Dingwall Electric Basses — The Fanned Fret Revolution, Built in Canada
Sheldon Dingwall started building instruments in 1987 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, out of necessity rather than grand ambition: he was a working musician who couldn't find the instrument he wanted, so he built it himself. Five years later, while puzzling over how to coax the kind of low-end clarity and fundamental definition from an electric bass that a piano produces in the same register, he came across Ralph Novak's patented fanned-fret system. The combination of ideas that followed produced the 1993 Voodoo prototype, the first production fanned-fret bass ever built, and launched a company that has spent three decades pushing the boundaries of what an electric bass can do.
The fanned-fret design is not an aesthetic choice. It is an engineering solution to a fundamental problem: a standard bass with a single scale length compromises every string on the instrument, because no single scale length is optimal for both the high G string and the low B string simultaneously. Dingwall's multi-scale design gives each string its own optimized scale length, ranging from 37 inches on the low B to 34 inches on the high G, producing a clarity, pitch definition, and tonal consistency across all strings that a conventionally scaled bass simply cannot match. Bass Player Magazine put it plainly: the extra scale length clearly improves low-note focus and pitch definition, and Dingwall's uncompromising workmanship is world class.
The Fanned Fret: What It Feels Like to Play
The most common question about Dingwall basses is how the fanned fret design feels under the hands. The answer, consistently reported by players who make the transition, is that it feels more natural than a conventional bass, not less. The slightly diagonal fret orientation mirrors the natural position of the fretting hand across the neck, reducing tension and improving ergonomics in ways that players notice on long gigs and extended studio sessions. The initial adaptation period is real but brief, and what players find on the other side is a playing experience they almost universally describe as impossible to go back from.
The Collections
Dingwall builds across two collections. The Canadian-made instruments, including the Prima Artist, Z Series, Lee Sklar Signature, Super J, Super P, Afterburner, and D-Roc, are hand-crafted in Saskatoon to the exacting tolerances that Sheldon has maintained since the beginning. The Import Series, comprising the Combustion and NG models, is assembled in China from North American-sourced materials and finished and set up in Canada to Dingwall's full quality standard, representing extraordinary value for players who want the fanned-fret experience at a more accessible price point.
Flagship Models
Prima Artist — The pinnacle of the lineup, hand-built in Saskatoon with exotic wood laminates, custom wood-covered pickups, and a Glockenklang preamp. The most tonally sophisticated and visually spectacular instrument Dingwall produces.
NG Series — Born from a collaboration with Adam Nolly Getgood, formerly of Periphery, the NG is the most widely sold model in the Dingwall lineup and what many players consider the definitive metal bass available at any price. Nolly described it as having clarity and definition beyond anything he had ever heard before in the low strings. Available with Darkglass Tone Capsule preamp.
Combustion — The entry point into the Dingwall world, assembled in China and finished in Canada, available in four, five, and six-string configurations with a choice of EMG, Darkglass, or Rupert Neve Designs preamp options. John Taylor of Duran Duran described it as delivering a very direct bass sound and praised the whole other level of tone the fanned frets produce.
Lee Sklar Signature — Co-developed with legendary session bassist Leland Sklar, who plays Dingwall as his primary touring and recording instrument. A working bassist's instrument in every respect, built to perform night after night without compromise.
Played by the World's Finest
The Dingwall artist family spans Leland Sklar, Adam Nolly Getgood, John Taylor of Duran Duran, and hundreds of touring and recording professionals across every genre from jazz to metal. The common thread is the same: once they played a Dingwall, they stopped looking for anything else.
Browse our full selection of Dingwall electric basses, and reach out if you'd like help navigating the model lineup or discussing a Canadian custom build.