I played a Bongo last week...

[GreyDad]

Yes. I did.

It's Rob Allansons', up for sale at Soundsplus in the UK. I drove 240 miles to go see it (that's 240 miles through one of the most densely populated areas in Europe, people, not a straight line through an empty texas desert ) and arrived 5 minutes before the shop closed.

I clawed past the door and cried "please please mr music shop man please don't lock your shop until I've at least touched your bongo"

Well, how could he refuse an offer like that? And what a nice chap Nick Duncan is, and a drummer, too. He let me play for nearly an hour.

So. What was it like?

Well, it was black with 5 strings. It has a really beautiful pearly-abalony-type pickguard thingy, which looked great. It has 2 man-sized humbuckers, as the Lord intended. It's in perfect condition. It plays really really well, although personally I would lower the action a bit more. It's light, very noticeably lighter than my 2-week-old SR5 HH. We plugged it in and cranked the amp up a bit and It Was Good. I did some serious knob-twiddling and switch-flipping. I found no matter where I went with it there was always a good sound - no duff tones anywhere. I got a Stingray sound, and a mid-switch SR5 sound and more. I got to be just like Sterling Ball in the videos and did the harmonics thing up and down the neck. He's right, it's amazing. The more I played it, the more comfortable it felt. That long long 2 octave neck, accessible all the way up. So gorgeous. And it looks so - modern.

I really didn't want to put it down. Nick said "You don't want to put it down do you?" and I mumbled no, but I'd just blown the family holiday money on a spanking new SR5 and couldn't afford another bass... well, I could afford a bass but not the divorce. At least not this month.

So I came back home (it was a business trip with a secret little flirtation on the side) and played my SR5 and looked at the Bongo5's on the net. And then at the Bongo6 pics. I like the SR5 - it's a classic. Solid, dependable, I like it a lot. But the Bongo is - different. Modern. Contemporary. Exotic. And playable. I hate to admit it but my beautiful new SR5 seemed a little bit... conventional? Dare I say that?

So. What do I do? I thought I'd play it for a laugh and say "nah I have a 5 and it's too similar to justify another one" but it isn't, it really isn't the same thing at all. Thing is, I really really deep down want a Bongo6 and if the Bongo5 is anything to go by it will be astonishing. I've never ever been interested in a 6 until I saw the pics of the Bongo. So do I save up and get a 5 as soon as I can for some short term gratification or hang on for that something extra special? Or should I take my family on holiday?

Any advice, GASsers?

Neil

PS Any UK KnUKleheads looking for a Bongo, that one is a beauty so please buy it so I can be put out of this misery...

 

[bovinehost]

You are screwed now, my friend, and you know it.

The production Bongo 6 is a ways off, but that Bongo 5 is just down the road, isn't it?

Jack

 

[GreyDad]

Jack, you're not helping... and yes I'm very screwed up

 

[adouglas]

Another victim! Excellent!

 

[GreyDad]

Somehow I knew that was coming...

...and I keep getting strange cravings for half-cooked chicken legs...

 

[Bass Control]

I've played a Bongo 4 as well at Guitar Center, but I haven't played a 5 string yet nor have I been able to try out all the available pickup configurations. I've decided that I want a Bongo 5 with piezo, but I have to figure the other things out first before I order one (as well as getting the money).

I've caught Bongo fever as well... I can't wait until I have one!

 

[Ole Man Blues]

I played a Bongo at GC a little over a year ago and loved it. It took me a year to save the money to buy a used one. GASing for a year. The wait was torture.....

It's been worth the wait.

I've owned and played some great Stingray's, but the Bongo is another animal all together........in fact it's a Beast!!!!

 

[Ken Baker]

Yes indeedie-do, Neil. You are hosed. There is NOTHING like a Bongo. In this case, a 5HHP. This guard has been changed to moonstone.

Ken...

 

[Bob Loblaw]

What kind of saddles are those Ken?

 

[bovinehost]

What kind of saddles are those Ken?

Piezos.

Jack

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Yeah I guess that would make sense. Pardon my ignorance.

 

[bassmonkey]

I can't get over that low B. It really booms. Even playing a normal E-string note, like a G, the tone is just like thunder, it shakes the room.

 

[adouglas]

Attention on deck.....

That is all.

 

[mammoth]

You know when you've been Bongo'ed!!!!!!

Good to hear you enjoyed your first love in Neil, i guarrantee it won't be your last.

I know a cracking dealer up my way who would be more than happy to accomodate your every Bongo desire. His prices would more than warrant the shipping to sunny Somerset... heeheehee! you know you want to!

 

[syciprider]

There is no turning back...

 

[GreyDad]

You know when you've been Bongo'ed!!!!!!

Good to hear you enjoyed your first love in Neil, i guarrantee it won't be your last.

I know a cracking dealer up my way who would be more than happy to accomodate your every Bongo desire. His prices would more than warrant the shipping to sunny Somerset... heeheehee! you know you want to!

Don't tempt me - I've got tons of work to do on the house as well before I can even consider it. But, once that's done...

I have to say, though, I gave the SR5 a good seeing-to with a pick last weekend (I'm not a pick sort of player usually) after my Bongo flirtation. Our lady drummer has this sort-of-punk song she's written and it was asking a for a more minimalist treatment. Cranked the old Ashdown up and away we went - and oh what punch! Felt good, sounded great For a few brief minutes I almost thought I was 25 years younger

 

[GreyDad]

Yes indeedie-do, Neil. You are hosed. There is NOTHING like a Bongo. In this case, a 5HHP. This guard has been changed to moonstone.

Ken...

That is nice. As a dual Brit-Canuck citizen I do indeed know when I'm hosed. I must admit I wondered if EBMM had gone siightly mad the first time I saw one but now I find them strangely alluring.

No piezo's on the one I played - what do they do for you soundwise?

 

[GreyDad]

I can't get over that low B. It really booms. Even playing a normal E-string note, like a G, the tone is just like thunder, it shakes the room.

I was thinking about this this afternoon. I wondered if rather than just being a simple amplifier for the raw signal from the pups the active electronics are equalising any dead spots on the neck, so boosting where it's a bit flat and levelling where it's a bit lively. You could compensate for all sorts of behavioural variation between instruments if it was done like that and give a smooth even tone across the whole neck, but I have no idea if this is the case. There is surely a thread on this somewhere if I knew where to look...

 

[Ken Baker]

I must admit I wondered if EBMM had gone siightly mad the first time I saw one but now I find them strangely alluring.

That's how I felt about them as well. Seems pretty common. But you're right - the Bongo look kinda grows on you. Then you play one. Then you're hosed. In a good way.

No piezo's on the one I played - what do they do for you soundwise?

It isn't real easy for me to describe. I guess I'd best describe what they do as adding a certain kind of presence to the sound. Used judiciously, I hear a bit more sizzle. They also seem to add a nice percussive THUMP! to the initial string pluck. However, it is NOTHING like the piezo tone from an acoustic-electric bass.

Ken...

 

[GreyDad]

Come to think of it I did play a 4 with piezo's about 6 or 7 years ago. I seem to remember it sounded a bit too bright and tinkly - for me at least - but it may be that like the EQ it needs to be used sparingly for best effect and I was overdoing it at the time. Anyway I ordered my 4 without piezo's and haven't tried one with them since.