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Bass Musician Magazine’s Year of the Luthier – Sheldon Dingwall
Z 3x 5 bleached dyed Natural to Indigo burlburst body
Bass Musician Magazine’s Year of the Luthier – Sheldon Dingwall…
How did you get your start in music?
I came from a musical household. I started baritone ukulele at 4, piano lessons at 5, drum lessons at 9, guitar lessons at 12 and bass lessons at about 16. I taught drums and guitar from 16 to 20.
Are you still an active player?
No time right now but when my kids get older, I may look for a local gig.
ABI 3x Charcoal burst over Maple Burl body
How did you get started as a Luthier?
My uncle Alfred Wilson built acoustic guitars as a hobby. I coaxed him into teaching me. I started by designing and building a locking tremolo bridge then moved on to necks and bodies.
When did you build your first bass?
I’d built custom bass necks and bodies for local musicians in the late 80s and early 90s. The first complete bass I built was the prototype for the original Voodoo Bass that evolved into our current Z-series. That was completed at 7:30 AM on January 13th 1993.
How did you learn the art of woodworking/Luthier?
My uncle taught me the basics of woodworking, metalworking and finishing. I don’t know why but several of the local woodworking elite took me under their wing and guided me in the early days. I did a ton of reading and was thoroughly obsessed with the subject.
Woodworking is something that comes pretty naturally to me so I caught on fast. I started a repair business to create a job and to learn from the mistakes of other manufacturers. The repair business took off and I learned a lot about building and built up a customer base.
Who would you consider a Mentor?
My uncle for sure, Glenn McDougall from Fury Guitar has been my most important mentor. He’s shared a ton of his knowledge and even had a hand in helping me rebuild after the fire that wiped out my shop. Tom Anderson’s been a good friend and mentor too.
How do you select the woods you choose to build with?
I have a guy on staff to takes care of all that now. His name is Joey Lorer. He’s a brilliant guy and a real wood nerd. We have trusted suppliers that we’ve worked with for over 20 years. They know what we want and we always get the top quality.
How about pickups?
We’ve been making our own pickups since 2000. We used to supply other builders but we pretty much handed that business over to Nordstrand. I’m the type that needs to focus on one thing at a time. Running a bass business and a pickup business stretched our resources too thin.
What pickups did you use in the past?
We worked with Bartolini from 1993 to 2000. They’ve always made great pickups and electronics. It was not an easy decision to go out on our own but it was something I felt we needed to do to grow.
What electronics do you use right now?
We use custom modified pre-amps from Glockenklang and also work closely with Darkglass with their Tone Capsule.
Who were some of the first well-known musicians who started playing your basses?
Lee Sklar was the first big name endorser. He’s as well known as you can get in the bass world. Other A-list players in the early days were Mike Brignardello, Michael Rhodes and Jason Newstead.
Lee Sklar Dark Candy Green
How do you develop a signature or custom bass for an artist?
We only have two signature models. The Lee Sklar model and the Adam Nolly Getgood NG2. With Lee, we sent him the latest version of the bass he was playing at the time. We asked him for his input and added the features he wanted like mandolin frets, easier access to the control cavity and a specially wired switch.
Adam owned 3 of our basses and wanted to create something new by combining a hot rodded version of our Combustion bass and a custom pre-amp from Darkglass. Adam, Doug from Darkglass and I sat around the breakfast and supper table and pounded out ideas until the concept of the Tone Capsule evolved. Adam liked the race car inspired finishes we were doing and wanted to take his sig model in a more European exotic direction with a carbon fibre pick guard.
SP5 pj Faded Bluejean Matte Black PG maple wenge black hardware
What are a few things that you are proud about your instruments and that you would consider unique in your instruments?
I like companies and designers that innovate so I’m most proud of the innovations and in-house designed parts. We didn’t invent Fanned-frets, that was Ralph Novak. But we were the first company other than Ralph to base our entire company on them. We were pioneers in using Neodymium magnets in pickups, we innovated the magnetic battery compartment and innovated the dual-density body construction. We designed our bridges, pickups and control knobs.
Which one of the basses that you build is your favorite one?
They are all like children. They are all favourites for different reasons.
Can you give us a word of advice to young Luthiers who are just starting out?
Be patient, any career in the arts will take a long time to make a living at and a longer time to master. Be fearless.
What advice would you give a young musician trying to find his perfect bass?
Play as many as you can. Ask a seasoned repair tech to check them over. Make sure you’re buying something that’s solid and reliable.
What is biggest success for you and for your company?
Almost every day we get an email or are tagged in a Facebook post from a happy customer that is thrilled with their new bass. That’s our biggest success. Being able to affect people with our work. That’s what every artist strives for.
PA5 quilt body
Are you preparing something new, some new model or new design?
We recently released a prototype of a Thunderbird. We took a different approach and it seems to have struck a nerve. The response has been incredible. We’ll be brining out a 6-string version of the NG2 next year. The rest of our developments are too far out in the future to discuss at this point.
Or maybe some new gear amps, etc.
We’re working on new pickups and new models. Other than the D-bird and NG2 6-string though, I can’t release any details.
What are your future plans?
Continue growing the company. Continue bringing out innovative designs and refining the existing ones.
Bass CDs
New Album: Jake Leckie, Planter of Seeds
Bassist Jake Leckie and The Guide Trio Unveil New Album Planter of Seeds,
to be released on June 7, 2024
Planter of Seeds is bassist/composer Jake Leckie’s third release as a bandleader and explores what beauty can come tomorrow from the seeds we plant today.
What are we putting in the ground? What are we building? What is the village we want to bring our children up in? At the core of the ensemble is The Guide Trio, his working band with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow, who played on Leckie’s second album, The Guide, a rootsy funky acoustic analog folk-jazz recording released on Ropeadope records in 2022. For Planter of Seeds, the ensemble is augmented by Cathlene Pineda (piano), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophone), and Darius Christian (trombone), who infuse freedom and soul into the already tightly established ensemble.
Eight original compositions were pristinely recorded live off the floor of Studio 3 at East West Studios in Hollywood CA, and mastered by A.T. Michael MacDonald. The cover art is by internationally acclaimed visual artist Wayne White. Whereas his previous work has been compared to Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet with Charlie Haden, Leckie’s new collection sits comfortably between the funky odd time signatures of the Dave Holland Quintet and the modern folk-jazz of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band with a respectful nod towards the late 1950s classic recordings of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis.
The title track, “Planter of Seeds,” is dedicated to a close family friend, who was originally from Trinidad, and whenever she visited family or friends at their homes, without anyone knowing, she would plant seeds she kept in her pocket in their gardens, so the next season beautiful flowers would pop up. It was a small altruistic anonymous act of kindness that brought just a little more beauty into the world. The rhythm is a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, who we also lost around the same time, and whose theme song Poinciana is about a tree from the Caribbean.
“Big Sur Jade” was written on a trip Leckie took with his wife to Big Sur, CA, and is a celebration of his family and community. This swinging 5/4 blues opens with an unaccompanied bass solo, and gives an opportunity for each of the musicians to share their improvisational voices. “Clear Skies” is a cathartic up-tempo release of collective creative energies in fiery improvisational freedom. “The Aquatic Uncle” features Randal Fisher’s saxophone and is named after an Italo Calvino short story which contemplates if one can embrace the new ways while being in tune with tradition. In ancient times, before a rudder, the Starboard side of the ship was where it was steered from with a steering oar. In this meditative quartet performance, the bass is like the steering oar of the ensemble: it can control the direction of the music, and when things begin to unravel or become unhinged, a simple pedal note keeps everything grounded.
The two trio tunes on the album are proof that the establishment of his consistent working band The Guide Trio has been a fruitful collaboration. “Santa Teresa”, a bouncy samba-blues in ? time, embodies the winding streets and stairways of the bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro it is named for. The swampy drum feel on “String Song” pays homage to Levon Helm of The Band, a group where you can’t always tell who wrote the song or who the bandleader is, proving that the sum is greater than the individual parts. Early jazz reflected egalitarianism in collective improvisation, and this group dynamic is an expression of that kind of inclusivity and democracy.
“The Daughters of the Moon” rounds out the album, putting book ends on the naturalist themes. This composition is named after magical surrealist Italo Calvino’s short story about consumerism, in which a mythical modern society that values only buying shiny new things throws away the moon like it is a piece of garbage and the daughters of the moon save it and resurrect it. It’s an eco-feminist take on how women are going to save the world. Pineda’s piano outro is a hauntingly beautiful lunar voyage, blinding us with love. Leckie dedicates this song to his daughter: “My hope is that my daughter becomes a daughter of the moon, helping to make the world a more beautiful and verdant place to live.”
Bass CDs
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
In a thrilling solo debut, bassist Nate Sabat combines instrumental virtuosity with a songwriter’s heart on Bass Fiddler…
The upright bass and the human voice. Two essential musical instruments, one with roots in 15th century Europe, the other as old as humanity itself.
On Bass Fiddler (Adhyâropa Records ÂR00057), the debut album from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bass virtuoso Nate Sabat, the scope is narrowed down a bit. Drawing from the rich and thriving tradition of American folk music, Sabat delivers expertly crafted original songs and choice covers with the upright bass as his lone tool for accompaniment.
The concept was born a decade ago when Sabat began studying with the legendary old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky at Berklee College of Music. “One of Bruce’s specialties is singing and playing fiddle at the same time. The second I heard it I was hooked,” recalls Sabat. “I thought, how can I do this on the bass?” From there, he was off to the races, arranging original and traditional material with Molsky as his guide. “Fast forward to 2020, and I — like so many other musicians — was thinking of how to best spend my time. I sat down with the goal of writing some new songs and arranging some new covers, and an entire record came out.” When the time came to make the album, it was evident that Molsky would be the ideal producer. Sabat asked him if he’d be interested, and luckily he was. “What an inspiration to work with an artist like Nate,” says Molsky. “Right at the beginning, he came to this project with a strong, personal and unique vision. Plus he had the guts to try for a complete and compelling cycle of music with nothing but a bass and a voice. You’ll hear right away that it’s engaging, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and beautifully thought out from top to bottom.”
While this record is, at its core, a folk music album, Sabat uses the term broadly. Some tracks lean more rock (‘In the Shade’), some more pop (‘White Marble’, ‘Rabid Thoughts’), some more jazz (‘Fade Away’), but the setting ties them all together. “There’s something inherently folksy about a musician singing songs with their instrument, no matter the influences behind the compositions themselves,” Sabat notes. To be sure, there are plenty of folk songs (‘Louise’ ‘Sometimes’, ‘Eli’) and fiddling (‘Year of the Ox’) to be had here — the folk music fan won’t go hungry. There’s a healthy dose of bluegrass too (‘Orphan Annie’, ‘Lonesome Night’), clean and simple, the way Mr. Bill Monroe intended.
All in all, this album shines a light on an instrument that often goes overlooked in the folk music world, enveloping the listener in its myriad sounds, textures, and colors. “There’s nothing I love more than playing the upright bass,” exclaims Sabat. “My hope is that listeners take the time to sit with this album front to back — I want them to take in the full scope of the work. I have a feeling they’ll hear something they haven’t heard before.”
Available online at natesabat.bandcamp.com/album/walking-away
Gear News
New Gear: Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass
Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass…
Esopus Guitars is proud to announce the new “Tailwater” bass guitar, from legendary bass luthier Stuart Spector. This 32” scale bass is handcrafted by Stuart using the only finest woods and components at the Esopus Guitar workshop located near Woodstock NY in the Catskill Mountains.
From its fully carved spruce top (the top is carved on both its exterior and interior surfaces) with a thumb rest that is elegantly carved into the top, to its custom-made Fishman piezo pickup and super hard Carnauba wax finish, every detail of the Tailwater is part of creating the ultimate playing experience.
The Tailwater bass features a fully chambered spruce over alder body (15.5″ lower body bout width, 2.25″ body thickness measuring from the peak of the carved top) that delivers a super comfortable tonal tool for all your low-end needs.
Each Tailwater bass is hand-signed and numbered on the back of the peghead by Stuart Spector. A very limited number of Tailwater basses are handcrafted each year at the Esopus workshop.
“I am proud to present the Tailwater bass, a bass that I have spent the last three years perfecting. The Tailwater is a culmination of all of my 45 years of experience, knowledge, and passion for bass guitar crafting. I am so eager to hear what fellow musicians create with this exciting new instrument.” -Stuart Spector
Direct Pricing : $4995.00 plus options.
For more information about Esopus Guitars and Stuart Spector’s handcrafted instruments, visit www.EsopusGuitars.com.
Bass Videos
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Ian Allison Bassist extreme…
Most recently Ian has spent the last seven years touring nationally as part of Eric Hutchinson and The Believers, sharing stages with acts like Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, Rachel Platten, Matt Nathanson, Phillip Phillips, and Cory Wong playing venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Staples Center and The Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN.
I had a chance to meet up with him at the Sellersville Theater in Eastern Pennsylvania to catch up on everything bass. Visit online at ianmartinallison.com/
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
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Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
New Gear: The Dingwall John Taylor Signature Model
Interview With Bassist Edmond Gilmore
Have Fret Sprout? Sharp Fret Management… a How-To Video
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Interview With Audic Empire Bassist James Tobias
New Album: Avery Sharpe, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
