# Nightmare NBD - Dingwall Ng3



## 777 (Jun 15, 2021)

I was so excited to receive this, on inspection my heart was broken - needless to say its going back. I can't believe this could pass QC


Paint chip in truss cavity
Worn/scratched frets
Neck pocket tolerance


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## TedEH (Jun 15, 2021)

I don't know that I'd go as far as nightmare, but that's pretty unfortunate. IMO it would be worth trying another one, maybe you just got unlucky with this one.


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## Demiurge (Jun 15, 2021)

The chip looks like the most obvious QC boner. The neck pocket- are these designed to be slightly trapezoidal as to avoid NJFC? The frets look like maybe the guitar was shipped at some point without a barrier between the strings and the fretboard. Hope the return goes well.


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## 777 (Jun 15, 2021)

I lightly polished a fret with a fret rubber and it removed some surface scratches and shined up quite nice. There are still some flat 'looking' frets but there is no buzz/dead notes going on. I might just keep it


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## Zender (Jul 25, 2021)

Take it to your local luthier / guitar tech for a setup job (unless you can do all that stuff yourself). Any guitar or bass we sell/service gets at least:
- Frets polished, and leveled if needed, if there are sharp edges on the frets, those get a cleanup as well.
- Fretboard conditioned
- Proper intonation
- Proper action (rough estimation, and a final check with the customer present, as action is user-specific)
- A good clean, and general checkup.

Sure, a paint chip or a scratch on a new instrument might look bad, but it's a tool, not a piece of art to hang on the wall and look at. Nevertheless, I really do understand the irritation of "this should be new" as that is what you pay for.


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## Perge (Jul 25, 2021)

777 said:


> I lightly polished a fret with a fret rubber and it removed some surface scratches and shined up quite nice. There are still some flat 'looking' frets but there is no buzz/dead notes going on. I might just keep it


Post moar pics if you do!


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 25, 2021)

Yeah, the MIC Dingwalls have been hit or miss lately, especially on stuff like this. It seems they're having some problems ever since the pandemic.


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## CanserDYI (Jul 25, 2021)

Someone please tell me why we all continue to fellate dingwall and strandberg phallus? They move production overseas...to save who a few bucks? Us? Hahahahaha....

That paintchip isn't that big of a deal to me, if it were 1400 bucks like it's schecter, Ibanez, ltd, and everyone else making them overseas ..IN KOREA AND INDONESIA. 

Would someone make a damn dingwall copy? I do need a 37 incher.


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## AltecGreen (Jul 25, 2021)

CanserDYI said:


> Someone please tell me why we all continue to fellate dingwall and strandberg phallus? They move production overseas...to save who a few bucks? Us? Hahahahaha....




In the case of Dingwall, the price difference between the imported basses versus the ones made in Canada ones is very clear. Strandberg is a difference case since they don't actually own their own in house production facility. Still, you can also clearly see the price difference between a Indo made Standberg and a Japanese made Strandberg. I agree that both brands are a bit too cult like for my taste. That's why I bought a Sago instead of a Dingwall.


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## Hollowway (Jul 25, 2021)

CanserDYI said:


> Would someone make a damn dingwall copy? I do need a 37 incher.



https://www.gear4music.com/us/en/Gu...anned-Fret-5-String-Bass-Blue-Burl-Burst/31J3

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-a...ned-Fret-6-String-Bass-Purple-Burl-Burst/31J4


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## LordCashew (Jul 25, 2021)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Yeah, the MIC Dingwalls have been hit or miss lately, especially on stuff like this. It seems they're having some problems ever since the pandemic.


Sounds like they’re trying to move production to Korea, and I imagine this is at least partly why. The newest production D-rocs were made there.


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## Thrashman (Jul 25, 2021)

The frets are fine. Mine look the same. re the slight 'streaking'. They're not flat though.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 25, 2021)

LordIronSpatula said:


> Sounds like they’re trying to move production to Korea, and I imagine this is at least partly why. The newest production D-rocs were made there.



Yeah, their Chinese OEM got absolutely hammered by covid. Quality has dipped and production pretty much slowed to a trickle. They're something like 18 months behind.


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## Lemonbaby (Jul 26, 2021)

The chip is easy to fix and I wouldn't worry too much about it. The fret scratches are annoying, but they'll look like this anyway after just a few bends with stainless roundwounds.


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## 777 (Jul 26, 2021)

It has been returned and I since bought a 6 string one


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## I play music (Jul 27, 2021)

Hollowway said:


> https://www.gear4music.com/us/en/Gu...anned-Fret-5-String-Bass-Blue-Burl-Burst/31J3
> 
> https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-a...ned-Fret-6-String-Bass-Purple-Burl-Burst/31J4


Those are not good from what I've heard

BUT ESP has these, now even with SS frets:


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## GenghisCoyne (Jul 27, 2021)

you had issues with the QC so you returned it and got a more expensive one?


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## Thrashman (Jul 28, 2021)

That LTD should never have been photographed with that nut. What horrible marketing.


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## I play music (Jul 29, 2021)

Thrashman said:


> That LTD should never have been photographed with that nut. What horrible marketing.


What's wrong ??


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## RevDrucifer (Jul 29, 2021)

CanserDYI said:


> Someone please tell me why we all continue to fellate dingwall and strandberg phallus? They move production overseas...to save who a few bucks? Us? Hahahahaha....
> 
> That paintchip isn't that big of a deal to me, if it were 1400 bucks like it's schecter, Ibanez, ltd, and everyone else making them overseas ..IN KOREA AND INDONESIA.
> 
> Would someone make a damn dingwall copy? I do need a 37 incher.



Check out the Spector Dimensions. I almost bought one this year but I went with a Spector Pulse instead because I was being cheap. I still might grab a Dimension because my Pulse is just fucking killer, I can only imagine how great the Dimensions are.


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## FromTheMausoleum (Jul 30, 2021)

May I ask what dealer you purchased this from and if you also got the replacement from them as well?


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## Thrashman (Jul 31, 2021)

I play music said:


> What's wrong ??


spacing is way off eveyrwhere. Look at the spacing between the B and E, then E and A, and then D and G. Jesus.


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## I play music (Aug 1, 2021)

Thrashman said:


> spacing is way off eveyrwhere. Look at the spacing between the B and E, then E and A, and then D and G. Jesus.


It could be off between the B and E, the others all look equal but can't really tell from that pic.


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## I play music (Aug 1, 2021)

RevDrucifer said:


> Check out the Spector Dimensions. I almost bought one this year but I went with a Spector Pulse instead because I was being cheap. I still might grab a Dimension because my Pulse is just fucking killer, I can only imagine how great the Dimensions are.


Oh right, totally forgot about these!


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## xplanet (Sep 16, 2021)

Must agree that it seems Dingwall can do no wrong. My NG3 had the stretched frets and although it’s said that the paintwork is thin, taking off the pick guard made a bit of a mess of the screw holes. I would like to swap the bridges out but afraid that it would do too much damage. Maybe I should have bought a Stingray… Still it has a unique sound and it’s nice to play.


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## SamSam (Sep 17, 2021)

Just as an fyi the frets on dingwall basses (and presumably other fanned fret basses) will mark very easily due to the angle of the contact point. But don't fret (yea, yea...) it is just cosmetic and you should find they remain in fairly good condition and wear at the same rate as any other bass.

Obviously they won't if you play steel strings and slap the fuck out of them mind.


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## Brayden Buckingham (Sep 18, 2021)

Hey , I just got mine less thsn 2 weeks ago . Mines like 99% flawless , although there's 2 small , and I mean fucking small , dots on the fretboard from the wood where it looks like a branch / stem tried to grow and wasn't fully sanded down . Think like a small cork in wood . It's maybe 1mm thick at most and you literally have to use your nail to even get it to the point where you can feel it . Super minor , but it's there . Also , there's a speckle in the back where it looks like dust got under the paint and it's like a flake , but it's suuppeerr hard to see and it's not very noticeable at all . Very minor . 

Yours definitely needs some work . I was sort of surprised when I got mine as I waited for a year , but truthfully none of it is bad enough to justify complaining .

Basically , my stance is as long as there no tool markings ; I'm cool with it . 

That being said , that gap in the back and that paint chip would bug me . You got one made on a Friday afternoon or something .


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## Brayden Buckingham (Sep 18, 2021)

Sorry for the double post . You can see here what I was talking about . It's just the wood though . Looks like I got lucky . I couldn't find that paint mark I mentioned but I noticed another small one . 

My gap seems fine and overall I think it's OK . You got a dud  I wonder if they'll go to Korea like the mod mentioned ?


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## LordCashew (Sep 19, 2021)

Brayden Buckingham said:


> Sorry for the double post . You can see here what I was talking about . It's just the wood though . Looks like I got lucky . I couldn't find that paint mark I mentioned but I noticed another small one .
> 
> My gap seems fine and overall I think it's OK . You got a dud  I wonder if they'll go to Korea like the mod mentioned ?


From the pics, that little flaw on your fingerboard looks like a separate chunk that somehow stuck there. I would be tempted to go after it with a razor blade. It might leave a mark on the board where it was, but I bet you could at least get it flat. 

The paint flaw doesn’t seem to bad but it’s still a bummer for the price on these.


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## Esp Griffyn (Sep 21, 2021)

Aren't these things supposed to be "inspected in Canada"?


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## MaxOfMetal (Sep 21, 2021)

Esp Griffyn said:


> Aren't these things supposed to be "inspected in Canada"?



Ibanez and Schecter are supposedly all inspected in the US (when sold there), same with PRS SE, and plenty of lemons make it through. 

It happens.


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## Flappydoodle (Sep 21, 2021)

Honestly man, it's a mass-produced, Chinese-made guitar. If you're going to inspect inside cavities, take macro photos and expect perfection... I think your expectations are too high. 

That paint chip can only be 2-3 mm, and it's in an area you'll never see. I also wonder whether the fret scratches can be felt while playing? Once you start playing the bass, they're going to get scuffed anyway. And the neck pocket doesn't look that photogenic, but is there any evidence that it's badly fit? 

I can't see the whole experience being fairly described as a "nightmare", if I'm honest. Same for the second bass posted above. That tiny little spec on the fretboard can only be 1 mm and could be removed in 30 seconds. 

End of the day, these things are mass produced, on a budget, and the factory is only going to spend a certain amount of time on QC. Dingwall realistically isn't going over every import guitar with a fine toothed comb and won't be sending back guitars for minuscule paint chips. 

I think if somebody find any tiny cosmetic defects to be totally unacceptable, they need to be looking at the Canadian products where they will receive a lot more hands-on inspection and attention to detail.


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## MaxOfMetal (Sep 21, 2021)

Flappydoodle said:


> Honestly man, it's a mass-produced, Chinese-made guitar. If you're going to inspect inside cavities, take macro photos and expect perfection... I think your expectations are too high.
> 
> That paint chip can only be 2-3 mm, and it's in an area you'll never see. I also wonder whether the fret scratches can be felt while playing? Once you start playing the bass, they're going to get scuffed anyway. And the neck pocket doesn't look that photogenic, but is there any evidence that it's badly fit?
> 
> ...



To be fair, these aren't cheap (~$2500) and Dingwall makes a very big deal about QC'ing and setting them up at their Canadian facility. So it's not like ordering a $400 LTD200 and expecting ESP Original quality. 

I don't think I'd call it a "nightmare" either, but definitely worthy of calling out before swift replacement, which seems to be the case anyway.


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## noise in my mind (Sep 22, 2021)

I have an old school NG2 (2015). It came flawless.


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## Drew (Sep 22, 2021)

SamSam said:


> Just as an fyi the frets on dingwall basses (and presumably other fanned fret basses) will mark very easily due to the angle of the contact point. But don't fret (yea, yea...) it is just cosmetic and you should find they remain in fairly good condition and wear at the same rate as any other bass.
> 
> Obviously they won't if you play steel strings and slap the fuck out of them mind.


Seconding this - never owned one of the Nolly basses, but I had an afterburner 5 for a couple years before I decided I liked the tone of a, of all things, Squier P-bass with J bass electronics more. Because the frets are at an angle rather than parallel, strings tend to leave diagonal marks exactly as you're seeing here on the frets as the frets wear. This doens't look like a finish defect to me, this looks like the bass got a little bit of playtime while it was being set up and QC'd, and this is just waht the frets look like as strings rub against them. 

The neck joint and tiny chip in the truss rod cavity aren't what I would call "nightmare" issues, doubly so if the neck joint is by design, but IMO these aren't really things that impact playability. If it's a big deal to you, see about an exchange or maybe a couple bucks back. If not, well, if that bass is any good in five years it's going to have way bigger chips than that on it from a life of use.


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## Brayden Buckingham (Oct 12, 2021)

Want to share my current experience after receiving mine .

I went back to the shop where I got it from and asked the guy I always deal with for his thoughts ( I showed him the same pictures posted ) . He agreed it was a bit off to have some " defects " especially after waiting literally a year for a non custom bass. He told me he will contact them and see if it can be considered a " B stock " but wasn't entirely sure what they ( Dingwall ) would say . Within a few days tops Dingwall got back and I was forwarded the information , and had the choice of either taking 10% off the total amount ( roughly 300$ ) or have a brand new one sent to me with an ETA of February 2022 for the exact same model and colour . 

I decided to go for a new one , as minor as my case is with the issues , it still shouldn't happen on a 3000$ bass that's been untouched / unplayed out of factory . I have to say my experience with them through my local shop has been flawless and they are extremely quick to respond . I didn't even mentioned getting a new one , they offered . I get to keep the one I own until I receive my new one . They seriously got back within 3 days or less from what I know . Overall , it is easy to judge off a forum quickly , but I'm happy to know they stand by their products and don't hesitate to make it right . And again , my current bass is 99% perfect , I'm just picky . So they really go the extra bit with giving me options with the situation , and again , they offered the replacement .


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## noise in my mind (Oct 12, 2021)

Dingwall's customer service has been very good to me in the past. One time I ordered a set of strings from them and they came damaged. They immediately sent me out two brand new sets of strings for the hassle!


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