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midopa

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I've been wondering what the Bongo H sounds like. For a while I thought it would sound like a F*nder Telecaster bass or '51 RI Precision on steroids. Then I thought it'd sound like a meaty StingRay. Since I have no life, I decided to take two photos of a SR and a Bongo H and put 'em side-by-side to get a better idea of the pickup placement.

compare.jpg


Does that look right to you? I know both the Bongo and SR have a 34" scale length so I resized the Bongo relative to the SR so that the nut and the end of the bridge would align. If this pic is right, it looks like the pickup on the Bongo H is around 1/4" or so closer to the neck than that on the SR. So I'm guessing it'll sound like a meaty StingRay. ... On steroids. :p
 

Bassplyr

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Sammy, the Bongo pickup IS closer to the neck giving it a very meaty tone. It's not at all a Stingray tone. IMO, it sounds very good!!
 

TheAntMan

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:)

I had to smile. This looks like something I would do!!! Very cool, but, I think that the pickups and preamps are different enough to affect the sound of both instruments. This means that even if the pickups were placed at the same position relative to the distance from the nut to the bridge, they would still sound different.

Don't know for sure, but, that is my .02 cents! ;)
 

Aussie Mark

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midopa said:
I've been wondering what the Bongo H sounds like. For a while I thought it would sound like a F*nder Telecaster bass or '51 RI Precision on steroids

The Teles with the humbuckers are very muddy, like the Gibson neck pup (aka "mudbucker) on EB0/EB3 basses. It's definitely an acquired taste. The single coil pup on the RI P is in a similar spot to the Tele bucker, but is a lot more lively tonewise.

On the other hand, as you've illustrated, the single H Bongo pup is close to the pup location on a Stingray, and therefore has more bite than either of the Fenders mentioned.
 

prickly_pete

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Oct 16, 2003
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Oh man I really want to try a single PU Bongo. Someone post some sound clips, please :)
 

midopa

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Yeah, I'd love a soundclip, too. All the stores in my area (actually, only two for the length, time, and freeways I'll consider going through for a trip like this. :p ) only carry the HH and SC/H configs. I was already aware that the p'up on the Bongo H was closer to the neck, but I didn't know by how much so I did this. If that pic up there is right, then I have a better idea of the kind of sound that'll come out of the beast. Of course, as TheAntMan said, the pole pieces and the preamp for the Bongo and SR are different. In addition, it's been said many times that the Bongo was never meant to be another SR. ...So I'm back at square one. :p
 

Franky

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midopa said:
I've been wondering what the Bongo H sounds like. For a while I thought it would sound like a F*nder Telecaster bass or '51 RI Precision on steroids. Then I thought it'd sound like a meaty StingRay. Since I have no life, I decided to take two photos of a SR and a Bongo H and put 'em side-by-side to get a better idea of the pickup placement.

compare.jpg


Does that look right to you? I know both the Bongo and SR have a 34" scale length so I resized the Bongo relative to the SR so that the nut and the end of the bridge would align. If this pic is right, it looks like the pickup on the Bongo H is around 1/4" or so closer to the neck than that on the SR. So I'm guessing it'll sound like a meaty StingRay. ... On steroids. :p

measure from the 21st fret to the pickup on both and the distance is about the same...
 
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