• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan

Which Bongo pickup configuration should I get ?

  • HH

    Votes: 19 51.4%
  • H

    Votes: 9 24.3%
  • HS

    Votes: 9 24.3%

  • Total voters
    37

ivbenaplayin

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Mar 14, 2009
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[



The more I ponder this, the more I'm drawn to the "point and shoot"-ness of the H. I've stopped worrying about the versatility. I do have my other HH.




but your other HH isn't a bongo...:D
 

ErlendDL

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Dec 16, 2007
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Bergen, Norway
[



The more I ponder this, the more I'm drawn to the "point and shoot"-ness of the H. I've stopped worrying about the versatility. I do have my other HH.




but your other HH isn't a bongo...:D

True, but it is an AMAZING bass. It can take on my Ray any day of the week. Stop messing with my head...! :D
 

OldSchool Noob

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Dec 20, 2005
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Minneapolis, MN
The more I ponder this, the more I'm drawn to the "point and shoot"-ness of the H ...
I don't want to step on the toes of my Bongoloid Brethren who are devotees of the Single H configuration but if you get a HH you could always set it DEAD CENTER and LEAVE IT THERE. Would that not qualify as "point and shoot" as well? ;)

That certainly works for me!
 

ivbenaplayin

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Mar 14, 2009
Messages
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I don't want to step on the toes of my Bongoloid Brethren who are devotees of the Single H configuration but if you get a HH you could always set it DEAD CENTER and LEAVE IT THERE. Would that not qualify as "point and shoot" as well? ;)

That certainly works for me!

Go ahead & step away... I wear steel-toed boots! :p

Really though, when I use my HHp for live shows, I get my tone eq'd and dialed in and the only thing I touch from there is the volume knob...

I remember reading a bongo thread on TB a while ago and someone who posts regularly on this forum mentioned that the HHp, although a truly remarkable sounding instrument, was "a knob factory" of sorts... there is some truth to that statement. I'm sure that after a few more years of experimentation with it I'll find it more "shift-on-the-fly friendly" in live performances... regardless, it all comes down to personal preference in the end, and you're getting a Bongo - you'll love the neck, you'll love the tone, you'll love how absolutely comfortable the thing is to wear & play.:cool:
 

adouglas

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Aug 12, 2005
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On the tail end of the bell curve in Connecticut
This sounds exactly like a single H to me. I've never played one but everything I've read says something like this.

It is absolutely true.

On the H, my hand ranges from the back edge of the pickup to over the fretboard. Sometimes I'll even pluck way up the neck... 15th fret or so, even the 12th.

The range of tone is amazing.

I know a lot of players like to anchor their thumb in a particular spot, though. I've always used floating thumb so it makes no difference to me.
 

MrMusashi

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Mar 26, 2007
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69 degrees north
i like the way the knobs on the h are larger and not so easy to turn accidentally compared to the smaller stacked pots on the hh.

sometimes i wish they had the friction the pots on the sr has. those knobs dont move unless you want them to :)

MrM
 

oddjob

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May 12, 2004
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Monroe, Ohio
The HS is a beautiful sounding bass (I regret selling mine) - very polished and the highs sparkle - it is a VERY different beast.
 

five7

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Nov 24, 2008
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The HS will give you more room for slap. The piezo added is the full monty and I would love to have an H with it. :p
 

Double Agent

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Dec 27, 2006
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99
Location
Lakeland, FL
What, no love for the HS?? :)

The HS is a beautiful sounding bass (I regret selling mine) - very polished and the highs sparkle - it is a VERY different beast.

I've owned an HH, never played a single H, and currently own an HS. Of the 3, I think the HS is the best for me. I usually set all the controls flat and it sounds perfect. Smooth and aggressive tones alike are easily coaxed out of this bass, yet it always has this character that is big, fat, and punchy. However, I know that more traditional tones are available to me in the HS configuration that were not there in the HH, and probably would not be there in the single H as well. Whether or not I need those extra tones is yet to be determined, but it's nice to know that they are available. That said, I've always said that a single H has been very successful for all EBMM models and I don't doubt that it works swimmingly in the Bongo as well. But, so far, the HS is definitely the configuration for me.

The HS will give you more room for slap. The piezo added is the full monty and I would love to have an H with it. :p

Actually, no it doesn't. The single coil on the HS lines with the the outer coil on the neck humbucker on a HH would be. But, it doesn't slow me down either way.
 
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ErlendDL

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Dec 16, 2007
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Bergen, Norway
And, like these threads always turn out, I end up NOT picking the one that won the poll... :p

I have listened to what you had to say about the differences between them though. I've just ignored the "I'd pick the *insert config here*" part... :p

I'm gonna get a 5H. The piezo would bump the price too much, but maybe in a few years I'll get a 5HHp

Now I've just gotta decide on the color... :p

My options are Black, Sapphire Black, Pearl Blue and Egyptian Smoke.

Like some of you, I normally don't like black basses, but I think the Bongo looks great in Black/black or Black/black ice.
 
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ErlendDL

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Dec 16, 2007
Messages
168
Location
Bergen, Norway
Cancel that, just ordered a Black one.

Inspired by this picture, I asked if I could have a black pearloid pickguard (or whatever that is).

img-0189-4143.jpg


Subtle, yet classy, IMO...
 
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