• Ernie Ball
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  • Sterling by MusicMan

muggsy

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Nov 19, 2004
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Alexandria, VA
That is cool. I have to say, I like the Bongo design (both on paper and how it turned out) better than the new BMWs. Maybe EB should return the favor and help BMW with their auto designs. :)

I also hang on occasion at a couple of BMW forums, and believe me, the "toilet seat" jokes are nothing compared to the comments directed at the BMW Design Team over the past few years. I guess they used up all their good ideas on the Bongo. :D
 

TheAntMan

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Jul 14, 2004
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Ft. Lauderdale, FL
AwoooGA!!!

That is one sweet looking bass! I am just in tears for that fretless ebony neck!!! That would make one fantastic forum members only model <hint, hint> :D

Same neck, controls and bridge as currently made, but with ebony fretless neck, that would ROCK :cool:

pant-pant-sweat-pant-sweat...cold shower time!!! :p
 

enjoneer

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Aug 4, 2005
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92
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San Luis Obispo, CA
Hello all-

I didn't want to be the last of the engineers to join the forum, for fear of slander and ridicule- so I decided it was time to jump on in. My name is Jon and I work along side Dudley and Drew in the EB/MM Engineering department. But don't get me confused with my syringe-toting dog alter-ego of the same name, even if we do share the same birthday.

As Drew mentioned, it was a grand experience to work with JP and the rest of the EB crew last week doing what we do best- designing killer guitars! I can't wait to see what we come up with next.

I have enjoyed reading your posts, and I hope I can throw in a few bits in the future as needed. Now if we could just get Dudley in too....
 

enjoneer

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Aug 4, 2005
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San Luis Obispo, CA
Steve Dude Barr said:
Any idea about how many different materials were tried before settling on basswood?

We actually made basses out of basswood and ash when we were first prototyping. Onemight think that the traditional MM ash body would of been the winner, but the basswood just complemented the new pickups and EQ the best.
 

Psychicpet

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Aug 16, 2003
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Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada
Welcome ... Joneer! :p
you engineers...always gotta be so s-m-r-t, "Drewbixcubed"-"Enjoneer" :D
as a die-hard EBMM user I'd like to thank you for your creativity and expertise and what it affords my creative flights of fancy hehehehehe
and just so ya know, I had my band leader/boss wanting to mount my Bongos on the hood of his car like a Rolls or something! he loved them! :cool:
anywho, thanks again and looking forward to your input (and future output...got a dual H Sterling on order)
 

GWDavis28

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Jun 23, 2003
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Mass
Concept rendering are soo cool. This is great info, thanx for sharing.

enjoneer, welcome and nice of you to join in and contribute your $.02 worth. After finding out your name was "Jon" your forum name made more sense. :)

Glenn |B)
 

bassmonkeee

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Apr 25, 2004
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Decatur, GA
enjoneer said:
I can't wait to see what we come up with next.


Me, too! Welcome to the big show. ;) Glad you decided to come share your brain with us.


I loved the Bongo the first time I saw it. I'd have loved to have been a fly on the wall when the first concept drawings from the design team showed up. :D


Now if you guys can just get Big Poppa to okay us seeing some pics of the prototypes that were actually built....
 

AnthonyD

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Mar 23, 2005
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New Jersey
Questions, questions, questions...

How long was the development cycle from the initial concept to the final design?

Where was this particular prototype in the overall development cycle? First cut? Second?

And how many versions between this prototype and the final product?

It's so cool seeing how these things develop! :D
 

Big Poppa

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Feb 9, 2005
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Coachella & SLO, California
I cant remember the exact time line but here is the story...if you have already heard this then go to another post....

I am a car nut. I collect them and love them. When the new Mini came out there was a story in the LA Times about BMW's California design team BMWDESIGNWORKS that did much of the car. Deep into the article they mentioned that when BMW bought them BMW inserted a clause that they had to derive 50% of their revenue from outside the car business. They felt that they wanted the california studio to not get tunnel vision and just design cars. THey designed the best selling Nokia Cell phones HP printersand hundreds of other products.

I called and asked for an account manager and said, "Are you interested in designing an electric bass?" They jumped on it. Several of the desiners were guitarists and a few of them were fans of EBMM. They had contacted Gibson and Fender and were turned down.

My goal was to find a renewal material that we could use instead of wood. I wanted the material to enable us to have the ability to control the resonance and sustain. I already have a world class design team. This was not a slight on anyone in our orginazation, I just wanted to see what happened. I didn't tell anyone that I was going and when I came back I told Dudley about it and he was excited and very secure and ready to get involved. Looking back it was really fun going to them with Dudley.

At about the same time Dudley was experimenting with newdynium magnets and we were getting pretty excited with the results. The new super pickups really needed a different preamp and when we put that together with Cliffs, and Dave La Rue, and our staffs sonic input we know that we needed to package these differently.

The other night the Dude asked me about the tremendous risk the Bongo must have been. It was no risk at all. We were backordered three months with what we had in the product line as it was. The Bongo was about trying to move forward. It was about shakin things up. It was about doing justice to Dudley's new electronics.

Where as the drawings looked cool they we not ergonomically sound and the designer was fabulous but we needed to integrate our practical design nuances. We modeled this on the computer and made tweaks and then made wood parts. I would make changes with a sharpie and then they would make another part and i would mark it up soome more. We are planning to show you guys these protos at the open house.

None of their materials panned out. It is still my dream to find new ways to tune the resonance of an instrument. I aslo met with Callaway Golf to explore titanium but that meeting was a dud. As Enjoneer said we tried ash and basswood (Ithink alder too) and the bass wood was the most balanced wood. It just clicked.

more later.....like at the open house
 

kbaim

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Aug 16, 2003
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Red Rock Country
This is really great reading BP. Having an article lead to a phone call, lead to the bass. Though the proto does look like it would have been impossible to keep on the lap.

Save SOMETHING for the open house!
;)

And if Dudley continues to refuse to join...
How about some WHERE'S DUDLEY T-shirts.

Seems like a lot more employees have jumped in of late making this an even greater forum. Just a terrific community of players/people.
 

Freddy-G.

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Joined
Apr 1, 2005
Messages
680
Location
Duluth, Georgia
Wow. Thanks BP.

You know, it doesn't surprise me that Gibson and Fender turned down the chance to work with the BMW design team. EB Music Man is the mover and shaker of the industry. And the Bongo is proof of that fact.
 

Morrow

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Jul 28, 2004
Messages
469
Location
Halifax NS
Big Poppa....do you think you might post some pics of the protos after the open house for those of us that are not able to attend ?


this is facinating stuff.
 

bovinehost

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Jan 16, 2003
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Dall-Ass, TX
I'm bringing a camera and plan on taking photos of doorknobs, trashcans, anything remotely connected to the Bongo Development Cycle.

Unless someone breaks my fingers, that is.

By the way, BP has not given up on the idea of using construction material that can be "tuned".

But wood - it's just so hard to beat.
 
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