adouglas
Well-known member
Our eminent moderator correctly shut down the earlier ethics thread because it was rapidly devolving into a GC pissing match.
Here's what happened shortly thereafter:
I emailed Pete Dubaldo, of Dubaldo Music in Manchester CT. We had an earlier exchange in which he said it would be fine to come in with my rig and my bass, and spend as much time as I wanted checking out the HS Bongo he has. But that was before I found out about the Desert Gold HH/Piezo Bongo already being built for basscentral, so the situation had changed...I knew I wouldn't be ordering a bass from Pete.
I asked Pete if he'd let me rent his Bongo because of the ethics question so fully and interestingly discussed in that earlier thread, and he said to just come on in anyway. So I did. Ethics problem nicely solved by someone willing to be a really nice guy. Kudos to Pete. It's guys like him that make me want to go to non-chain retailers whenever possible.
Anyway...
Conditions: Typical very small practice/instruction room in a music store, maybe 6x7 feet.
Gear:
Rack consisting of SWR Grand Prix, PreSonus Blue Max compressor, Stewart World 1.2, and a Flite Sound 1x15. Line out into...
A Bose PAS system with one bass module.
Carvin LB75A (alder body wings, maple top, five-piece neck-thru, ebony board), Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats, modded with an Aguilar OBP-3 and Bartolini 59J pickups, wired for 9 volt.
and in the other corner....
Bongo 4 HS, with identical strings to the Carvin.
I spent an hour and a half screwing around, trying different EQ, comparing them side-by-side with everything flat, playing both unplugged...everything I could think of doing without having a band to play with.
First impression results:
The thing that really struck me was how growly and aggressive the Bongo is, even with flats. John Entwistle would have loved this bass.
I unfortunately do not have any experience with EBMM basses, but from what I've read, aggressive is the nature of the EBMM beast...so I'm thinking that the Bongo is delivering the EBMM tone in spades.
As far as the comparison...both instruments are really excellent. Both play very well. Both have excellent workmanship. Both have a huge range of tone. But they're clearly different...Ginger vs. Mary Anne. Blonde vs. brunette. Tastes great vs. less filling. Ford vs. Chevy. White meat vs. dark meat. Etc....
As lame as it is, I found myself thinking of those stupid wine descriptions (hmm...absurd, yet flaccid...with a hint of...eau du low tide....).
Say we're dealing with white wine. The hotrodded Carvin is "buttery" and smooth. The Bongo is sharper and much more crisp. This was true across the board, regardless of EQ. There was always a clear difference. I don't think I could get the two to truly sound alike.
A photo analogy would be soft focus vs. Ansel Adams razor sharpness.
In bass terms, the Carvin sounded more wooly and warm, while the Bongo was more gritty and clear.
Bottom line: The Bongo sounds every bit as good as high-end boutique electronics (Bartolini/Aguilar). But it does not sound the same as those electronics. It is more bright, growly and aggressive. It is not "vintage."
Another thing that made me laugh...you know how when you go shopping for new sneakers you'll try on a pair, and they'll be comfy...but then you put on your old ones, and you're home again...those old shoes just fit you. I really got that sense when switching back and forth. I really liked the Bongo, but when I picked up the Carvin again it was like slipping into those old comfortable shoes.
So.
The rhetorical question is, should I go through with the deal or not? I know I wouldn't be making a big mistake if I did. And I also know I wouldn't be making a big mistake if I passed.
A happy dilemma!
I need to talk it over with the band.
Sorry for going on so long. Thanks again to Pete...sorry I didn't get to meet you, but I understand that you went to see the Stones last night. If I were you I would have stayed home too! I did buy something while I was there just to return the favor.
Here's what happened shortly thereafter:
I emailed Pete Dubaldo, of Dubaldo Music in Manchester CT. We had an earlier exchange in which he said it would be fine to come in with my rig and my bass, and spend as much time as I wanted checking out the HS Bongo he has. But that was before I found out about the Desert Gold HH/Piezo Bongo already being built for basscentral, so the situation had changed...I knew I wouldn't be ordering a bass from Pete.
I asked Pete if he'd let me rent his Bongo because of the ethics question so fully and interestingly discussed in that earlier thread, and he said to just come on in anyway. So I did. Ethics problem nicely solved by someone willing to be a really nice guy. Kudos to Pete. It's guys like him that make me want to go to non-chain retailers whenever possible.
Anyway...
Conditions: Typical very small practice/instruction room in a music store, maybe 6x7 feet.
Gear:
Rack consisting of SWR Grand Prix, PreSonus Blue Max compressor, Stewart World 1.2, and a Flite Sound 1x15. Line out into...
A Bose PAS system with one bass module.
Carvin LB75A (alder body wings, maple top, five-piece neck-thru, ebony board), Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats, modded with an Aguilar OBP-3 and Bartolini 59J pickups, wired for 9 volt.
and in the other corner....
Bongo 4 HS, with identical strings to the Carvin.
I spent an hour and a half screwing around, trying different EQ, comparing them side-by-side with everything flat, playing both unplugged...everything I could think of doing without having a band to play with.
First impression results:
The thing that really struck me was how growly and aggressive the Bongo is, even with flats. John Entwistle would have loved this bass.
I unfortunately do not have any experience with EBMM basses, but from what I've read, aggressive is the nature of the EBMM beast...so I'm thinking that the Bongo is delivering the EBMM tone in spades.
As far as the comparison...both instruments are really excellent. Both play very well. Both have excellent workmanship. Both have a huge range of tone. But they're clearly different...Ginger vs. Mary Anne. Blonde vs. brunette. Tastes great vs. less filling. Ford vs. Chevy. White meat vs. dark meat. Etc....
As lame as it is, I found myself thinking of those stupid wine descriptions (hmm...absurd, yet flaccid...with a hint of...eau du low tide....).
Say we're dealing with white wine. The hotrodded Carvin is "buttery" and smooth. The Bongo is sharper and much more crisp. This was true across the board, regardless of EQ. There was always a clear difference. I don't think I could get the two to truly sound alike.
A photo analogy would be soft focus vs. Ansel Adams razor sharpness.
In bass terms, the Carvin sounded more wooly and warm, while the Bongo was more gritty and clear.
Bottom line: The Bongo sounds every bit as good as high-end boutique electronics (Bartolini/Aguilar). But it does not sound the same as those electronics. It is more bright, growly and aggressive. It is not "vintage."
Another thing that made me laugh...you know how when you go shopping for new sneakers you'll try on a pair, and they'll be comfy...but then you put on your old ones, and you're home again...those old shoes just fit you. I really got that sense when switching back and forth. I really liked the Bongo, but when I picked up the Carvin again it was like slipping into those old comfortable shoes.
So.
The rhetorical question is, should I go through with the deal or not? I know I wouldn't be making a big mistake if I did. And I also know I wouldn't be making a big mistake if I passed.
A happy dilemma!
I need to talk it over with the band.
Sorry for going on so long. Thanks again to Pete...sorry I didn't get to meet you, but I understand that you went to see the Stones last night. If I were you I would have stayed home too! I did buy something while I was there just to return the favor.
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