Dingwall Afterburner II

This Dingwall Afterburner II with bubinga facings shares a top spot among my favourite instruments. Dingwall takes the Afterburner model to the next level with exotic woods and an active Aguilar preamp. This particular bass also features Sheldon Dingwall's signature "bearclaw" scroll and tone chambers.

As with the Afterburner I model, the quality, fit and finish are top notch and truly a credit to the excellent work of Sheldon Dingwall and his crew. This bass features a walnut body core which is beautifully matched to a premium bubinga top, 5 piece bubinga neck and a wenge fingerboard. Because of the tone chambers this bass is still lightweight at roughly 8 pounds.

This model builds on the Afterburner I model by adding an active electronics package which includes an Aguilar OBP-1 preamp (Note that the latest versions have a Glockenklang preamp). There is an active/passive switch with hybrid treble (active boost and passive cut) and the bluEQube switch. Controls provided are: volume, pickup selection (bridge pickup only, both pickups in series, both pickups in parallel, and neck pickup), BluEQube and treble. The tonal characteristics are extremely flexible and provide amazing versatility. Yet despite this seeming complexity, it's very easy to dial in a wide range of usable tones from extremely aggresive and growly to downright sweet and jazzy with clear notes that just sing.

The Afterburner II scores top marks due to its versatility, light weight and tonal range and consistency.