My Response To A Closed Thread

[Big Poppa]

will play...actually I think that in the bongo case they think its fine to bash it...they dont consider that a violation from my viewing.....

I got nothing against TB...its great to have..with size you sometimes lose accuracy.

 

[bovinehost]

I have the occasional conversation with John Turner, a good guy who seems unsure about how many strings a bass should have but is otherwise a very reasonable human bean.

He agrees that the Talkbass Bongo bashing got old very quickly and is WAY older now. Were I inclined to report Bongo Bashing, I would choose either JT or our own WillPlay4Food, who I am told is a wise and powerful being over there.

 

[Fred E.]

I don't recall all this weirdness back in the late 60s, early 70s, as far as body woods go.

There was a fair amount of other weirdness going on, though, which may have distracted me somewhat.

I had boatloads of Ps and Js and a Ric or two, some early Stingrays, some things I don't want to remember, and I just don't remember standing around with other bassists, debating the merits of alder or ash.

I just really don't care what it is if it sounds good. If I were more taken with fancy tops, maybe it would be an issue, but Bongos aren't generally known for fancy tops anyway.

Jack

I don't recall ANY discussion of body woods in the late '60s/early '70s--but in the late '70s/early '80s it was a different story, but not in today's tone woods context either--back then it was all about heavy/dense=sustain. I tried to pick up a few Fenders made in the late '70s & thought my arm was going to fall off. If they weren't 20 lbs, they were damn close!

I missed out on the TB discussion & most of this thread, but my 2 Bongoes are among my best sounding & playing basses & extremely versatile. I'm not an accomplished fretless player by any stretch, but several times I took my unlined Bongo fretless out to play with no fretted safety net. I can make my Bongoes sound like anything I want.

The looks part of it, I don't care--I really couldn't care less about what someone else thinks of my bass's appearance--I think the Bongo is one of the nicest new designs in years.

 

[Big Poppa]

The introduction of basswood....
Like Fred said in the 60's, 70-s and up to 1984 that conventional wisdom....Heavy=tone and sustain...suck it up and go large


Along comes Alan Holdsworth who says BS the lighter the guitar the more sustain and he had a guitar that was a featherweight and sustained for days......What was the wood? Basswood.....That game changed there for good. The boutique guys got it and the big guys were clueless...We were the first company to integrate weight as part of our quality control process...it couldnt excced a certain weight...there was and stil is no limit on the light side.....

The problem with internet urban legend is that people just accept it without considering....."Hmmmm Ernie Ball has a reputation of making a USA quality made product with top service...Sterling Ball is going to ignore all of what was built and chose to make a bass out of an unstable material....hmmmmmm 2+2 doesnt equal four..We have ZERO problems with basswood holding up in the fiield with our finsih process....

 

[JB1]

....Hmmmm Ernie Ball has a reputation of making a USA quality made product with top service...Sterling Ball is going to ignore all of what was built and chose to make a bass out of an unstable material......

It'd be like the 'Homer' car that he designed for his long lost brother (played by Danny DeVito)

But we all know it ain't

 

[Sonnyonbass]

When I was in LA a couple of years ago, I was on the hunt for a SR5. I needed a backup for my (insert booteek brand here) 5 string. There was a 5 string Bongo on the wall as well. I didn't gave it a second look. I was on the hunt for a SR5!

Now: my 2 SR5's replaced the booteek bass (of course )and I REALLY regret not trying the Bongo 5er. Because now, when I look at it. It seems like a great bass. Actually, I can't wait to try 1.

Downside is that I might actually want to own several of them....

 

[Aussie Mark]

I have the occasional conversation with John Turner, a good guy who seems unsure about how many strings a bass should have but is otherwise a very reasonable human bean.

He agrees that the Talkbass Bongo bashing got old very quickly and is WAY older now. Were I inclined to report Bongo Bashing, I would choose either JT or our own WillPlay4Food, who I am told is a wise and powerful being over there.

Unfortunately Mr Turner was the TB mod who left a Bongo bashing post untouched but deleted my post and sent me an "infraction" for commenting on that poster's Korean-made beauty queen of a bass. I wouldn't mind, if he had been consistent, which I told him, to no avail.

 

[bovinehost]

Whoops!

Well, I'll make it up to you by letting you name the ugly Korean bass - how's that?

 

[maddog]

The problem with internet urban legend is that people just accept it without considering....."Hmmmm Ernie Ball has a reputation of making a USA quality made product with top service...Sterling Ball is going to ignore all of what was built and chose to make a bass out of an unstable material....hmmmmmm 2+2 doesnt equal four...

seems to be a lack of critical thinking going around these days.

 

[tkarter]

JT is just like all of us old flat playing players around here Mark. We all get out of line some times

I don't insult Bud. He has kicked my butt a time or two.

It is all about feelings at the time.

Never had to defend my bongo. Thank God I am uglier than my bongo.

If I live long enough I wanna get to Aus. and drink some beer with all of you.

Do hearing aides translate Aus to hillbilly?



tk

 

[high mileage]

Thank God I am uglier than my bongo.

Signature worthy material alert - applies here too!

 

[Aussie Mark]

Whoops!

Well, I'll make it up to you by letting you name the ugly Korean bass - how's that?

It was one of those recent Ibanez thingies with a headstock shaped like a hood ornament and a bigass humbucker slightly inspired by a Stingray.

 

[bovinehost]

I thus declare it uglier than a hat full of @ssholes!

(I think I might have had a hollow body version.)

Jack