Dingwall: The Sounds & Players of the Fanned Fret Revolution

Dingwall is one of those boutique brands that half the bassists you’ll speak to will have never heard of, and the other half will tell you they’re the best basses they’ve ever played. Sitting in much the same category as Sadowsky, Sandberg, and even veteran brand G&L, Dingwall has a rich history in the bass community and is all too underappreciated. 

For many bassists, Dingwall is the only bass they’ll trust day after day. Many innovations to grace the industry have been in use by the legendary Saskatchewan brand since their origin, such as the use of the Novax fanned fret system and 5-string multiscale basses. All Dingwall basses use a rock-solid 5-piece laminated maple neck.

Dingwall is most well-known for their custom shop creations, supporting the needs of bass players across the globe. Don’t fret though – Dingwall offers a host of standard models to get your hands on. If you’ve never picked a Dingwall up in your bass career so far, you owe yourself to join some of the players we talk about today.

Which bassists use Dingwall basses?

Dingwall has become a strong and trusted brand among the bass community and many phenomenal players choose to play Dingwalls over others. While they’re mostly associated with metal and heavier styles of music, you can find them being played by some of the most well-regarded musicians worldwide.

Notable Dingwall players include Tony Levin, Jon Eberhard of I Prevail, Robbie Merrill of Godsmack, and the two players we’re featuring in this article. Let’s get to it!

Lee Sklar: Phil Collins’ Another Day in Paradise (1989)

Heard of James Taylor, Phil Collins, Toto, Lyle Lovett, Alice Cooper, Jackson Browne… We could literally go on forever. Lee Sklar is one of the preeminent session bassists to ever lay down the low end and has a discography spanning over 2,000 records. If anyone knows a good bass, it’s him. 

Lee’s on record stating that his Dingwall signature model is his go-to road bass for the majority of his projects, and has been an ambassador of the brand for 20 years. 

Another Day in Paradise is just one track in a lengthy list of hits Phil Collins had during his post-Genesis era. It’s a moody number that grooves along an F minor scale for the most part, lifting up during the bridge momentarily and crashing back into the main hook to finish the runtime. You don’t have to move at all to capture the main element of the song, though it’s worth listening to the live video below to hear how Lee spices things up tastefully.

Here’s Lee Sklar performing in 1990 to a sellout crowd in Berlin. It’s a superb live performance from the whole band, but Lee’s ability to play only the necessary parts and serve the song above all else is what elevates him into one of the greats. 

How to get the Another Day in Paradise tone

Here are our tips to recreate Hamilton’s sound:

• Dingwall bass
  • Bonus points for playing the Lee Sklar signature model
• Clean channel with some compression at the end of the chain
• Roll back the treble and focus on a more fundamental tone
• Play with fingers to keep a smooth attack throughout the length of the song

John Taylor: Duran Duran’s Hungry Like the Wolf (1982)

John Taylor is the original and mainstay bassist for 80s powerhouse Duran Duran. Save for a brief stint in the late 90s, his unique style has graced their expansive catalogue for decades. He typically uses a Dingwall for live performances now and has a particularly spectacular signature model you should take a look at. We’re still waiting for one to pass through the BassBros doors – we might just keep it! 

Hungry Like the Wolf is possibly Duran Duran’s most enduring hit and is a brilliant up-tempo bop full of electric sequencers firing all over, quintessential 80s guitar tones, and John’s funk-driven bass writing dipping in between. 

The main bassline shown below is not as intimidating as the notation might look. The main technique to consider when playing along – measured attack. All of the notes are incredibly short in length, giving that funky pop and click sound you hear on the track, and the rest is mostly just playing to the octave and being careful to really play into the rhythm of the track.

Here’s Duran Duran and John Taylor’s Dingwall at Austin City Limits in 2022 performing Hungry Like the Wolf live. We have to say, they sound absolutely superb in this one and John’s bass is as clear as a bell.

How to get the Hungry Like the Wolf tone

It was the 80s, so all bets were off when it came to tone – there were no rules! Here’s how we’d approach getting the best tone for the track.

• Dingwall bass
  • Bonus points for playing the John Taylor signature model
  • An active bass is preferred either way
• Small added chorus, plenty of added compression
• Mid and trebles boosted
• Play with both finger and slap technique to make the pops stand out as you run the octaves

The Bottom Line

Dingwalls are just a unique beast and something you need to put in your hands to know for sure if they’re for you. The fanned fret system is well known for producing the best-sounding B string money can buy and for any 5-string player trying a Dingwall is almost a right of passage.

We have a selection of Dingwall basses available at BassBros, so feel free to get in touch and arrange an appointment to find your perfect bass.