“If you can handle the fanned frets, this is a bass you’ll cherish for decades”: Dingwall John Taylor Signature review

After playing a custom Dingwall live with Duran Duran, John Taylor has launched his production model, loaded with a new bridge design, a Rupert Neve Design preamp to die for and a monster tonal range

Dingwall Guitars JT Signature
(Image: © Dingwall Guitars)

Guitar World Verdict

If you have the budget, you like the aesthetic and you can handle the fanned frets, this is a bass that you’ll genuinely cherish for decades.

Pros

  • +

    Powerhouse electronics.

  • +

    Low B-string sustain and tone are unbeatable.

  • +

    The state-of-the-art feel and components that we expect from Dingwall.

Cons

  • -

    Are fanned frets for you?

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You couldn’t escape John Taylor’s bass parts in the ’80S because they were all over the radio and MTV, from mid-heavy Rickenbacker lines through to slicker parts played on an Aria Pro II. Slippery, 16th-y and beyond catchy, Duran Duran’s basslines demanded both low-end girth and crispy mids, a requirement that Taylor fulfilled with a signature Peavey in later years.

He’s been using a custom Dingwall on the last couple of Duran tours, fitted out with Rio decals in honour of that album’s 40th anniversary, causing us to wonder if a signature model would be on the way at some point. 

  • Price: $2,805 / £2,215 (inc. gigbag)
  • Made in: China
  • Body: Nyatoh
  • Neck: Five-piece maple, 34” to 37” scale
  • Nut: Graph Tech
  • Fingerboard: Pau ferro, 24 ‘banjo-sized’ fanned frets
  • Pickups: 3x Dingwall FD3n
  • Controls: Master volume, four-position Quad-Tone rotary pickup selector, passive tone, active bass and treble cut and boost, active/passive toggle switch
  • Hardware: Dingwall Minimalist one-piece recessed bridge, lightweight open-back tuners.
  • Weight: 9 lbs / 4.1 kg
  • Available finishes: Metallic Black, Cranberry, Primrose and Seafoam Green.
  • Contact: Dingwall Guitars

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