewed a Dingwall Custom I, stating "the look of the Dingwall Custom I is pure Rock’n Roll...the bridge pickup nails the crunchy yet warm classic rock tone with a distinct almost cello-like character. [10]

Models

Basses

Endorsing Artists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guitar</span> Fretted string instrument

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strings against frets with the fingers of the opposite hand. A plectrum or individual finger picks may also be used to strike the strings. The sound of the guitar is projected either acoustically, by means of a resonant chamber on the instrument, or amplified by an electronic pickup and an amplifier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Stratocaster</span> Solid body electric guitar

The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously manufactured the Stratocaster since 1954. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top "horn" shape for balance. Along with the Gibson Les Paul, Gibson SG, and Fender Telecaster, it is one of the most-often emulated electric guitar shapes. "Stratocaster" and "Strat" are trademark terms belonging to Fender. Guitars that duplicate the Stratocaster by other manufacturers are sometimes called S-Type or ST-type guitars.

The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar by Fender Musical Instruments characterized by an offset-waist body, a relatively unusual switching system with two separate circuits for lead and rhythm, and a short-scale 24" neck. Owing some roots to the Jazzmaster, it was introduced in 1962 as Fender's feature-laden top-of-the-line model, designed to lure players from Gibson. During its initial 13-year production run, the Jaguar did not sell as well as the less expensive Stratocaster and Telecaster, and achieved its most noticeable popularity in the surf music scene. After the Jaguar was taken out of production in 1975, vintage Jaguars became popular first with American punk rock players, and then more so during the alternative rock, shoegazing and indie rock movements of the 1980s and 1990s. Fender began making a version in Japan in the mid-1980s, and then introduced a USA-made reissue in 1999. Since then, Fender has made a variety of Jaguars in America, Mexico, Indonesia and China under both the Fender and Squier labels. Original vintage Jaguars sell for many times their original price.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Precision Bass</span> Model of electric bass

The Fender Precision Bass is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrument usually equipped with a single split-coil humbucking pickup and a one-piece, 20-fret maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Jazz Bass</span> Fender model of bass guitar

The Fender Jazz Bass is the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental frequency. The body shape is also different from the Precision Bass, in that the Precision Bass has a symmetrical lower bout on the body, designed after the Telecaster and Stratocaster lines of guitars, while the Jazz Bass has an offset lower bout, mimicking the design aesthetic of the Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars.

Variax is the name of a line of guitars developed and marketed by Line 6. They differ from typical electric and acoustic guitars in that internal electronics process the sound from individual strings to model (replicate) the sound of specific guitars and other instruments. The maker claims it is the first guitar family that can emulate the tones of other notable electric and acoustic guitars. It also provides a banjo and a sitar tone. The Variax is currently available as an electric guitar, but modeling acoustic guitars and modeling electric bass guitars have been available in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibson Explorer</span> Electric guitar model by Gibson Brands, Inc

The Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar model by Gibson guitars, released in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Flying V, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designed in 1957 but not released until 1982. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype design that, years later, Gibson marketed under the name Futura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster</span>

The Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster is the signature model electric guitar of English guitarist Eric Clapton. It was the first signature model guitar released by Fender.

The King V is an electric guitar model made by Jackson Guitars.

The Fender Lead Series was produced by the Fender/Rogers/Rhodes Division of CBS Musical Instruments. The series comprised Lead I, Lead II, Lead III and Lead Bass models.

The Jackson Soloist is an electric guitar model introduced by Jackson Guitars in 1984, although prototypes were available before then. The design is a typical "superstrat"; it varies from a typical Stratocaster because of its neck-thru design; tremolo: Floyd Rose or similar, Kahler; or a fixed Tune-O-Matic; premium woods; a deeper cutaway at the lower horn for better access to the higher frets, and a sharper body with squared-off edges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Dinky</span> Electric guitar built by Jackson Guitars

The Jackson Dinky is a Superstrat-style double-cutaway electric guitar built by Jackson Guitars. The "Dinky" is named for its slightly smaller than normal (7/8) body size. Usually fitted with a two humbucker pickup configuration, some models also include single-coil pickups and/or just one bridge humbucker. The fretboard can be made out of ebony, rosewood and more recently maple, or rock maple, with 24 jumbo frets and is always built with a bolt-on neck. Most of the guitars have a Floyd Rose original or licensed tremolo, and a locking nut to help maintain stable tuning. Some Dinkys have hardtail, or String-Thru bridges. The Jackson Dinky is usually preferred by players of hard rock and heavy metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Jaguar Bass</span> Electric bass guitar

The Fender Jaguar Bass is an electric bass guitar currently manufactured in Mexico by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

A solid-body musical instrument is a string instrument such as a guitar, bass or violin built without its normal sound box and relying on an electromagnetic pickup system to directly detect the vibrations of the strings; these instruments are usually plugged into an instrument amplifier and loudspeaker to be heard. Solid-body instruments are preferred in situations where acoustic feedback may otherwise be a problem and are inherently both less expensive to build and more rugged than acoustic electric instruments.

ESP M-II is a guitar model offered by ESP. It belongs to the category of guitars referred to colloquially as "Super Strats," which refers to any guitar drawing heavily upon the Fender Stratocaster design. Modifications to the original Stratocaster design usually enhance playability. For example, the M-II features a larger lower-body rout to assist with accessing higher frets. The vast majority of "Super Strats" are equipped with Floyd Rose type locking-vibratos which assist with tuning stability under extreme string-bending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greco guitars</span> Japanese guitar brand

Greco is a Japanese guitar brand owned by the Kanda Shokai Corporation (in Japanese) 神田商会, a musical instrument wholesaler mostly known for being part of Fender Japan. Instruments manufactured with the name "Greco" are electric and acoustic guitars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duesenberg Guitars</span> German electric string instrument manufacturer

Duesenberg is a brand for electric string instruments founded in 1986 and located in Hannover, Germany. The headquarter is in Hannover, Germany, they are known for using a Plek machine for the levelling of frets and setup. Duesenberg has uploaded a factory production video of how their guitars are made, revealing that most of the production of the guitars is done in Croatia, while the final setup and assembly is done in Germany.

The Fender American Deluxe Series was a line of electric guitars and basses introduced by Fender in 1995 and discontinued in 2016. It was upgraded in 2004 and 2010 before being replaced by the American Elite series in 2016.

The Yamaha Corporation is a multinational corporation and conglomerate based in Japan with a wide range of products and services, predominantly musical instruments, motorcycles, power sports equipment and electronics.

The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele, is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it was the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful solid-body electric guitar. Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music.

References

  1. "Instrument Sales". Novax Guitars. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
  2. "Information: Technical Lecture". Novax Guitars. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
  3. Clay (2009-03-10). "On The Bench: What's up with those frets???". Projectsonthebench.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
  4. "The Oblique craftmanship of Sheldon". Auditory Synapses blog. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  5. "Fanning The Flames with Sheldon Dingwall". The Daily Funk Club. Archived from the original on 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  6. "Saskatoon's Ace of Bass" (PDF). Saskatchewan NOW!. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  7. "Soundroom, Terry Buddingh". Bass Player magazine. May 2002.
  8. Feser, Phil, "Dingwall Super J": Jammin J-Style". Vintage Guitar Magazine, January 26, 2010
  9. Malandrone, Scott, Bass Player Magazine, January 1996
  10. View: Everyone Only Notes (2010-09-23). "News: Dingwall Guitars: Dingwall Custom I Guitar". Harmony Central. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
  11. "Lee Sklar Signature".