Question Bongo 5 HH versus Bongo 5 HHp with Piezo turned off

[plchung3]

Hi,

I am going to place my order on bongo 5 soon, choosing between HH and HHp, and likely I am going for HHp (as i read from another thread here saying "more good is gooder"..)

Is there any tonal difference on a Bongo 5 HH and Bongo 5 HHp with piezo TURNED OFF (i.e. 100% Magnetic)??


Searched on Youtube and it looks like the video clips of Bongo HHp is quite rare. Most of the player demo are just played with a Bongo without Piezo option at all.


Thanks

 

[Manfloozy]

Is there any tonal difference on a Bongo 5 HH and Bongo 5 HHp with piezo TURNED OFF (i.e. 100% Magnetic)??

I can't imagine there would be any difference at all.

There might be some unmeasurable difference, but that would come from a difference in the amount of wood, or the extra cavity... or something really esoteric like that.

So in short... no.

 

[plchung3]

I can't imagine there would be any difference at all.

There might be some unmeasurable difference, but that would come from a difference in the amount of wood, or the extra cavity... or something really esoteric like that.

So in short... no.

thanks... but I also notice the non-piezo and piezo bridge (more rectangular) shape is slightly different, and that may affect how the strings vibrates?

 

[bovinehost]

No, I've had both HS and HSp models and there is no real difference. Measurements in the twilight zone, maybe. But no real diff.

 

[Grand Wazoo]

Yes the Bovine bloke got it spot on.

The only difference is in the saddle shape and mass, because on the piezo bridge they contain the transducers hence they have slightly more mass but when I bought my HHp I tested it against another HH non p and there was f*** all difference, i.e. none whatsoever! But then you turn the Piezo on a couple of notches and you are in a Narnia...

 

[Old_Guy]

No, I've had both HS and HSp models and there is no real difference. Measurements in the twilight zone, maybe. But no real diff.

I can't tell the difference either. However...let me say this, now that I have one with a piezo, I can't live without it, particularly for what I'm playing now. In my current band's setlist, we go through James Brown and TOP right into Sinatra and all I have to do is tweak the piezo knob from "nuthin'" to about 40% piezo/60% mag, and the Bongo goes from funk machine to "not quite, but oddly reminiscent" of an upright. Too much piezeo increases the gain too much which would require other adjustments or so it seems..

 

[shakinbacon]

Hi,

I am going to place my order on bongo 5 soon, choosing between HH and HHp, and likely I am going for HHp (as i read from another thread here saying "more good is gooder"..)

Is there any tonal difference on a Bongo 5 HH and Bongo 5 HHp with piezo TURNED OFF (i.e. 100% Magnetic)??


Searched on Youtube and it looks like the video clips of Bongo HHp is quite rare. Most of the player demo are just played with a Bongo without Piezo option at all.


Thanks

The saddles are beefier, but apparently (I've not A/B'ed them) this doesn't affect tone.

I am happy with the piezo option myself, and if money isn't an option I'd say go for it. But this gets into the "more is more" philosophy. I'll admit somedays I fall into the "less is more" camp and wonder why I didn't get a 5HH instead. Somedays the piezo is all I need to correct for a difficult room.

The piezo is a sound that cannot be replicated with the magnetics imho (same visa versa). It is hard to describe, if you can try before hand you should. I rarely use the piezo alone, but I often use the magnetic pickups alone. I usually use the piezos to get a little "air" in the tone. Its a different quality than boosting the treble too.

Not much help to ya, I know good luck

If you get the 5HH and wish you had the 5HHp gimme a PM someday, maybe we could swap if I'm in the "less is more" camp.

 

[bassmonkeee]

Don't forget that the bridge has holes for the wires to go through, so any difference of mass is going to be miniscule. When factoring for wood weight and the extra cavity, it's a non-factor.

Piezos with rounds are are really squeaky. Piezos with flats are great.

 

[shakinbacon]

on second thought

just played some and really like the piezo 50% mag 50% with a touch of bass boost using roundwounds. The piezo's give a thumpiness to the end of the note when playing rest strokes (classical guitar term) that you can't get otherwise. So I'm waffling.

Yes piezo can get squeaky on rounds, but used in moderation it adds a nice sheen to the note envelope.

Get the piezo if you can

 

[Grand Wazoo]

It has been said many times that a piezo adds extra zing, sparkle and clarity to any EB bass, be it a Sterling a Stingray or a Bongo, and those of us who do have one, may try to talk you into get one yourself but I really suggest you try one, then see what the real differences are applied to your own musical style, one man's meat is another man's poison, (I often say), so much is true that I am not a flatwound fan, and I do like the brightness of roudwounds which I can "darken" to flavour with the help of my amp's VLE and VPF filters (Mark Bass that is).

I look at the piezo as a long term investment, because even when my roundwounds are 2 months or more old the piezo helps squeezing more life and freshness out of them. The initial expense of the piezo option is more than repaid by less frequent string changes.

 

[shakinbacon]

It has been said many times that a piezo adds extra zing, sparkle and clarity to any EB bass, be it a Sterling a Stingray or a Bongo, and those of us who do have one, may try to talk you into get one yourself but I really suggest you try one, then see what the real differences are applied to your own musical style, one man's meat is another man's poison, (I often say), so much is true that I am not a flatwound fan, and I do like the brightness of roudwounds which I can "darken" to flavour with the help of my amp's VLE and VPF filters (Mark Bass that is).

I look at the piezo as a long term investment, because even when my roundwounds are 2 months or more old the piezo helps squeezing more life and freshness out of them. The initial expense of the piezo option is more than repaid by less frequent string changes.

that's an interesting perspective on the string longevity in conjunction with the piezo. Not sure I buy it but I'll give it a try.


I find with the piezo in a mix it adds "air" to the notes. Isolated from the mix it can be jangly

 

[plchung3]

Thanks guys for all your useful info. I would go for a Bongo 5 HHp then.

I want to try them first but I am in Hong Kong and it looks like the only retail MM distributor here don't want to import Bongo (or sold out...) until someone really placed an order. The closest I have tried was a 25th anniv bass but that's sold as well...

Anyway I like the outlook and controls of Bongo a bit more...

 

[plchung3]

I have successfully downloaded some audio clips with HHp. So I was jus trying to see if this piezo option coming with a cost to traded off with some original HH tone, and it seems to me the answer is no.

Thanks.