Bongo HH EQ stuff

**Plan9** · 12-25-2008, 05:07 AM

Never thought to look here, but found the forum by mistake and think it might be the perfect place to ask my question...it's kinda puzzle, at least for me.

Been a Fender p-bass guy for over 35 years; couldn't even stomach a jazz, since although I liked the two-pickup sound the relationship between the tone and the pickup volumes was too much for me to take (couldn't adjust volume without sending tone all over the place). Never slapped, although I alternated playing with a pick and finger style. Stopped playing professionally over 15 years ago, but still played informally with friends.

Went in to GC several years ago and saw a Bongo HH, was intrigued by the design, blown away by the build quality and decided I'd buy my first active instrument, and one with more than a single pickup to boot. I've never looked back and for the past couple of years, I've alternated between the Bongo and some other passive instruments (these days an old Fender p-bass and a Reverend Rumblefish). Now I'm starting to play out again and would like to leave my other basses at home and just take the Bongo.

What I'm interested in is this - the EQ on the Bongo is really way over my head...there are so many possibilities I quickly get lost. I've been playing out, leaving the EQ flat and fooling with the amp instead so I don't get into foreign sonic territories. What I'm interested in is some general ideas for EQ settings for some more vintage-like sounds if anyone can help me with this...three in particular I'm interested are

1. Stax "Dunn-style" finger-funk (think Eddie Floyd, Albert King etc.)
2. '70's style fat funk bass (think any Ohio Players)
3. '60's style punk (think Standells "Dirty Water")

To make this more challenging, I'm not using flats, but mute with my fingers instead.
(I liked the sound of the super-slinkies the bass came with and have stuck with them).

**strummer** · 12-25-2008, 06:08 AM

Hey good call on the bass!

I don't ever touch the knobs, except rolling off some treble (ok a lot) when doing Stax type things, and neck pu only. That said, to get the dunn sound I'd roll off a lot of bass too, cause his sound was a real mid range is everything.

**Plan9** · 12-25-2008, 10:44 AM

Thanks for your post, strummer.

It's interesting that you tend to play it flat EQ'd too...at low volume though my practice rig, that really sounds great. At higher volume with the band (lotsa vocals, guitar, bass, drum, keys) is where I'm running into problems.

I also noticed that these this puppy puts out WAY more very low end (<100 Hz) than the passive basses. Need to roll this off when switching basses on the amp as it can easily wash everything else out, particularly in a live room.

**phat5** · 12-25-2008, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by strummer

Hey good call on the bass!

I don't ever touch the knobs, except rolling off some treble (ok a lot) when doing Stax type things, and neck pu only. That said, to get the dunn sound I'd roll off a lot of bass too, cause his sound was a real mid range is everything.

+1! I sometimes boost the mids to 60% with the front pup; great for the 70's funk stuff.

**TheAntMan** · 12-25-2008, 01:40 PM

Hey there fellow Bongoloid

My suggestion would be to sit with it and learn what is possible. You may need to come up with a sound that fits a particular song and it will be an easier task if you understood the tools at hand.

I spent a couple of hours on various days playing around with the Bongo EQ to understand how to tweak tones out of it. It is a very dynamic instrument, as you already know, and can open up all types of tonal avenues.

Anyway, everyone has their own interpretation of a given tone so, I will only say, play with it and make the EQ another "Technique" in your playing.

--Ant

**bassmonkeee** · 12-25-2008, 02:01 PM

The main thing to remember with the Bongo EQ is that it isn't all about boosting. All you accomplish with that is overdriving your input stage, which you might not want to do. As a general rule--if you are diming any of your Bongo EQ knobs--you're doing it wrong.

For a nice warm, middy tone that won't overlap with too many other instruments is neck humbucker soloed, with a bass cut about 20%, a low mid bump of about 25%, a high mid bump of about 10-15%, and a treble cut of about 25-30%. I find this tone works amazingly well with "Crosscut Saw" era Albert King and Completely Well BB King era stuff. It lays a nice foundation without being muddy, and without getting in the way of the guitar. it's amazing what you can get away with when you aren't stepping on each other's frequency ranges--and it's amazing how much more reasonable your volume can be.

The same EQ settings, but with the pickup blend at about 75% bridge/25% neck pickup, would work great with aggressive pick style stuff without being too barky.

All you need to do is sit down and spend an hour or two seeing what each knob does. I would turn down all of the knobs and play scales with each EQ band dimed individually to see where the different areas of the fretboard were most responsive and with each pickup.

Although, leaving the Bongo flat works great, too.

**strummer** · 12-25-2008, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by Plan9

Thanks for your post, strummer.

It's interesting that you tend to play it flat EQ'd too...at low volume though my practice rig, that really sounds great. At higher volume with the band (lotsa vocals, guitar, bass, drum, keys) is where I'm running into problems.

I also noticed that these this puppy puts out WAY more very low end (<100 Hz) than the passive basses. Need to roll this off when switching basses on the amp as it can easily wash everything else out, particularly in a live room.

I'm hardly ever concerned with the foh mix, I just have the sound I like on stage, and I find that a flat eq bongo into a flat eq amp works great, it sounds just like what bass is to me

**Plan9** · 12-26-2008, 05:14 AM

Thanks guys.

I appreciate the help...sounds like I might need a serious look at the the mids. I fear that I'm simply not used to the wide freq range that modern gear produces, and I wonder if I'm over compensating at the amplifier. Gonna give this a try tonight. Also, I'm in the love with the two pickup sound, but as you indicated, I might need to switch to one pu to try to get this. It's funny, your suggestions were to favor/solo the neck pickup but I seem to naturally favor the bridge one.

Also, I should have been a little more specific...my EQ issues only arise with the band. It's complicated by the fact that I'm using a different rig (usually a GK1001 thru 4x10, no tweeter engaged) than what I practice with. It sounds just great with the passive basses at my "usual" settings, which is where I have all my experience, but does not sound right at all with the Bongo on the same settings that give me the right tones with the practice amp.

I've already spent hours with this amp trying to get the tone right, but it just seems to be one of those frequency spectrum things where it's important to try to get the tone right in the available space left by the other instruments. If I had more time with the band at sound checks or before practice, this wouldn't be a problem, but I don't want to use up my welcome.

**Grand Wazoo** · 12-26-2008, 05:57 AM

Originally Posted by strummer

I'm hardly ever concerned with the foh mix, I just have the sound I like on stage, and I find that a flat eq bongo into a flat eq amp works great, it sounds just like what bass is to me

Precisely!! and well put strummer,

See Plan9 what you have to appreciate is that nowadays with these new active preamps and wide ranging eq fitted directly on the instrument, you don't really need to fiddle with the amp, in fact it will be necessary for you the set the amp controls completely flat and allow the amp to simply do the job its designed for i.e. amplifying your sound.

The eq part you can take care of with your bass, which is why EBMM are so well equipped. I don't have a Bongo, but even with one H pickup and 3 eq bands on my bass I can go from a really dark reggae thumping low to a toppy clear Stanley Clarke sound bright enough to rattle the fillings outta my molars

and that is without even pointing at the amp

**Marley's Ghost** · 01-20-2009, 12:56 PM

Since I just got my Bongo 5 HH, I would like to keep this thread going.

Right now now I seem to like the pups at 50, bass a 3pm, lo mids at 1pm, high mids at 12pm and treble at 12pm. Still twiddling.

**syciprider** · 01-20-2009, 07:20 PM

Plan9, my playing experience is but a drop of yours but since you mentioned that you favor the bridge pup in a band setting, it seems to me that you like punch more than thump. And nothing punches like the MusicMan bridge humbucker. I too like punch and play against two or three (well disciplined) guitars. My settings for a bridgebucker are low mids dimed, hi mids 1/8 past detent, bass 1/4 past detent, a touch of treb (or sometimes none at all). This sounds nasal and honky but Lord knows you'll hear it above everything else.

**kittyn** · 10-16-2009, 03:46 PM

Hi everyone, sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I have a really stupid question to ask --

I hear a lot of people saying to "leave the EQ flat" but I don't understand exactly what that means. On this bass, does that mean leaving all the controls in the 12 o clock position or rolling them all back?

Thanks in advance!!!