Bongo H and the power of the right hand

[adouglas]

Last night at practice I had one of "those" moments where I just got floored - again - by how many sounds I can get out of my Bongo, with so little effort.

I was playing "Rescue Me," which has a very prominent bassline that needs to be warm and round. No problem... move the right hand up over the fretboard and make sure to play with the pads of the fingers. Nailed.

The very next song was LTD's "Every Time I Turn Around (Back in Love Again)" which sounds better with more growl, punch and attack. Move the hand back over the pickup, pluck more aggressively and... perfect.

I don't know if it's me getting better over the years or not, but I don't recall getting such a wide variety of tone by just moving my hand before.

This thing is just awesome.

 

[boombox]

I totally agree! I sold many a bongo in store buy showing the customer the amount of options their right hand could provide on that bass. You should create a "tone manual" based on the placement of your right hand and it should come with the bongo, kind of like a preferred preset card that comes with a guitar/bass amp.

BTW, I want to hear your band! Your set list is amazing!

 

[five7]

I agree! My favorite one is the tone I get when I strike my second finger straight downd on the string between the two pickups. I get the coolest sounding harmonic along with the fretted note. Tapping like this will produce more harmonics as I strike up and down on the string in this area. No other bass I have owned will give this rich of tone. I love it!

 

[MK Bass Weed]

Every time I dial something in...I think "Ah...that's it"...then I tweak again..and it gets better...

Then again...

And again...

Then, I use my pick and it turns into another tone monster

 

[sitonmybass]

I love the versatility that both of my two different Bongo 5 string models provide.

 

[OldSchool Noob]

...BTW, I want to hear your band! Your set list is amazing!

Agreed -- their set list is my kind of music.

Here are some of their samples: http://cache.reverbnation.com/widge...er_color=000000&auto_play=false&shuffle=false

 

[sitonmybass]

I love that kind of music, too.

Serious bass-lines in that type of material; very important and prominent.

I love when a song has a bass-line that you can't possibly imagine it not having.

 

[shakinbacon]

I think this is one reason why I like the dual pickups so much. It is very responsive to right hand positioning while keeping the response even.

 

[bovinehost]

I think this is one reason why I like the dual pickups so much. It is very responsive to right hand positioning while keeping the response even.

Mister, you just take your crazy "dual pickup" business elsewhere! This is a single H thread! You're talking crazy talk! This is anarchy! This way lies madness!

But yeah, I do know what you mean.

 

[shakinbacon]

Mister, you just take your crazy "dual pickup" business elsewhere! This is a single H thread! You're talking crazy talk! This is anarchy! This way lies madness!

But yeah, I do know what you mean.

he he he

i do talk crazy a lot

sorry for the hijack

 

[MadMatt]

For a novice like myself its great to learn things from you guys. I tried this last night at practice and its great. I have a problem that we go seamlessly from a song (that I wont say the title of here to spare laughter *g*) that needs a old style double bass sound to a driven pumping rock number that lives from the marque MM sound. Since the bass and drums alone carry the song across, and we have to go from 90 to 160 bpm over 2 bars, I have no time to switch EQ and pickup settings.

I set the pickup to serial/bridge and played the first song, plucking softly up at the neck, and then move my hand down, digging dug in deep, for the second. It worked beautifully!

Still not going to give up my second humbucker though.

-M@

 

[drTStingray]

I know this is a Bongo thread...........BUT the single H StingRay works in much the same way as AD describes - I'm finding this with my Classic Ray - the sound changes vastly dependent on how hard the strings are attacked, and position in relation to the pick up. Hit a slid high 7th double stop striking the strings hard, right over the pick up and the sound is well..........indescribable but in a very nice way!! Do the same with an envelope filter on.....wow.

I love the single H configuration - it is surprisingly versatile.

 

[oli@bass]

I don't know if it's me getting better over the years

Can't be ... seriously, I'm fully with you: The single H in the classic MM position is very sensitive to right hand position and plucking technique.

I sold many a bongo in store buy showing the customer the amount of options their right hand could provide on that bass.

The same holds true for the StingRay. I do love the HH combination, but fact is that a single H covers a lot of ground if played musically.

I'm not comfortable with taking my "balls" everywhere.

Get a "relic'd" black & maple SR5 and take it to those gigs. Nothing better than have the balls to be moshin' in the pit.

 

[TheBasicBassist]

Ah, how I still lust after a green sparkle 5-string Bongo.
One day..

 

[tkarter]

The single H bongo 6 is the ruler of all.

tk

 

[stingray56funk]

The sound truly comes from the fingers! I recently came to the same conclusion and now I am selling my J@$z Bass and sticking with all Musicmans!