NBD - Big Al 5SSS

[stu42]

It's new bass day for me and I've just received what I think is probably the coolest, most stunning looking instrument I've ever owned. I've always thought the Big Al looked great in pictures but to see it in person I think is even better - especially when it's in my house!!

I finally had a chance to play one of these babies just before Christmas and thought the tone was pretty amazing - though very different than my Bongo. So, after seeing Gary's (holdsg) listing on the forum I had to pull the trigger. Thanks Gary!! And, thanks Sterling and the team for putting this work of art together.

Further reports later.

In the meantime...some bass porn!!

 

[five7]

Nice choice, that is a sweetie!

 

[keko]

Wow, what a vintage look in a modern package!

This tort guard fits perfect in this color combo!

P.S. ...wanna sell this Bongo?

 

[adouglas]

Ain't it cool how the Big Al SSS complements but doesn't compete with the Bongo?

That combo was my second choice after orange.

 

[syciprider]

Woooo!

 

[laneline]

Ain't it cool how the Big Al SSS complements but doesn't compete with the Bongo?

Second that, congrats on a smokin' BA, nice having two unique finishes on two incredible basses, great score.

 

[OldManMusic]

That's a tonal double-punch! Nice.

 

[stu42]

LOL. Sorry Keko...I am definitely keeping this Bongo. It's so good it's hard to imagine me wanting to sell it...but I guess never say never.

I'm thinking I need a Tort pick guard for my Bongo now. That would make a nice combination.

Wow, what a vintage look in a modern package!

This tort guard fits perfect in this color combo!

P.S. ...wanna sell this Bongo?

 

[stu42]

I had a chance to play the Big Al last night for a while and did some back-to-back comparisons with the Bongo. The Big Al is stellar and definitely has a lot of its own Mojo going on. It's a good thing because the Bongo sets the bar pretty high.

Having those 3 pickups plus passive & active to choose from and the 4-band EQ provides a ton of tonal options for this bass and really allows you to transform it into so many different types of sounds. Overall I'd say that it's a little "gentler", less aggressive (more compressed, perhaps) sounding than the Bongo - though, that said, the 4-band EQ can make it very powerful as well.

One thing I'm trying to wrap my head around is that it came with Flats (TI Flats) on it and this is my first time playing with flats. I'm really liking them but I'm not sure how much they're contributing to the tone or how exactly they affect the tone. One thing I know is that they're really nice on the fingers and seem to invite more exaggerated slides which makes for some cool stylings. They're also quite nice for adding more vibrato. Something about that smooth texture they have under your fingers brings out a different approach to playing.

The low-B on this bass is killer. I think the Mahogany body is contributing to that to some extent. I think it also must contribute to the extra woody kind of tone and growl I'm hearing. This bass might be more gentle than the Bongo H but it's still a beast!!

There's so much here to explore...I think it will take a loooong time before I get my head fully wrapped around what it can do.

 

[MK Bass Weed]

Gee, If I may be so bold as to say, your Bass Tonal Life, is Complete!

Rounds, Flats, Bongo H, BAL SSS...yeah..I think so.

It'll take a few months to go through all the tone! Have FUN...but please..report back with more porn

mk

 

[Holdsg]

Glad it could go to a home that appreciates it so much.

 

[bovinehost]

Flats on a Big Al? I should try that someday!

Very nice score. Keep the flats on it.

 

[Bass Control]

Those are some delicious looking basses!

 

[stu42]

I'm really glad it came with flats actually because I was starting to get interested in putting some flats on my Bongo. In fact...I am going to do just that!! Something tells me I may like that quite a bit.

Unfortunately, it seems the stores around here have a very limited selection of flats. None of them seem to stock the EB flats. The only ones I've seen around here are Chromes.

Time to go e-shopping methinks.

Flats on a Big Al? I should try that someday!

Very nice score. Keep the flats on it.

 

[J Romano]

It's the same around here, no EB flats....... What's the story?????

 

[cyoungnashville]

nice one stew... looks like my big al i call Bongowood.....a custom bigal5sss made of an undisclosed type of wood.

 

[stu42]

Thanks Craig! I admit that the high praise you've expressed for the Big Al SSS, and your sound clips/recordings, fuelled my G.A.S. for the Big Al.

I'm curious about the difference in sound between the regular Big Al and your Bongowood. It also makes me wonder how an African Mahogany Bongo 5H would sound!! They certainly sound different acoustically. On my Big Al the Mahogany is very resonant and emphasizes the midrange a lot more compared to the acoustic sound of the Bongo.

 

[nurnay]

I'd say they're contributing quite a bit. My BA is *very* aggressive (depending on PU selection, natch), but I use rounds. I might have to try some flats someday, but I'm digging the sound I have now.

 

[stu42]

It's official. The Big Al sounds fantastic. I was playing it again last night and just loving the tone. So far my favourite settings are Bridge+Middle (in series) and Neck&Middle (in parallel, obviously). It sounds so different than the Bongo H but they're both great...just really different flavours.

At this point, and keeping in mind the Bongo has semi-dead rounds on it whereas the Big Al has fairly fresh TI flats, I'm finding the Bongo is much more "in-your-face", punchy, tight, focused whereas the Big Al (with Bridge+Middle) is deeper, smoother and generally has a gentler, "prettier" kind of sound. But they both have a lot of presence, detail, punch and great mids.

I'm looking forward to getting two identical sets of flats on each bass so I can compare them again for fun and to satisfy my curiosity.