What strings for my Bongo 5HH?

[fretmeister]

Has anyone tried all the string options for a Bongo 5HH?

I just bought the bass new and it is amazing. I believe it has Regular Slinkies on it 45-65-80-100-130

I change strings a lot on all my instruments, from flats to wounds, to half-wound/ground wound etc, and I will probably end up doing the same for my Bongo, but at the moment I just don't have the cash to order 4 or 5 sets of strings to test them all out.

I know that no single string will let me sound like Marcus Miller AND Steve Harris, but there has to be something in the middle that will do for now!!

I have never tried EB flats. Are they an old school flat with a more of an 'upright' tone, or do they have a bit of clank when you dig in? Anyone used them on a Bongo?

All opinions welcome.

thanks

Paul.

 

[MrMusashi]

i love flats on the bongo
i have a 4 string and have used eb group3 flats on it.. its not as muffled as you would imagine, there is just the right amount of top end with the smooth smooth thump. its a perfect match with the neodymium pickups of the bongo!

MrM

 

[strummer]

do they have a bit of clank

He said CLANK;-)

 

[Movielife]

I know there are many more expensive 'boutique' brands of strings, but in all honesty, I stick with EB strings....they are fantastic. Just put Group IIIs on my Ray 4 H....woah! Awesome tone.

 

[adouglas]

While my H Bongo currently wears EB flats, I have never found a string that sounds as good as the stock Slinkies on the Bongo.

 

[Disco Batman]

Sunbeams match well with my Bongo 4HH.

 

[madbassplaya]

When I had my Bongo, I liked Slinky's and I really liked DR Sunbeams.

 

[MrMusashi]

He said CLANK;-)

if he want clank i think he should hold out for the new eb strings coming

MrM

 

[projectapollo]

My search ended up at EB Group 3's.

 

[tunaman4u2]

ELIXIR NANOWEBS on mine... love em

Group III flats too

 

[JayDawg]

I use the stock strings that came on mine and love them but I am intrigued by the top secret strings BP has been hinting at lately...

 

[bovinehost]

I have never tried EB flats. Are they an old school flat with a more of an 'upright' tone, or do they have a bit of clank when you dig in? Anyone used them on a Bongo?

The Group IIIs are just perfect on a couple of my basses. I don't personally think you get an upright tone out of them (or any other string on any other electric bass) without some minor trickery - foam under the strings or just use your left palm to keep everything from sustaining and you also have to play with the EQ, but as long as we understand we're talking about an approximation here, I think you can get there from here. Hard muting (choose your weapon), treble pots way down as in OFF, pluck near the neck with the meatiest part of your fingers - you can get close, which is all electric bassists should care about anyway, otherwise we'd be hauling around uprights.

Group IIs might be even closer, but those are manly effin' strings for an electric bassist accustomed to something slinkier. (That would be me.) I had one of my Bongos strung with Group IIs for a while and Chuck Rainey - who knows a little bit about big honkin' strings and old school tone - picked it up, played it for five minutes without even looking at me, then raised his eyebrows and said, "Those are a man's bass strings."

A Bongo with flats, the right flats, can be a thing of absolute beauty. Of course, I don't want no zing. Some people did. Flats are, as a rule, not very zingy (some start with some zing but it migrates rather quickly).

People - not THESE people here, of course, but elsewhere - say goofy things about stringing Music Man basses with flats, as if the only REAL tone you can get from a Stingray is similar to what Flea got. I point them to Paul Denman or Tony Levin or Cliff Hugo or Dave Marotta, who all use flats at least occasionally for different things and no one with any sense would argue that their tone is not good.

Don't let anyone tell you it "neuters" your bass or "robs it" of that inherent MusicMan tone. It does not. It changes it, but it might be in a way you really dig.

Jack

 

[mntngrown]

Sums it all up

Jack spelled it out. A bass with hot pickups and pre amp like the Bongo sounds awesome with flats! My Bongo 4HH wore chromes for years.
My EB basses are currently strung with factory strings, but flats may be on one soon. I currently have a 4 string bass strung with flats with the reputation of some of the hottest passive pickups ever. I like how the flats tone it down. Your style choices may mean a different choice. By the way as Jack mentioned muting is always an option. Check Pino Palladino here.
John Mayer Trio - Come When I Call - YouTube
Don't know what he strings this p-bass with but if you only need old school once in a while, palm muting can get you there.

 

[MadMatt]

Its not a Bongo but I have Group III's on my 25th HSS and they are awesome! The let me go from nice and thumpy, sitting back in the mix to up front and agressive depending on pickup and EQ tweaking. Slinkies where to bright for me and would not let me get "thumpy" enough. I would say give them a try first.

 

[madbassplaya]

The Group IIIs are just perfect on a couple of my basses. I don't personally think you get an upright tone out of them (or any other string on any other electric bass) without some minor trickery - foam under the strings or just use your left palm to keep everything from sustaining and you also have to play with the EQ, but as long as we understand we're talking about an approximation here, I think you can get there from here. Hard muting (choose your weapon), treble pots way down as in OFF, pluck near the neck with the meatiest part of your fingers - you can get close, which is all electric bassists should care about anyway, otherwise we'd be hauling around uprights.

Group IIs might be even closer, but those are manly effin' strings for an electric bassist accustomed to something slinkier. (That would be me.) I had one of my Bongos strung with Group IIs for a while and Chuck Rainey - who knows a little bit about big honkin' strings and old school tone - picked it up, played it for five minutes without even looking at me, then raised his eyebrows and said, "Those are a man's bass strings."

A Bongo with flats, the right flats, can be a thing of absolute beauty. Of course, I don't want no zing. Some people did. Flats are, as a rule, not very zingy (some start with some zing but it migrates rather quickly).

People - not THESE people here, of course, but elsewhere - say goofy things about stringing Music Man basses with flats, as if the only REAL tone you can get from a Stingray is similar to what Flea got. I point them to Paul Denman or Tony Levin or Cliff Hugo or Dave Marotta, who all use flats at least occasionally for different things and no one with any sense would argue that their tone is not good.

Don't let anyone tell you it "neuters" your bass or "robs it" of that inherent MusicMan tone. It does not. It changes it, but it might be in a way you really dig.

Jack

We're clearly after two different things. I cannot stand flatwound strings on an active bass. The Bongo is a modern bass and I want it to sound modern. I honestly don't care for flats at all though, but I really don't care for them on an active bass.

Hated flats on my Ray I had. The damn B string was so big that it broke the compensated nut as well.

 

[Stflbn]

I really like D'addario XL's on my Musicman basses, for a combination of finger style and slap in a live cover band.

Typically I buy a 4-string set and add the tapered B-string separately which IMHO makes the B-string clearer and punchier. Sound massive on my Big Al 5.


Been a while since I tried SLinkies... gonna have to refresh my memory.

 

[fretmeister]

Thanks guys. I'll have a look at some group III then.

I think active basses can work brilliantly with flats - I have a Status that is currently loaded with Steve Harris roto flats and it is superb, no string bending on those though!

I am loving my Bongo. So easy to play!