Bongo Rules / Sonoma GTG?

[bbernard]

I have a Bongo 5 HH that is my main bass. I have tried many over the years, and own several other high end basses, but the tone and playability of the Bongo is the best I have ever run across. The excellent customer service and responsiveness of the company is the frosting on the cake.

I am putting together a new amp rig. I have a Genz Benz shuttlemax12...another great sounding piece of gear from a company with superior customer service. I took my Bongo and Shuttlemax to Sacramento area to test cabinets and to see if I could test drive a Big Al or 25th Anniversary.

Visited 2 guitar centers, Sacramento and Lincoln (or is it in Rocklin?). Nicely set up stores and the folks working there were cool, helpful but not overbearing. Unfortunately there were no Big Als / 25ths and none of the sales people even knew what i was talking about. They checked the system, saw that these were available but did not know if they would stock the basses. I told them what great concepts these are and to be on the lookout for them. So no test drives at guitar center.

I took my Bongo into Skips music in Sacramento to try out the Genz Benz 212 / 410 stack. What a nice store. Nice people, lessons, stuff for all levels of player. The Bongo through this rig was possibly the best bass sound I have ever achieved. It was ridiculous. No one there was familiar with the Bongo but it definitly turned heads once plugged in. The salesman mentioned that they were considering stocking Music Man. I told him Music Man is the best value on the market. After hearing the Bongo through that rig it is hard to argue with.

I also visited Bass & beyond (test drove Bergantino HS410) and the Carvin store (tested their neo410). The Bongo sounds exceptional through any rig. Nice folks in nice stores. i had a good experience with every shop I stopped in. I was just totally blown away by the Bongo / Genz Benz combination.

Finally, I'm getting together a small gathering of bassists from a couple of different forums at my home in windsor. If you are in or near Sonoma county and are interested in checking out some gear / socializing, drop me a PM.

 

[five7]

Any respectable music store should have several of each type of musicman. We need to call our congessmen.

 

[N.F.A.]

Which cab did you end up going with?

 

[bbernard]

I tend to make decisions like this a research project...don't change amps too often. Right now I'd go with the GB Uber 212. Maybe add the Uber 210. I really don't need it for the gigs I currently play (few and far between!) but I greatly enjoy moving serious air with beautiful bass tone.

I still need to test drive the mesa boogie 212. I've heard good things about the cab and they are the local team (made in Petaluma, CA).

 

[silverburst]

I've got an Uber 410 4 ohm cabinet, and it is incredible.

 

[bbernard]

Thats another thing I should check out. The stack I tried, and each cab on its own, was 212 on the bottom, 410 on the top. The way the store is laid out I was only able to be about 10 or so feet away from the amp. Since the 410 was ear level and the 212 was on the ground (gives a coupling effect) I should maybe go back and set each cab on the floor and give it another try.

I'm still trying to think up reasons I need the full stack.

At least the bass part of the equation is settled with the Bongo.

 

[N.F.A.]

I sure envy you that Genz Benz head. Watched the video of it on their website and it fits in with my lean, mean, mobile, agile approach to playing. The places I play don't want a loud band anymore. My Marshall 100 plexi and 4 x 12 cabinet are useless anymore. Your rig sounds great.. Genz Benz is now on my radar. Thanks for the tip..Congrats on the Bongo too.

 

[laneline]

bbernard I plan on downsizing how well does a 212 cab alone handle the B string and could it be used in a small club ? Thanks, Rick

 

[Slingy]

I shop at both those GC's and Skip's. All great stores. Skip's is the place to go for any type of amp repair, they are the best up here. Also I didn't see any MM's there for a while, but they are listed as a dealer on the MM site.

 

[bbernard]

I'm already using a older bergantino stack: 112ex + 112T. I was powering this with a thunderfunk 420, one of the first thunderfunks. The rig sounded thin and just didn't cut it with a medium hitting drummer. The Shuttlemax makes the berg stack sound a lot bigger. Plenty of volume unless you are with a loud rock band. Very punchy.

The genz benz cab is more substantial. It adds thickness while retaining the punch. I haven't tried but i am supposing this would be plenty for all but the loudest gigs. If I add a 210 it is really overkill but what the heck.

Having said all that I am still looking around. I want to get something I will be happy with for a long while.

 

[N.F.A.]

Maybe they are old school now, but I have always had good results with Bag End stuff. I've owned them all over the years. They are great and I still have some here at home that I use.

 

[bbernard]

I don't mind old school. The bag ends are nice, tight sounding cabinets. Unfortunately they don't seem to be available in my neck of the woods. I need to try something before buying.

Nothing wrong with older cabs. I loved the sound I had before: Alembic pre/mesa boogie power amp/ EV B215m cab. However thats about 200 lbs worth of stuff and it was complete overkill (to the point of looking silly) at a lot of situations I was playing in. Since then I have tried a few different combinations trying to shed the weight but retain a good sound. Modular is the way to go. I think I'm close as the Bongo and shuttlemax12 are an improvement over anything I have used in the past.

What bag end cabs are you using?

 

[N.F.A.]

Small gigs either just a Deep Red 12 or a Deep Red 15. Larger gigs, both of them together. I used to use the 2 x 10 Bag End, but it was too big and heavy. Like I said, I am totally into the lean, mean, mobile, agile way of playing. So it's an older Traynor Bassmaster head, a Bag End cabinet and whatever bass I am using. I can carry it all in one trip and it sounds great to me in the band I am currently in.