Question Did they change the Bongo preamp?

[bvdrummer]

My first EBMM was a 2012 Bongo 6 HH that I traded for a 2008 Bongo 5 HH because I didn't need 6 strings. But this 5er doesn't quite have the same mojo as the 6 and I can't seem to eq it to sound the same. Is there anything in the electronics that would sound different, or is it just maybe the extra mass of the 6 string body? Maybe the 6 string pickups are wound slightly different?

OR is this just one of those things where every instrument is unique and I'll now have a lifelong quest to find another 5 that I like better? *cough* Honey Roasted PDN *cough*

Edit: To clarify my 6 was not the PDN (just realized it sounded like that).

 

[sanderhermans]

I think its all the stuff you just named added up. The body and neck size do a slight bit. The eq and pickup might be a bit different. And not 1 bass sounds the same. Its a cliche but its true altouh differences can be small. All this stuff added up might change your sound in an audible way

 

[tbonesullivan]

did you check the pickup heights? are you using the same strings? a lot of little factors can add up.

 

[bvdrummer]

Yeah I am using the same strings. The 6 was set up horribly when I got it so I did adjust the pickup heights. Unfortunately I don't remember what they were. Maybe I can try to adjust those some more.

One other thing I remember is that on the 6 I liked the balance slightly toward the bridge, and on this 5 the neck sounds better.

 

[Golem]

............
One other thing I remember is that on the 6 I liked
the balance slightly toward the bridge, and on this
5 the neck sounds better.

I spoze that makes some sorta sense ... since you
now have less neck mass, you gotta dial in just a
bit more of it to get back to what you used to hear.

Or mebbe thaz a crock ? I had a 6, once, a w-i-d-e
6, with 19mm spacing, had a FB similar to a 6 lane
expressway. Verrrrrry deeeep and resonant !

 

[bvdrummer]

Well my bridge pickup was a lot further from the strings than the spec. I moved it up to that and it sounds better - a little more aggressive. I'll try this for a while and see if that's what it was missing.

 

[Bongo66]

My pickups were about an eighth inch out of spec.. the back pickup was set at about 5/16, while the front one was about 3/8. I bought the bass new, just hadnt checked it. It's definitely a different beast now!

 

[uOpt]

The Bongo preamp has a flat EQ center position. I just measured that recently (link below). There could still be difference when you actually work the pots, but the situation is different from e.g. the SRclassic 2-band EQ which doesn't have a center and isn't neutral in the middle, or the 3-band SR pickup which seems to have an additional LPF.

What I'm saying is with the pots in neutral the preamp in the Bongo will not change the sound of either of those basses.

EQ curves of common bass preamps (Music Man, Seymour Duncan, Warwick)



6-string pickups cannot be wound the same way. If you were to put on the same number of winds then you would end up with more wire length and hence more resistance, capacitance and who knows what it does to inductive value. So you have less number of winds, and the cards are mixed from scratch.

Having said all that, I came to suspect that the Bongo with its small body and basswood base might not have enough mass. The wider neck on the 6 will help if so. I think the body is the same size. I'll change my 4HH to a 6H because of similar considerations and I don't like that the bridge pickup in the HH is in the "wrong" position.

 

[bvdrummer]

Awesome info uOpt. Thanks! Also an interesting thought about the pickup winding.

You bring up another thing I was wondering...so the bridge humbucker is not in the same place on the H, HH, and HS models? Does the same thing go for the SR and the Sterling?

 

[sanderhermans]

Awesome info uOpt. Thanks! Also an interesting thought about the pickup winding.

You bring up another thing I was wondering...so the bridge humbucker is not in the same place on the H, HH, and HS models? Does the same thing go for the SR and the Sterling?

Nope only with the bongo is it differently placed...

 

[uOpt]

You bring up another thing I was wondering...so the bridge humbucker is not in the same place on the H, HH, and HS models? Does the same thing go for the SR and the Sterling?

In the Bongo H the humbucker sits in the Stingray H position.

In the Bongo HH and HS the bridge pickup sits where a Jazz bass bridge pickup normally sits. I really don't think that works out that great. The reason for the Bongo doing this, while a Stingray HH keeps the bridge pickup in the Stingray position, is that stupid 24 fret neck and the deep cutaway which "pushes" the neck pickup in.

 

[sanderhermans]

In the Bongo H the humbucker sits in the Stingray H position.

In the Bongo HH and HS the bridge pickup sits where a Jazz bass bridge pickup normally sits. I really don't think that works out that great. The reason for the Bongo doing this, while a Stingray HH keeps the bridge pickup in the Stingray position, is that stupid 24 fret neck and the deep cutaway which "pushes" the neck pickup in.

Dont know if thats really acurate. Your explenation is logical but ebmm has stated before that moving the bridge pickup back was a contious choice and was not forced by the 24 fret neck. Also its really a matter of taste. I have a fender p bass lyte deluxe and ive played some sandberg basses with the bridge humbucker closer to the bridge and with a neck single coil added. You can get a whole new sound wich works for some styles. It sounds like more highs and lows.
Having said that, i too am more a fan of the original sr placement in the midle. Its great on its own. But in dual pickup config. The bridge pickup can be placed back for some extra sparkle.

 

[uOpt]

Dont know if thats really acurate. Your explenation is logical but ebmm has stated before that moving the bridge pickup back was a contious choice and was not forced by the 24 fret neck. Also its really a matter of taste. I have a fender p bass lyte deluxe and ive played some sandberg basses with the bridge humbucker closer to the bridge and with a neck single coil added. You can get a whole new sound wich works for some styles. It sounds like more highs and lows.
Having said that, i too am more a fan of the original sr placement in the midle. Its great on its own. But in dual pickup config. The bridge pickup can be placed back for some extra sparkle.

Fair enough. I didn't want to imply that the 24 fret neck forced the issue. It is what it is, a bunch of us prefer the SR position and hunt for Bongo Hs