Bongo surgery Pics!!

[sir funkytown]

ok.....here are a couple of pics of my Bongo with the face lift.One with the new pickguard off, so you all can see the routing and one with the new pickguard and the old one side by side.Sorry about the crappy quality of the pic, it's a pretty old digital camera.

 

[maddog]

Wow. You wouldn't even know unless you whipped out a ruler.

Very nice. Glad it worked out.

 

[strummer]

Looks like a real neat job

 

[Dr Stankface]

Finally!!!

Looks phat bro. With the SC pup being moved, have you noticed any tonal difference or anything?

 

[Psychicpet]

sweeet.....
pip pip to the 'Mod' Underground!

 

[hankSRay]

So lets say you want to put it back in the origional position, you could just unscrew the pickup and move it over yourself right? I'm guessing whoever did the mod left the pup wire long enough to extend back to the original position. Sounds like a pretty sweet and reversable mod to me, just dont play it without a pickguard on it

 

[sir funkytown]

As far as tonal differances go...yes, it's a little differant.I like to play bass with the pick-up balance switch in the middle , and the volume all the way up,(just makes it easier on stage...I have a pretty ok floor pedal multi effect unit to make adjustments with).So, the new tone required some minor adjustments to the parametric EQ on my GT-6b(a tiny bit more low end)Other than that ,it's a nice mod.I can finally get both my fingers under the strings, I don't even think about it now, whereas before, the end of the fingerboard and the single pickup were a constant distraction.Truth be told , I find the tone a little more focused than before.It turns out that the pickups just happen to be in exactly the same spots as my hum/single 5 string Tobias...sweet!
The mod is completly reversable, I still have the old pickguard and I can move it back anytime.
I would recomend doing this to anyone....just get someone really good to do it...I paid $175 Canadian for this mod.I could have paid a lot less and got it done a lot quicker, but I wanted it done perfectly.The new pickguard is handmadeand much better than the stock one.

 

[syciprider]

It looks like you can really dial in a fat, vintage J neck tone with that set up.

 

[bassmonkeee]

As far as tonal differances go...yes, it's a little differant.I like to play bass with the pick-up balance switch in the middle , and the volume all the way up,(just makes it easier on stage...I have a pretty ok floor pedal multi effect unit to make adjustments with).So, the new tone required some minor adjustments to the parametric EQ on my GT-6b(a tiny bit more low end)Other than that ,it's a nice mod.I can finally get both my fingers under the strings, I don't even think about it now, whereas before, the end of the fingerboard and the single pickup were a constant distraction.Truth be told , I find the tone a little more focused than before.It turns out that the pickups just happen to be in exactly the same spots as my hum/single 5 string Tobias...sweet!
The mod is completly reversable, I still have the old pickguard and I can move it back anytime.
I would recomend doing this to anyone....just get someone really good to do it...I paid $175 Canadian for this mod.I could have paid a lot less and got it done a lot quicker, but I wanted it done perfectly.The new pickguard is handmadeand much better than the stock one.

Enjoy the mod. If it does what you need it to, more power to ya. I'm glad you took the step and had a nice job done as opposed to going at it with a kitchen knife "because it will be covered by a pickguard, anyway."
I love the clank I can get from my single coil on my fretless Bongo. I can't imagine changing it one bit.


Could you clarify how the handmade pickguard is better than the stock one? I've seen plenty of stock Bongo pickguards, and never thought to myself, "Boy, they really need to work on their templates and bits." Do you simply like the pattern of the tort better, or is there something else?

 

[sir funkytown]

If I were playing a fretless Bongo I wouldn't even have considered this .I actually really loved the tone of the bass before ,but it was just to difficult to slap on...I tried to get used to it, but couldn't...thus the mod!
The pick guard material is thicker ,giving the pickups a lower profile.It's also very attractivly beveled on the sides , showing the three layers that it's made of....in all honesty, it's only better only because it suits me better.Lets face it, you can pretty well make pick guards out of anything you want...it's purely an aesthetic thing.
Unreleated side note.....the bongo tone starts to really blow when the batteries get a little old.That in itself is unsurprising, but can anyone tell me why they start to die after about 20 hours of playing.My Tobias with the Bartolinis lasts about a year on one battery!The Bongo starts to distort after a month and a half of playing.

 

[bassmonkeee]

If I were playing a fretless Bongo I wouldn't even have considered this .I actually really loved the tone of the bass before ,but it was just to difficult to slap on...I tried to get used to it, but couldn't...thus the mod!

I was just disappointed that the pickup still appears to be parallel with the original positioning. I thought you were going to angle the pickup so the g string side was closer to the bridge, but the b/e string side was still pretty much in the same place.

The pick guard material is thicker ,giving the pickups a lower profile.It's also very attractivly beveled on the sides , showing the three layers that it's made of....in all honesty, it's only better only because it suits me better.Lets face it, you can pretty well make pick guards out of anything you want...it's purely an aesthetic thing.

That's cool. I had an aftermarket acrylic pickguard for my fretless that was 8mm thick and I really liked how the edges were beveled, so I know what you mean.

Unreleated side note.....the bongo tone starts to really blow when the batteries get a little old.That in itself is unsurprising, but can anyone tell me why they start to die after about 20 hours of playing.My Tobias with the Bartolinis lasts about a year on one battery!The Bongo starts to distort after a month and a half of playing.

I'm surprised that your batteries only last about 6 weeks. Do you use a lot of low end enhancement? I think I've replaced batteries in my fretted Bongo (bought in February of 04) once right after I got it, and I don't think I've ever replaced the batteries in my fretless (arrived in August 04)--and both of them even have piezos.

 

[ras1983]

hey man, i am very happy for you. glad to hear that you enjoy your new pup positioning.

as for the battery life, i've had my bongo for 3 weeks, and i play atleast 1 to 2 hours per day, so that's way over 20 hours. the batteries are still fine, and i wouldn't expect to change them more often than once every 6 months, maybe much longer as bassmonkee has alluded to.

if you boost your eq heaps, then you will drain the batteries faster.

 

[sir funkytown]

Ok....20 hours is a bit of an exageration.But, I have had this bass for about 6 months and have had to change the batteries twice.I almost never run the Bongo 4 band EQ anything but flat....bit of a waste actually,but,it's easier on stage.I play big shows that don't require a lot of tonal changes, so leaving the knobs in a postition that I can easily find if they get accidentaly changed is pretty important.The bass tone changing radicaly in the house(and i think we can all admit that the Bongo has some pretty radical EQ settings)can really mess the rest of the mix up.The only thing I change is the balance knob...back a bit for a little more modern punch ,or, a touch to the front for more of a beefy feel.But, mostly the knobs are in their indent positions for the whole show.