Dingwall Guitars SP1 5-String Multi-Scale Bass Guitar - Gloss Vintageburst

The SP1 is the latest addition to Dingwall Guitars' ever-expanding Ready To Play range and, as the model name suggests, draws much of its inspiration from the Custom Shop Super P. The initial brief was to come up with a more affordable instrument that combined elements of Leo Fender's iconic blueprint with some of the innovative features for which Dingwall Guitars are now famous, including the customary multi-scale fingerboard. Available in 4- or 5-strings, and Metallic Black, Vintageburst, Dark Candy Green, and Ducati Pearl White finishes.

Body & Neck
A thinner body profile results in a lightweight body, but with a more solid tone. The body is alder, while the bolt-on neck is a single piece of maple. The rosewood fingerboard is flawlessly finished, with smoothly rounded edges and 22 banjo-sized frets.

Aside from the multi-scale design, visually, the first thing you'll notice that's different about the SP1 is the pickguard, which started out as a hand-painted design by Hugh Fisher. Hugh's designs are now digitized and UV printed. Each one is slightly transparent, so the colour of the body also influences the look of the pickguard. And because the pickguard material is transparent, it can be printed in any colour.

Pickups & Electronics
The SP1 is passive, so there are no batteries or EQ boost, but the quality of the tonewoods, alnico-loaded pickups, and the overall construction mean that there's absolutely no need for them. The front control is volume, and the back is a master tone. Between these is Dingwall's Quad-Tone Pickup Selector. In its first position, fully anti-clockwise, this selects the front pickup alone; one click clockwise is the front plus the back pickup in series, then in parallel; and finally, the back pickup on its own.

Hardware
The Dingwall Minimalist bridge features a custom riser system that's designed to provide an increased range of flexibility when it comes to adjusting the action. If you play with a heavy technique, instead of raising your individual bridge saddles, which can put stress on the string and cause premature breakage, you can raise the entire bridge unit. That way you can move between a high action or a low action just by adjusting the shims, which leaves the saddles only for fine tuning. The tuners are lightweight, open-gear designs, and there is also a bullet string retainer to help maintain a decent break angle across the Graphtech nut.

Strings
Dingwall strings have been meticulously tested to maximize performance and deliver a tone that blends effortlessly with any style of music. Their strings provide an even tension for optimal balance, letting you experience the warmest highs and the tightest lows possible. Note: basses are shipped with Dingwall Nickel Strings.

Specifications

General
Orientation: Right-Hand
Number of Strings: 4
Made in: Indonesia / Canada (Hybrid manufacturing)

Body
Body Wood: Alder

Neck
Neck Material: 1 piece Maple, bolt-on
Fingerboard: Rosewood, multiscale
Frets: 22, banjo-size
Nut: Graphtech Black Tusq
Headstock: Flat, scalloped

Electronics
Neck Pickup: Dingwall Dual-P
Bridge Pickup: Dingwall FD3n
Electronics: Passive, Master Volume, Master Tone
Pickup Switching: 4 position Quad-tone pickup selector

Hardware
Hardware colour: Black
Tuners: Open gear
Bridge: Dingwall 'Minimalist' one-piece bridge
Pickguard: Matte Coco Gold Pickguard (Black, Vintageburst), Matte Pablo Pickguard (Ducati Pearl White)
Strap Pins: Dunlop locking

Misc
Case: Dingwall Padded Gigbag included