Dingwall D-Roc 5 Custom Gold Center Orange Wings

The Khaya body gives the bass a warm, grounded core with a focused low end and a midrange that sits exactly where you want it. There’s weight and authority in the notes, but never any blur or excess. It’s the kind of tone that stays solid under a band and still leaves room for nuance and dynamics.

The 5-piece laminate neck adds long-term stability and a reassuringly even feel across the whole instrument. Combined with the wenge fingerboard, the response is immediate and clear, with a slightly dry, punchy attack that helps every note speak. Wenge has a way of keeping things honest — no hype, just clarity and definition, even when you dig in.

Dig into the heart of the D-Roc 5, and you’ll find its Novax Fanned-fret System, a fusion of technical genius and musical intuition. This multi-scale design isn’t just for show – it fine-tunes string tension across the fretboard. By extending the scale on the lower strings, it injects depth and definition, reminiscent of a tight, deep piano string, while the shorter scale for the higher strings keeps them a bit more relaxed, warmer, and articulate. It’s a system that’s both brainy and soulful, allowing each string to resonate at its ideal frequency, creating a blend of sound that’s harmonically rich and spot-on in intonation.”

Electronics are handled by three Dingwall FDV pickups, designed in-house and voiced specifically for Dingwall’s multiscale instruments. Using Alnico magnets, they deliver a sound that’s musical and responsive rather than aggressive for the sake of it. The low end is full and controlled, the mids are open and expressive, and the highs stay clear without turning sharp or brittle. They react directly to your touch — play lighter and the sound opens up, dig in and it pushes back with authority while staying balanced.

The control layout is refreshingly straightforward and genuinely useful. A master volume is paired with a four-position rotary selector that moves from bridge only, to bridge and middle in parallel, to middle only, and finally to all three pickups together. A passive tone control rounds things out. Every position is usable, with no dead spots or novelty settings — just solid, musical sounds that make sense on a gig or in the studio.

In the hands, the D-Roc 5 Custom feels confident and dependable. It’s modern without being sterile, powerful without being overbearing, and refined without losing character. A bass built for players who care about feel, balance, and tone that holds up night after night — exactly the kind of instrument Bass Buddha loves to stand behind.