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Bongo neck question.

philthygeezer

philthygeezer

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 9, 2004
Messages
389
People have described it as between a Stingray and a Sterling:

Stingray: 1 5/8" Nut, 2 1/2" last fret.
Bongo: 1 5/8" Nut, 2 9/16" last fret.
Sterling: 1 1/2" Nut, 2 1/2" last fret.

So where do people get this impression? It's wider at the base than both Stingray and Sterling!

:confused:
 
philthygeezer said:
People have described it as between a Stingray and a Sterling:

Stingray: 1 5/8" Nut, 2 1/2" last fret.
Bongo: 1 5/8" Nut, 2 9/16" last fret.
Sterling: 1 1/2" Nut, 2 1/2" last fret.

So where do people get this impression? It's wider at the base than both Stingray and Sterling!

:confused:
Click to expand...

That's only because it's got more frets than either. String spacing is equal to that of a stingray, as far as I can figure.
 
Dlloyd's right. The SR and Sterling have... 21 frets I think. The Bongo has 24. But I think the comparision you've been hearing about is more about the neck profile than the measurements on the nut and last fret. As you pointed out, they're almost the same, if not exact, for a Bongo and a SR.

I haven't A/B'd a SR, Sterling, and Bongo together all in one sitting before, but when I go to guitar shops to check out what they've got, I do feel a difference 'tween the SR, Sterling, and Bongo necks.
 
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So given that scale length is 34", are the frets closer together on the Bongo or do they just go farther down the neck?

Seems that fret spacing has to be a constant between basses in a 34" scale, so is it?
 
philthygeezer said:
So given that scale length is 34", are the frets closer together on the Bongo or do they just go farther down the neck?

Seems that fret spacing has to be a constant between basses in a 34" scale, so is it?
Click to expand...

Fret spacing is the same, but the Bongo has a couple of extra frets, which means a Bongo neck is longer overall than a Stingray neck, meaning that the width of the Bongo neck at the body end must be wider than the width of the Stingray neck. If my grandfather was still alive he would draw a diagram to explain it clearly.
 
so the bongo body is shorter than the stingray body, to compensate for the longer neck right?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. The neck is longer, so it extends further into the body. The Bongo has a couple of extra frets. I didn't realise people would have so much trouble grasping such a simple concept. With thanks to midopa for the pic ......

compare.jpg
 
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'Ray : 21 frets
Sterling : 22 frets
Bongo : 24 frets

That's probably the reason why the Bongo's neck is wider at the last (24th instead of 21th or 22th) fret... Both 3 basses have a 11" radius and a 34" scale. I guess that if the Bongo had 21 frets, it would have the same neck-measurements as the 'Ray.
 
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