Bongo 5 replacement pickup?

[ggunn]

I've got a Bongo 5 HHP, and I'm wondering how it would sound with a S in the bridge position. I can get a HS pickguard pretty easily, and it looks like the S would fit in the rout for the H and drop in with the addition of a single screw hole.

Will EB sell me a single coil Bongo 5 pickup?

[Smakbass]

I would say not, your probably best trying to find a HS in a store to try, then decide which you prefer. EB does not sell their pick ups.

[Kirby]

No, they will not sell their pickups sorry. The only way to get a new one is by exchanging a faulty one. Best bet is to go try out an HS and then see if you cannot find a way to get one of those as well. Many places are offering layaway as an option too.

[ggunn]

No, they will not sell their pickups sorry. The only way to get a new one is by exchanging a faulty one. Best bet is to go try out an HS and then see if you cannot find a way to get one of those as well. Many places are offering layaway as an option too.

Thanks, but buying another bass at this time just isn't in the cards for me.

[Duarte]

An S in the bridge position?

I'm intrigued.

[ggunn]

An S in the bridge position?

I'm intrigued.

Oops. I mistyped; I meant the neck position.

Sorry to misintrigue you. ;^)

[Grand Wazoo]

I've got a Bongo 5 HHP, and I'm wondering how it would sound with a S in the bridge position. I can get a HS pickguard pretty easily, and it looks like the S would fit in the rout for the H and drop in with the addition of a single screw hole.

Will EB sell me a single coil Bongo 5 pickup?

Ok I might have a suggestion for you, which will not require any estetical surgery, bear in mind that I have read your later post in which you said you mistyped and that you meant you actually want a single coil in the neck position and not at the bridge, well all you have to do is short out one of the humbucker coils and you are done.

If you can't do it yourself take it to a repairman you trust and ask him to "kill" one of the coils or better still fit a push/pull pot on your volume that cuts one of those coils on / off.

*EDIT* I want to add that mine was only a suggestion to a possible solution and you have to appreciate that your instrument might have a warranty with EB (which I am not aware of the conditions thereof) and by doing any work which consists in modyfing the original instrument, that such "modifications" might void your warranty.

[73jbass]

Can't he just select one of the outer or inner coil settings,and pan to the front one?

[Grand Wazoo]

Can't he just select one of the outer or inner coil settings,and pan to the front one?

How? The Bongo doesn't have a pickup selector but instead it has a blend pot which lets you pan either one of the p/u's or both together and to the best of my knowledge there is no coil tap switch either.

[strummer]

cap is right, no coil tap on the bongos...

But I don't understand the reluctance to just go to a shop and try a HS and compare it to your HH? I have both and I really prefer the HH, but many here swear by the HS, especially the newer ones with the redesigned pick up (can't remember when that happened or what was done, but there was some excitement over it and info can porlly be found with the search function.)

[adouglas]

better still fit a push/pull pot on your volume that cuts one of those coils on / off.

That's not going to happen without radical surgery, because the pots used on the Bongo are special surface-mount units that are completely unlike "standard" pots.

I don't know if it's possible to find a push-pull pot from the manufacturer who made them, but I kind of doubt it.

Given that the bass in question is an HHp, I'd really, really recommend against surgery that cannot be completely reversed. Piezo models are relatively rare and worth considerably more than standard instruments.

But hey, it's your bass. Frankenstein it if you must.

I understand the urge to find out what lies on the other side of the fence (I too have a yen for an HSp Bongo, just because), but look at it this way...the Bongo HHp is, tone-wise, arguably one of the most versatile basses on the planet.

It's a safe bet that you can find a tone that will suit any need in there. IMHO a better way to channel your energy is to spend some quality time playing with that preamp and the three pickups you have now.

[oli@bass]

You can find some sound examples for the Bongo 5 HS on the German Music Man distributor's website

Ernieball

[Big Poppa]

THis is another reason why I hate customer service threads. Please do not do it yourself try to install a push pull shorting out one coil...please do not do anything that has been suggested...it is well meaning but lacks the understanding of how a bongo is made and the fact that these types of experiments only cause our customer service more problems. Can a Bongo be modified? Yes. Is it an integrated design that will more than likely suffer by shorting coils or installing switches? Yes

[Grand Wazoo]

Thanks BP for explaining. I learn more every day.

[bassmonkeee]

You've got 2 mag pickups, piezos in the bridge, two blend knobs and 4 bands of EQ. I'm not entirely sure what you hope to gain by gimping the bass by swapping out the pickup for an aftermarket single coil.

I've had no problem emulating a decent Jazz Bass bridge pickup tone with my HHp Bongo. Solo the bridge pickup, boost the low mids, cut the bass a little--viola! Instant Jazz Bass--especially if the rest of the band is playing.