Brand new 5 string Bongo - Knobs bent and broke off

[rikbass]

Anyone ever buy a new Bongo from Musicians Friend only to have it show up with the knobs bent?

I tried to use an allen wrench to remove the knobs to see why they were bent and they practically fell off into my hand!!! What puzzles me is I received the bass in the standard MM hardshell case. There's no way this was because of shipping. Maybe the pots are really crappy quality?

Do you think EB will get me two new pots under warranty or am I only going to get warranty work if I have to ship the bass off somewhere (leaving me high and dry for my gig) to either MF or EB?

I am really bummed. I have a gig sat night and I need this bass for it. I have used a 4 string Bongo before and loved it.

I was so excited when it showed up and now I am so depressed.

 

[maddog]

Contact customer service first thing in the morning:

1-800-543-2255

They will take care of you.

 

[smallequestrian]

^^
What he said.

Things happen in shipping sometimes. Even the best products have failures. Unfortunately, you were just unlucky. Call CS and they will take care of you.

 

[rikbass]

Contact customer service first thing in the morning:

1-800-543-2255

They will take care of you.

OK. Thanks.

 

[bovinehost]

Mark (it is Mark, right?),

Best thing to do is what was mentioned above. Call Customer Service in the morning (remember they're on CA time) and explain the situation.

They should be able to get you fixed up.

Jack

 

[adouglas]

You are not alone.

My Bongo's volume knob was bent, right out of the box.

Customer service will indeed take care of you. What they told me was to try to bend the knob back (carefully), and if it were to break, they'd send me a new pot. Bending it worked, and I've had no problems.

So, yes, call customer service right away. Do what they tell you to do.

 

[limitk7]

I also got some teflon washers and put them under that knob, on the assumption that if the knob were to get whacked or pushed for whatever reason in the future, its edge would be supported by the washers and not bend the pot shaft. That's the theory, anyway.

Could you post more info about this? Sounds interesting.

 

[Big Poppa]

You are not alone.

About two weeks after I got my brand-new Bongo last fall I started a thread about how the volume knob (in particular) is prone to getting whacked and bent, a conclusion I reached because my brand-new Bongo, pulled straight from its sealed carton, had a bent volume knob. Took me some days to notice, but when I looked at the photo I took right after opening the case, sure enough it was bent.

Subsequent visits to GC revealed other Bongos with exactly the same thing.

The resulting discussion resulted in some flames, but also a few people noting that the same thing had happened to them. Speculation was that the configuration of the foam in the case puts some pressure on the knob and it just might get shoved a bit too hard when the bass shifts a bit during shipping. I don't know about that, but just to be safe, I bunch up some polishing cloths and put them over the tip of the headstock whenever I put the bass away, effectively immobilizing it in the case.

Customer service will indeed take care of you. What they told me was to try to bend the knob back (carefully), and if it were to break, they'd send me a new pot. Bending it worked, and I've had no problems.

I also got some teflon washers and put them under that knob, on the assumption that if the knob were to get whacked or pushed for whatever reason in the future, its edge would be supported by the washers and not bend the pot shaft. That's the theory, anyway.

So, yes, call customer service right away. Do what they tell you to do.

This post reflects my own personal experience with EBMM products and customer service, and in no way should be construed as a criticism of said products or service, nor an endorsement for the same. In other words, LEAVE IT BE, m'kay?

dont bring it up agian if you dont want to start it over.

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

dont bring it up agian if you dont want to start it over.

+1 Posting a disclaimer at the end of a post like that is kinda like kicking somebody in the nuts then saying sorry.

 

[adouglas]

I just googled "teflon washer." Don't remember where I got them from.

The tricky part is finding washers with a big enough ID without too large an OD. Before I bought anything I took the knob off and measured the diameter of the pot shaft, the nut on the pot shaft, the diameter of the knob and the diameter of the cavity. (Go get a cheap dial caliper from Home Depot...mighty handy widget.)

The teflon washers aren't very thick, so I got some fiber washers from the hardware store and drilled out the hole so it'd fit over the pot nut, in order to build up the thickness and bring the washer up close to the bottom of the knob. The teflon washer goes on top so the knob turns smoothly.

Frankly, it's probably completely unecessary. But I do not want to have to replace that pot. In my experience accidents do happen. Sooner or later the thing is going to get pranged. If this serves to keep the pot from getting damaged, good. If not, well, it was worth a try.

 

[adouglas]

Sweet.

Thanks, guys.

Post edited.

Everybody feel better now?

Sheesh. I report a POSITIVE EXPERIENCE, with a successful outcome, and get flamed anyway.

I think it's pretty clear after all these months that I'm very bloody happy with my bass and with the company. *I* have no problem. Sorry if you guys do. Endless apologies for posting something you perceive as negative.

I reported what happened and what CS told me to do to fix it. That is all.

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

Everybody feel better now?

Only if I can kick you in the nuts and say sorry.

 

[shamus63]

Only if I can kick you in the nuts and say sorry.

I'm getting a warm, tingly feeling here.

 

[maddog]

I'm getting a warm, tingly feeling here.

Maybe you should stop peeing on the electric fence.

 

[ras1983]

Maybe you should stop peeing on the electric fence.

actually, he won't get electrocuted. whats wrong with you? don't you watch the mythbusters?!?!?!

 

[maddog]

actually, he won't get electrocuted. whats wrong with you? don't you watch the mythbusters?!?!?!

What is this "mythbusters" and how do I watch it/them? Are they a troupe of wandering minstrels? Will they come to my door and dance and prance in a merry way, to the delight of the gathering crowd?

 

[ras1983]

What is this "mythbusters" and how do I watch it/them? Are they a troupe of wandering minstrels? Will they come to my door and dance and prance in a merry way, to the delight of the gathering crowd?

i don't know if you are joking or not, but i will assume that you are not joking.

the mythbusters is a cable program, two ex-special effect engineer dudes test out different old wives tales and scientific stories.

one of them involved peeing on a high voltage source of railway equipment and getting electrocuted. they found that the pee would separate into droplets before touching the live currents, and wouldn't conduct electicity back up to the person.

after watching that, my first thought was "Why would anyone pee on a high voltage device?".

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

Didn't they also disprove the brown note theory as well?

 

[maddog]

i don't know if you are joking or not, but i will assume that you are not joking.

the mythbusters is a cable program, two ex-special effect engineer dudes test out different old wives tales and scientific stories.

one of them involved peeing on a high voltage source of railway equipment and getting electrocuted. they found that the pee would separate into droplets before touching the live currents, and wouldn't conduct electicity back up to the person.

after watching that, my first thought was "Why would anyone pee on a high voltage device?".

A bit of a joke in the earlier post. I've heard of mythbusters but I don't own a TV so I've never actually seen it. As to the why, when you have enough alcohol and testosterone in too close a proximity, anything can and will happen. Peeing on an electric fence is up there with lighting your own gasseous end product.

 

[ras1983]

Didn't they also disprove the brown note theory as well?

yeah, but they were using a small speaker from a home stereo.

IMO its a load of crap(no pun intended). the low b is around 20Hz, which is supposedly the frequency of the brown note. i have never felt the need to take a dump after playing the low b on my bongo.