Sheldon Dingwall | Ralph Novak: Unveiling the Fanned Fret Revolution in Music!

Join Sheldon Dingwall in Eugene, Oregon, as he meets legendary guitar innovator Ralph Novak.
In this exclusive interview, you'll get an inside look at the secrets behind Ralph Novak's remarkable designs. These innovative creations have transformed how musicians approach their craft and profoundly influenced Dingwall Guitars.
#custombass #fannedfrets #thehypeisreal

[@realXhorrorshow]

Before I knew who Ralph was I saw his shop listed as a distributor on the Dingwall website and I called him up because I was looking to buy my first dingwall and he wasnt far away. He answered the phone and althought he didn't have any dingwalls to sell me, he clearly perked up at the mention of the name Dingwall, and he talked to me for another 10 minutes about Sheldon and how they traded notes on their multiscale designs. I didn't even realize I was speaking to the patent holder on the design responsible for inspiring Sheldon and bringing multiscale to modern guitar and bass construction, he never tried to mention that or take credit for it. He was just eager to tell me he knew Sheldon and how much he liked collaborating with him on multiscale design elements. Such a genuine, down to earth guy with a passion for instrument design and I think he recognized Sheldon as a kindred spirit. Great to hear this convo between two game changing innovators and great guys!

[@KacPerforator]

After Sheldon's reaction to this bass, can we expect headless dingwall? :D

[@hyperplayability6290]

simon padalka 👀

[@OrbitalDeathRay]

HEADLESS D-ROC PLEASE SHELDON

[@mrpagliero]

Brilliant! Cool to see thee First fanned fret bass.

[@lelandsklar6363]

Two absolute game changers in my bass world. Can’t thank you enough.

[@willemniehorster9836]

what a cool video with two legends. Mad respect for both of them!!!

[@Bassic778]

A FASCINATING VIDEO!!! The R&D, quality control, creativity, and passion employed by Ralph Novak and Sheldon Dingwall are major reasons why Dingwall basses have the playability and tone that bassists rave about. I'm not sure when, but I will own a Dingwall bass!!! Their collective technical knowledge, especially Ralph's, is impressive!!!

[@christhundervolt]

This was such a wonderful interview. Sheldon’s face when he saw the first fan fret bass was priceless. Thank you for sharing moments like these!

[@DingwallGuitars]

Glad you like it!

[@Teijal]

I'm a woman who loves her Dingwalls, Strandbergs and would LOVE that first fanned fret bass for my collection! Great video, guys! 💚

[@bradrehn1007]

What a delight!! Great kicked back interview with some great surprises, thsnks to you both!!

[@peachmelba1000]

This absolute _artist_ said some really profound stuff during this interview. Thank you for doing this, Sheldon.

[@DingwallGuitars]

Thanks for watching!

[@peachmelba1000]

@@DingwallGuitars No problem. I'm a fan of both builders. My current portfolio is somewhere in the Dingwall email system ;)

[@bassheart365]

Thanks for doing this interview Sheldon. Great to get to know Ralph Novak! What a visionary mind.

[@DingwallGuitars]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@wademiyataki9221]

Great listening to passionate people discuss things. One thing I tend to notice is passionate people tend to have an understanding of what they are passionate about. Once you understand how things work, you begin to wonder how you might be able to improve on things. That bit about Bartolini and the Fourier transform demonstrated both the level of understanding and passion for what they were doing. Thank you.

[@albaker2780]

F'ing great interview! Ralph is a gem and very cool to see Sheldon light up like that!

[@ironblast5]

Surprised and happy to see the first modern fanned fret was a bass and headless

[@arlingtonhoustonbass]

Great interview Sheldon I'm so glad Stephen White introduced me to you and Ralph. Ralph gave some great insight on his design and the evolution of his instruments. I met Charlie Hunter at Ralph's shop in San Leandro and I remember seeing that John Mayer pic on his wall back then. I asked Ralph why isn't John playing your instrument live he said that John's management wanted him to play Fender only because of a endorsement deal.

[@perlepug]

Thank you so much for sharing this, very inspiring!

[@MayorMcCheese2000]

Thank you so much for making this video!

[@moshcircus]

Exceptional on so many levels! 😊

[@rippertrain]

Super cool video. 8:20 my d roc standard is massive yet feather light

[@elementalfitnesslab]

I have a 7 string Hybrid Charlie style 7 string using Novak's design and it plays wonderfully. Great bass tones, great guitar tones.

[@DingwallGuitars]

Excellent, Charlie is such a great player too.

[@sarudijackson6399]

Nice job guys. The inset photos and videos are great. For those who don't know, Subway Guitars in Berkeley, CA is still going strong. . My Novax guitars are very stable, holding tune and set-up, even when sitting in the case for long periods.

[@RadityoPramAdi]

Incredible stories !!! A big respect to both of you 🙏🙏

[@matthewduncan9405]

I couldnt be happier to choose Dingwall as the bass I use to work and express myself. I love Sheldon and this great company. Amazing interview with Ralph!

[@DingwallGuitars]

Which bass are you playing?

[@matthewduncan9405]

I have a NG3 Six String (Pink Swirl) and the Hellboy DROC 5! Going to get a Canadian Z someday ❤

[@luxuriousmistake]

As someone also in pursuit of excellence, I couldnt be more proud to play Dingwall basses. Thank you for all you do! Are we going to see a Novak/Dingwall pickup?!?!

[@DingwallGuitars]

😉

[@bassic6959]

this is a really awesome interview that shows the brand is more than just a brand for shilling their products and sharing useful bass stuff!

[@mymodel6]

What a great video...

[@aldito7586]

I have to get me a Dingwall bass. Let's put it this way. It just nails all the corners!

[@moodsofadarksystem]

this is basically harp ism...scale length for gauge is so important for right resonation for each string and tension for string to ring best

[@Gggggggyfft528gh]

Wow, Fatdog reference!

[@daevien]

Seems like Ralph has enough questions and answers that you could have done hours more content just going back and forth. Maybe there is an idea for you guys to do something together covering both his and your eras of stuff?

[@DingwallGuitars]

That is a great idea!

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

Just you wait until I corner the market with my fanned fingerhole tin whistle!

[@DingwallGuitars]

Hahaha, the ultimate design! 😆

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

@@DingwallGuitars It shall blaze musical trails unheard of 🙌 … quite literally.

[@chriscuthbertson]

Sheldon.... when are we getting a headless Dingwall?

[@chriscuthbertson]

Do Dingwall licence the fanned fret design from Novak?

[@RobertHalberg]

I hate fanned frets so much. And, they're becoming popular enough that many otherwise interesting instruments are being born deformed. I vow never to buy one.

[@xmanual]

Fair enough. Wishing you the best.

[@DingwallGuitars]

Thats totally fine. We all express our art with different tools, techniques and emotions. That is one of the many beauties of music.

[@doj8763]

I think Charlie Hunter is the greatest living guitar player...props!!!