bbernard
Well-known member
Son had a wrestling clinic in SF so I had a few free hours in town to finally check out the Big Al, 25th, and Sterling 5. Went to the GC on Van Ness.
First, about GC. I (along with understanding spouse) got there shortly after opening. Bill, a guitar/bass salesman, was very helpful. He was knowledgable and a good guy. They had one Big Al, one 25th (4 string HSS), and a couple of Sterling 5s. Figured these would be doled out one at a time, but no. Bill lined up 3 stands, we pulled down all 3 basses, and sat me next to a Markbass rig going into a Markbass 2-10" cab. Allowed me as much time as I wanted to A/B/C the 3 basses. Each bass was set up well, had pretty fresh strings, and was already in tune when pulled from the wall. Really I couldn't ask for a better shopping experience.
I own a HH Bongo 5 so that is where I am coming from. I really thought the Big Al was going to be perfect and the internet photos of the 25th didn't do much for me. The Big Al was cool, but holy smokes, the 25th is something special! My wife was blown away by the difference in tone. The bass felt very comfortable, however I didn't have a strap...holding it up though it seemed to balance perfectly. The Sterling 5 was also bad ass but the 25th just knocked me out. If they had a 5 string in stock I may have walked out with a bass.
One edit - I had read that the control layout was confusing. I think the design is genius, very intuitive. The fabulous Bongo preamp with a passive option. Pushbutton on/off for the pickups...I really think this would be easy for on-the-fly changes during a gig. There were really no bad sounds in the bass and I appreciate that you can't accidentally turn it off.
Now for the questions:
It looks like the HH has the bridge pickup farther from the bridge than the HSS. How different does the bridge H sound between the HSS and the HH?
I'm guessing the 25th will have the finshes similar to the axis when introduced at NAMM (my fretless is already a blood red finish slightly darker than the venetian red and I would like a different color). I think the mahogany tone block will not be a feature on the regular model...how much of a difference will this make in tone?
Lastly, I'm not sure how the ordering windows work. Is there some overlap when the regular model finshes/features have been announced and I can still order the 25th?
Thanks for your input. Looks like I will be calling around the greater bay area to see where I can try out 25ths in HH and in 5 string models. Guess I need to decide whats more important - the mahogany tone block or getting a different color.
First, about GC. I (along with understanding spouse) got there shortly after opening. Bill, a guitar/bass salesman, was very helpful. He was knowledgable and a good guy. They had one Big Al, one 25th (4 string HSS), and a couple of Sterling 5s. Figured these would be doled out one at a time, but no. Bill lined up 3 stands, we pulled down all 3 basses, and sat me next to a Markbass rig going into a Markbass 2-10" cab. Allowed me as much time as I wanted to A/B/C the 3 basses. Each bass was set up well, had pretty fresh strings, and was already in tune when pulled from the wall. Really I couldn't ask for a better shopping experience.
I own a HH Bongo 5 so that is where I am coming from. I really thought the Big Al was going to be perfect and the internet photos of the 25th didn't do much for me. The Big Al was cool, but holy smokes, the 25th is something special! My wife was blown away by the difference in tone. The bass felt very comfortable, however I didn't have a strap...holding it up though it seemed to balance perfectly. The Sterling 5 was also bad ass but the 25th just knocked me out. If they had a 5 string in stock I may have walked out with a bass.
One edit - I had read that the control layout was confusing. I think the design is genius, very intuitive. The fabulous Bongo preamp with a passive option. Pushbutton on/off for the pickups...I really think this would be easy for on-the-fly changes during a gig. There were really no bad sounds in the bass and I appreciate that you can't accidentally turn it off.
Now for the questions:
It looks like the HH has the bridge pickup farther from the bridge than the HSS. How different does the bridge H sound between the HSS and the HH?
I'm guessing the 25th will have the finshes similar to the axis when introduced at NAMM (my fretless is already a blood red finish slightly darker than the venetian red and I would like a different color). I think the mahogany tone block will not be a feature on the regular model...how much of a difference will this make in tone?
Lastly, I'm not sure how the ordering windows work. Is there some overlap when the regular model finshes/features have been announced and I can still order the 25th?
Thanks for your input. Looks like I will be calling around the greater bay area to see where I can try out 25ths in HH and in 5 string models. Guess I need to decide whats more important - the mahogany tone block or getting a different color.
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