New Bongo, initial observations

[Aussie Mark]

I gave my new Bongo (4 string HH, rolls burgundy) a blast at rehearsal last night, and am very happy with my purchase, and the fact that the Bongo has lived up to the hype that has gushed in this and another forum I frequent.

Me likey -

• The neck. Nice and fast. The satin finish painted neck reminds me a little of my mahogany neck Gibsons in appearance, and the neck radius is quite Gibson like as well
• The dual humbuckers. They cut through the mix very well. The output is very hot, the only bass in my herd that approaches it for grunt is my long scale Les Paul with dual buckers and Bartolini preamp
• Balance. The Bongo sits nicely and is comparatively light compared to a lot of my other basses
• The tonal variety. Not that I've played with it too much yet. Last night I set it up for a fat funk tone and didn't touch the controls all night after that

Me no likey -

• Black pearloid pickguard. Can't wait for my new tort and white pickguards to arrive
• The curved edge on the pups. After spending my whole life resting my thumb on pups with square edges, this will take some getting used to.

Overall, three thumbs up.

 

[Deaj]

I gave my new Bongo (4 string HH, rolls burgundy) a blast at rehearsal last night, and am very happy with my purchase, and the fact that the Bongo has lived up to the hype that has gushed in this and another forum I frequent.

Me likey -

• The neck. Nice and fast. The satin finish painted neck reminds me a little of my mahogany neck Gibsons in appearance, and the neck radius is quite Gibson like as well
• The dual humbuckers. They cut through the mix very well. The output is very hot, the only bass in my herd that approaches it for grunt is my long scale Les Paul with dual buckers and Bartolini preamp
• Balance. The Bongo sits nicely and is comparatively light compared to a lot of my other basses
• The tonal variety. Not that I've played with it too much yet. Last night I set it up for a fat funk tone and didn't touch the controls all night after that

Me no likey -

• Black pearloid pickguard. Can't wait for my new tort and white pickguards to arrive
• The curved edge on the pups. After spending my whole life resting my thumb on pups with square edges, this will take some getting used to.

Overall, three thumbs up.

I just received mine as well and can't get enough of it! I'm still trying to get used to the thumbrest areas on the tops of the pickups. I'll look down and find my thumb resting on the corner of the pickup rather than the rest. I'm sure I'll catch on at some point but old habits die hard.

 

[Aussie Mark]

I'll look down and find my thumb resting on the corner of the pickup rather than the rest.

That's exactly what I found last night

 

[bovinehost]

Effin noobs.

 

[phatduckk]

everyone's getting a Bongo! damn. I still wanna get one some day once the whole "i hate the looks" thing fades ... but i just got a new car so i have to lay off buying new gear for a while

 

[tkarter]

I don't ever want one if the I hate the looks things fades.

tk

 

[mike not fat]

I agree with mark and dennis. The thumb rest on the humbucker is not really appropriate.
As them, I use the corner of the mic' and it's ok.

MNF

 

[bassmonkeee]

I agree with mark and dennis. The thumb rest on the humbucker is not really appropriate.
As them, I use the corner of the mic' and it's ok.

MNF

I have to say that I've never really even noticed the pickup thumb rest. I have used a floating right hand technique for about 5 years now, so I just pluck the string where I like the tone, as opposed to plucking where my thumb can find an anchor.

 

[giddy4geddy]

Sounds like a cool after-market item that could be fashioned rather cheaply.... pickup thumbrest. I'm still working on the name. It would have to be called something cheesy, but catchy. Any suggestions? Wouldn't be too hard to fasten it through the existing top screw on the pickup...

As for me, I find my thumb rests nicely in the curve....

Congrats on purchasing the best bass ever made....

Chris in Atlanta

 

[TheAntMan]

I have to say that I've never really even noticed the pickup thumb rest. I have used a floating right hand technique for about 5 years now, so I just pluck the string where I like the tone, as opposed to plucking where my thumb can find an anchor.

First of all....CONGRATS to MARK!!!!

Next, I use the same floating technique and don't worry about a thumb rest. But, for those who do, it will just have to be something you get use to just like when we all started. The main thing is to enjoy the challenge

 

[bassmonkeee]

Hmmm....odd--I thought I had this in my original post.

Congrats, Mark, and I'm glad you felt the Bongo lived up to the amazing amount of hype on these boards. You've certainly shown yourself to be someone who won't pee on your foot, and tell you it's raining, so I know you aren't holding your real opinion back.

I look forward to seeing the Rolls Burgundy with a tort guard. I think it would look really nice with a mint green pickguard, too. The RB finish isn't one of my favorite Bongo finishes, but I think mint green would change that.

I bet the chromes sound great, and I highly recommend LaBella black nylon flats and the TI Superalloys with the Bongo.

 

[MingusBASS]

I have an Inca Silver Jazz where as a result of using the pickup cover as a thumb rest it slowly sunk further into the body. I coudln't raise it closer to the string so to make sure it didn't get worse and to give it time to "heal" I started to use a floating thumb. Like the others its been about 5 years since and I think if you can get used to it... its the way to go.

Andrew

 

[Aussie Mark]

 

[Deaj]

Classy!

 

[Bassplyr]

Good lookin' Bongo! Thanks for the pics!!

 

[tiffles]

yikes i agree about the black pickgaurd...eeeek ...get the white on asap. then he'll look great. enjoy, i am still jealous

 

[TheAntMan]

Sweeeeeetttt

I love a red head...hubba hubba!!

Congrats again Mark

 

[cheezewiz]

I gigged with my new bongo for the first time last night.

On the "me likey" list.

The bass is very comfortable. The ergonomics definitely work for me. I didn't find the pickup thumbrests a hinderance at all. My right hand floats about 50 percent of the time, and anchors about 50 percent of the time, and I was comfortable anchoring on either pickup. I think I'll like the "notched" pickup tops quite a bit once I get used to them. The bongo was extremely versatile. I went from P bass thump to stingray snarl and back depending on the song. It was equally at home from SRV and The Allman Bros to the Chili Peppers. I got several comments on how neat the bass looked. The lava pearl almost looks metallic under the lights.

The "me no likey" list.

Its more than likely a combination of setup and strings, but at times, the sound was TOO extreme. I had a new set of Dean Markley SR2000 on the bass, and the "clank" was a bit overbearing at times, and I LIKE a bright sound. I have a set of the new Thomastik Superalloys at home and I think the somewhat muted tone of these may end up being perfect for the Bongo. The bass also sounded a bit boomy at times. I think controlling that is just going to be a matter of finding settings I like on the bass and the amp together. I actually ended up running the bass slightly cut by the third set of the night.

Overall...Im really pleased with the bass, and just need to fine tune it to my particular needs and poor technique.

 

[bovinehost]

The bass also sounded a bit boomy at times. I think controlling that is just going to be a matter of finding settings I like on the bass and the amp together.

Yep, I've had to re-think my EQ settings on my amp. I can knock down small cities and kill old people if I'm not careful.

 

[bassmonkeee]

I gigged with my new bongo for the first time last night.

On the "me likey" list.

The bass is very comfortable. The ergonomics definitely work for me. I didn't find the pickup thumbrests a hinderance at all. My right hand floats about 50 percent of the time, and anchors about 50 percent of the time, and I was comfortable anchoring on either pickup. I think I'll like the "notched" pickup tops quite a bit once I get used to them. The bongo was extremely versatile. I went from P bass thump to stingray snarl and back depending on the song. It was equally at home from SRV and The Allman Bros to the Chili Peppers. I got several comments on how neat the bass looked. The lava pearl almost looks metallic under the lights.

The "me no likey" list.

Its more than likely a combination of setup and strings, but at times, the sound was TOO extreme. I had a new set of Dean Markley SR2000 on the bass, and the "clank" was a bit overbearing at times, and I LIKE a bright sound. I have a set of the new Thomastik Superalloys at home and I think the somewhat muted tone of these may end up being perfect for the Bongo. The bass also sounded a bit boomy at times. I think controlling that is just going to be a matter of finding settings I like on the bass and the amp together. I actually ended up running the bass slightly cut by the third set of the night.

Overall...Im really pleased with the bass, and just need to fine tune it to my particular needs and poor technique.

Very cool. Yeah, I had to temper my input gain in the very beginning, too.

I have Superalloys on both of my Bongos, and I absolutely love them--I can imagine that the DM SR2000s are a bit over the top with the Bongo.

Don't be afraid to turn down the treble a bit, either. I have never liked dimming the treble in the past, but the Bongo EQ has the frequency set so high that it really only takes the edge off without muting it at all.