I want a custom order Bongo

**spencer** · 11-12-2009, 03:02 PM

I am finally going to admit.... There is no such thing as a wrong ernieball..

You honestly need one of each

I have owned..
Stingray
Sterling
Stingray and Bongo HH
Sterling H/S
Big Al

There is something special about each one.

Stingray is just pure classic, its got the sweet spot no extras just an eq

Sterling was a bit more agressive in series mode and parallel is a little smoother but its single H still has that classic ernieball tone.

The Sterling H/S is great. It can do the parallel H sound, it can do a better and fuller than jazz bass sound, basicly a mix of ernieball and a jazz, then it can do a pretty good semi mid scooped jazz sound, and finally it has a killer p bass or should I say pbass killer soloed neck pickup that I didn't discover untill a week before I sold it.

Bongo HH just has balls pure and simple.. Heavy thick fat huge sound. In my opinion I cant get a classic ernieball tone from it, due to the bridge pickup location, its still great just id say its in a different class.

And finally the Big Al with 3 single coils. Believe it or not the 1 & 2 coils in series does give me that classic ernieball tone, don't know how it just does.. The rest are very different and I find the coil 2 & 3 are its p bass killer. With the options on this bass it is amazing!

I didn't like HH's for a while mainly due to looks, but as always I changed my mind. I would take ANYTHING ..... and everything... from ernieball there is no wrong choice..

Alright, im still not the biggest fan of the Bongos design, BUT I did recently play their Single H and I absoultely love it.. I couldn't choose between a HH and a H bongo there both great.

**spencer** · 11-12-2009, 03:03 PM

By the way, call the perfect bass 866 751 3220, ask to speak with brandt, he is the erniball expert over there, tell him what your looking for see what they have in stock and on the way and get a couple quotes. Don't forget it mention that your from the ERNIEBALL fourms.

**Powman** · 11-13-2009, 05:16 AM

Originally Posted by spencer

By the way, call the perfect bass 866 751 3220, ask to speak with brandt, he is the erniball expert over there, tell him what your looking for see what they have in stock and on the way and get a couple quotes. Don't forget it mention that your from the ERNIEBALL fourms.

I will do that! Do they ship to the Great White North? (aka Canada).

**Powman** · 11-13-2009, 05:24 AM

Originally Posted by steve f

I find the piezo adds a percusive "thump" to the sound. There is also something audible at the high end, almost a white noise type thing that's hard to describe. I really like the piezo option on a fretless, that's where it shines. On a fretted bass, I personally wouldn't spend the extra $$ for it.
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Great video clip, thanks!

Last night the only EB with a Piezo was on a fretless Ray. And yes it did sound cool on the fretless. And no, it did not sound like an upright which is what I thought it would do. And I think I will save my shekels and not get the Piezo.

**Powman** · 11-13-2009, 05:29 AM

Originally Posted by adouglas

It wood -- er, would -- but be aware that a piezo-equipped electric bass will never sound like an acoustic bass. The assumption among many who have never played with a piezo is that it somehow magically transforms the instrument, and that's not true.

Yes, it does sense vibrations acoustically instead of electromagnetically, but there's a lot more that goes into the sound of an acoustic bass than simply picking up the vibrations acoustically... the hollow body, the shape and size, the vibration patterns, etc. So it's just not the same.

Put another way, the "woody" sound you're probably talking about doesn't come from the pickup. It comes from the physical instrument.

If you play your piezo bass the same way you play your electric bass, the differences won't stand out all that much (as in, it's not night and day... there will be a difference, but it's just a change in the character of the tone).

But if you shift your technique by, for example, plucking way up over the fretboard with the fleshy part of your fingers, you can get some pretty cool sounds that make the piezo pretty darned interesting.

As somebody else said, it's not for everyone. If you're a straightforward meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, the subtlety might be wasted on you. But if you're the kind of guy who pays a lot of attention to the fine points of tone and enjoy the breadth of the tonal palette that multiple pickups piezo and a four-band EQ gives you, it's a wonderful tool.

Well written post, thanks!

As I wrote in the previous post, I think I will pass on the Piezo.

I played about 6 different Ball's last night. I think there is good reason I picked the Sterling with one H the first time around...I really like the one H configuration and the simplicity of a three position switch.

I may just do that again with the Bongo.

**spencer** · 11-13-2009, 06:00 AM

Im not sure, but I live 30 miles from them and could ship it to you!

**Powman** · 11-13-2009, 06:05 AM

Originally Posted by Big Poppa

Powman here is where you get into touble asking the addicted for advice. Maybe as Adouglas warned...dont make a decision based on who respons to your thread.

THe two H Bongo is the most popular by a wide margin. Period.
The single h is the smallest seller.

The two h or Hs are really sonic machines with a lot of control and eq...make sure that you really want that. I love it but I use the single H (thats why they unofficially call it the BIg Poppa BOngo) If you opt for the single h and want the four band preamp that the two pickup models have then you have to get a piezo...the three band is point and shoot and simple and the pickup is in the stingray and sterling sweet apot. The two pickup ones are so powerful and versitile

Thanks BP,

I am torn between simplicity and tonal flexibility. I love the simplicity and tone of my Sterling with one H. The three position switch is plenty...5 position switches confuse my brain

Last night when I went to the Long and McQuade I usually frequent, they were sold out of Bongos...so I need to go to downtown Toronto to try out some more...

**mynan** · 11-13-2009, 06:21 AM

Originally Posted by spencer

Im not sure, but I live 30 miles from them and could ship it to you!

Offering to violate the international distribution rules on the company forum?...Nice!!!

**Powman** · 11-13-2009, 06:25 AM

Originally Posted by mynan

Offering to violate the international distribution rules on the company forum?...Nice!!!

Yeah I was thinking that too and didn't know how to respond...

His heart is totally in the right place and I truly appreciate the gesture.

**adouglas** · 11-13-2009, 06:27 AM

Originally Posted by Powman

Thanks BP,

I am torn between simplicity and tonal flexibility. I love the simplicity and tone of my Sterling with one H. The three position switch is plenty...5 position switches confuse my brain

If that's the kind of guy you are then I'd say H. Simplicity... not even a switch, just three bands of Bongo awesomeness.

**Powman** · 11-13-2009, 06:30 AM

Originally Posted by adouglas

If that's the kind of guy you are then I'd say H. Simplicity... not even a switch, just three bands of Bongo awesomeness.

This weekend's mission...to try some Bongo's! But my gut tells me this might be the way to go...

**adouglas** · 11-13-2009, 07:05 AM

That's not your gut. It's the Bongo Mind Control Rays.

You're probably not going to find an H to try, unfortunately.

**GGK** · 11-13-2009, 07:26 AM

I too have tried to find a single H Bongo to try, no luck.
Having said that, I did try a HH Bongo a while back, man it was scary. Ran it through a Mbass 102P ( I think) I could feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, it is a beast. I fought off the desires to go back to that shop cause I know I'd probaly succomb to this "Bongloid "thing. be warned

I know your in Ontario and I think I know where there may be one to try in Mississauga, if memory seves me it's a HH model.

**Eggman** · 11-13-2009, 07:34 AM

I am a multiple pickup guy. I have posted many times that I just can't get comfortable with the single H. Lots of people love the single H - I just never bonded with it. I prefer the additional tonal options of having more than one pickup.

I have 2 HH Bongos (4 and 6) and two HSp Bongos (4 fretless and 5). HH is my fav - not so fond of the HS without the piezo.

**bovinehost** · 11-13-2009, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by Eggman

I am a multiple pickup guy. I have posted many times that I just can't get comfortable with the single H. Lots of people love the single H - I just never bonded with it. I prefer the additional tonal options of having more than one pickup.

And Bill and I are perfect examples of why you should never listen to any of us. He prefers the multiples. I dig my single Hs. Go figure. Neither one of us is wrong, either. (Okay, Bill is wrong, but let's not get into that here.)

Originally Posted by Eggman

I have 2 HH Bongos (4 and 6) and two HSp Bongos (4 fretless and 5). HH is my fav - not so fond of the HS without the piezo.

And here again, I love my HS without piezos.

*shrugs*

What is your favorite color?

Jack