Nice People in This Industry



Sheldon Dingwall of Dingwall Guitars has got to be one of the most honest people around. I bought a used Dingwall Z1, which really means that although I own a product with his name on it, he hasn't gotten any money from me. There was originally a decal on the back of the headstock that said "Designed and Built for [name of previous owner]". I didn't want that to be on my bass, so I contacted Sheldon about getting the decal removed and the neck refinished. He told me that it could be removed by using some 0000 steel wool. I guess I'm kind of cynical, but I don't figure there are many builders who would turn down the chance to make money. I would have gladly paid him to do the work, and would have been none the wiser as to its relative simplicity.

Well, it doesn't end there. One of the reasons I wanted a Dingwall bass was the influence of Leland Sklar. He's one of my heroes of bass playing, and for his five string basses, he plays Dingwalls. Here's a pic of me with Lee at the last NAMM show.

I love this guy's playing, his approach to music, and his tone. Sheldon knew that, so when I inquired about sending the bass to Dingwall to replace the electronics with the new stuff, he sent me a message to let me know that Lee's old basses both have the same pickups as mine. Either this guy really doesn't want my business, or he's just an honest guy who actually cares about the needs of the people who play his basses. I'll assume the latter.

This is where I go off on a rant about the world today and how business is so competitive and has lost sight of serving people, and how Sheldon Dingwall is a shining example that there are still honest businessmen in the world, and how we ought to support them or risk dealing with faceless megacorporations in the future. But you don't need to hear all of that.

Many thanks to Sheldon Dingwall--one of the good people in the world of electric bass.

Posted: Fri - April 7, 2006 at 10:13 AM          

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