Hy folks,
I am a pretty long time MM bass player from Europe, and for the first time I am getting a brand new Bongo 5HH. Waiting it to arrive and very excited about all I read about. I purchased it blindly as there are no available in local stores.
Since I never purchased a brand new high-profile instrument before, is there some best practice to do about its initial setup, or the factory setup is the best possible already? I read Sterling to state that the pickup height should not be adjusted. If the factory setup is not done in a way that the action is the lowest possible to still assure a no buzz sound, and I have to lower it a bit to my taste, should I adjust the pickups height accordingly or better to leave them as they are?
Another question, out of my curiosity, is whether the Bongo is likely to maintain its exclusive electronics. We saw neodymium pickups reach other Music Man basses, as well as the 18V electronics. But the third distinctive trait of the Bongo, the 4 EQ preamp, remained unique to the +4 strings Bongo. I am wondering whether Sterling didn’t put all these 3 traits into other basses in more than 2 decades, is exactly to maintain the exclusivity of this instrument as per saying “if you want neodymium, 18V and 4 EQ”, there’s the Bongo only.
I love the look and the weight of the Bongo but a strong purchasing reason for me was that innovative and unique combination neodymium-18V-4EQ that I couldn’t find in any stingray.
Thanks all! Can’t wait to put my hands on that little monster!
I am a pretty long time MM bass player from Europe, and for the first time I am getting a brand new Bongo 5HH. Waiting it to arrive and very excited about all I read about. I purchased it blindly as there are no available in local stores.
Since I never purchased a brand new high-profile instrument before, is there some best practice to do about its initial setup, or the factory setup is the best possible already? I read Sterling to state that the pickup height should not be adjusted. If the factory setup is not done in a way that the action is the lowest possible to still assure a no buzz sound, and I have to lower it a bit to my taste, should I adjust the pickups height accordingly or better to leave them as they are?
Another question, out of my curiosity, is whether the Bongo is likely to maintain its exclusive electronics. We saw neodymium pickups reach other Music Man basses, as well as the 18V electronics. But the third distinctive trait of the Bongo, the 4 EQ preamp, remained unique to the +4 strings Bongo. I am wondering whether Sterling didn’t put all these 3 traits into other basses in more than 2 decades, is exactly to maintain the exclusivity of this instrument as per saying “if you want neodymium, 18V and 4 EQ”, there’s the Bongo only.
I love the look and the weight of the Bongo but a strong purchasing reason for me was that innovative and unique combination neodymium-18V-4EQ that I couldn’t find in any stingray.
Thanks all! Can’t wait to put my hands on that little monster!
