Desperate Times...Desperate Measures -- Stealth Bongo.

[bassmonkeee]

90% of the gigs that I play are three hours in length. The other 10% have usually been 4 hours long. I didn't think there could be any longer that I'd play, but it turns out that I'll be playing from 6pm - 11pm this Sunday at a giant shrimp boil at one of my monthly restaurant gigs.

I've never played a five hour gig before. So, of couse, the Bongo is the main bass in my stable. Right now, it's also one of the few that I own that's in one piece (I don't think the 8 string fretless would be kind on a 5 hour blues gig ...). I decided that I wanted to try flats since my last four hour gig started to hurt my fingertips a little bit. I had a set of 4 string Jazz Flats, but I didn't have a low B. So, my only option was LaBella Black Tapewound strings. I thought I'd go ahead and change the pickguard back to the original Black Ice to complete the look.

What do ya think?

It sounds great with the magnetic pickups, but I was disheartened to find that there is apparently something wrong with my D string piezo. But, that's a story for another thread...

I'm still looking forward to this coming gig, and I can't wait to put the Bongo through it's paces for 5, yes, FIVE hours.

 

[midopa]

WOW. Lookin' good, Monkee. Tell us how it goes, ya?

 

[jongitarz]

Are those piezo saddles? they look round in the pic...And what is that contraption between the bridge and the bridge p/up?

 

[bassmonkeee]

What kind of piezo is that?? Jeeze.. people are going to think is a Music Man and that ain't good!!!

That's a Roland Gk-2B that I use to drive my V Bass. It's working fine. It's the Bongo's piezo that is dead....

 

[cgworkman]

Having never used a piezo equipped MM - could it be the tapewound strings messing it up?

 

[bassmonkeee]

Having never used a piezo equipped MM - could it be the tapewound strings messing it up?

I don't think so. Three of them work fine, and Rob Allen ships his piezo bridged basses with these exact strings.

 

[cgworkman]

hhmmm... like I said I've never used a piezo before. Good luck with it....

 

[jongitarz]

It wouldn't be the strings..Piezos work on pressure, and there are really only a couple of things that can go wrong. 1. The piezo element is bad 2.The wire from the element to the circuitboard has broken. Try pushing down on the string where it sits on the saddle and see if it works then. If more presure makes it work, then its a bad saddle.