I made what was percieved as a derogatory remark towards old-style basses (I was mainly thinking J and P), and as the word "crappy" was put there in (maybe misplaced) jest I want to say this with a straight face:
I have a lot of respect for the P & J basses from the 50's and 60's, when they were bringing something new and exciting to the bass playing community. I also fully understand it if you buy a newer P or J to get that familiar sound. I can even understand it if you think that those basses are still the best out there. (I think you are wrong, but everyone is entitled to an opinion.) Hey, there are guys playing P and J just because of their looks, which is ok too.
However
I think it is really sad when someone complains that the Bongo does not sound exactly like a bass built in the 50's or 60's. If you want that sound, get that old bass!
I also find it frustrating when players expect the Bongo to have the same quirks as their other basses, and therefore complain about one or other aspect of the Bongo, like in "When I plug my Ib*n*z into my 31-band eq pedal, and then to my sonic maximizer and then into my preamp (with eq from hell) it rocks, but the Bongo doesn't give me "that"."
The Bongo can fit into almost any musical context, be it death metal, funk, pop, soul or whatever. The Bongo can emulate the vibe (if not the exact sonic signature) of the original bass part of every song I play at home, playing along with a CD.
The Bongo can also rip the heads off P and J basses, and without breaking a sweat.
Finally, the Bongo (along with it's brothers The Sterling and the Stingray) are the only "mass production" basses that effortlessly compete quality- and soundwise against ALL the really expensive custom instruments out there. At half or less than half the price. I am not saying custom instruments aren't good, I am saying MusicMan instruments should only be compared to good custom instruments.
Sorry about ranting
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Originally Posted by Steve Dude Barr
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