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Axis 30th Anniversary

Newb Asking Bongo question

L

leo

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2006
Messages
5
Hi, ive got my heart set on a bongo, its going to be a while before i can afford one but wanted some feedback about it from people who actually own one.

my slap bass is very limited as im still learning but its something i want to achieve, what pickup arrangement would be best for this, im drawn towards the hh(for versatility in tone) but ive heard they are harder to slap.(i dont want to slap everything however)

Is it worth forking out the extra £300 for the peizo bridge.

and can i order stright from the usa (i live in the uk) as they seem to be cheaper over there, also im a lefty so finding one in the colour i like etc and left handed may prove difficult over hear.

sorry if these have been asked before, i looked through the first few pages but couldent find any thing.

cheers
leo.
 
Due to dealer agreements, new instruments cannot be exported to other countries by dealers.

However, no such rules exist for used instruments. So Ebay or the various online places with a used inventory might be a good place to look.

I 've owned an HH, HS and H bongo. From this experience I see two options:

#1) Buy an HH or HS and take the time to change your slap style to account for the neck p/u. It can be done.

#2) Buy a singleH and take the time to learn different picking hand positions to account for different music styles. I've found moving the picking hand towards the neck or bridge coupled with use of the 3-band eq. can get you plenty of variation.

I went for #2 and like it more than #1
 
Try to get your hands on all the configurations and play 'em and listen with your own ears. I have seem some funk guys slap the HH Bongo into oblivion. It's all in your personal technique. I myself run into probs with the popping space. I'm still very much a beginner though so my technique can get a bit sloppy in that my hand moves around; and if you don't keep your hand just so when you pop you'll run into the pickups. But like everything else, you can adapt. After about 15 mins of playing a Bongo HH in a shop I notice a difference in me adapting so imagine if you own one and have all the time in the world.

Remember that there's more to the Bongo H than popping space...the pickup is also in that "sweet spot" (just like the Sterlings and Stingrays) so it will sound different tonally than a HH that has the bridge pickup further back (unlike the HH Stingrays and Sterlings). Which is what was the final deciding factor for me.

You should spend time hearing and playing them for yourself while you save some money.
 
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Due to the placement of the single coil, there is no more room to slap on a SC/H Bongo than there is on the H/H Bongo. If you "need" room, then the single H is the one.

I can slap just fine on both my SC/H and my H/H Bongos, albeit I don't use the technique much since it reminds me of popcorn popping, but that's neither here, nor there...

If you want to slap on a Bongo with two pickups, you can slap on a Bongo with two pickups. It's just a matter of developing the ability just like any other.
 
Not a great performance, but here's a video of me slapping my HHP Bongo (just to prove that it can be done with no problems):

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXhlIMEJd7w"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]

And I'm a big fan of the piezo bridge, BTW. To me, it doesn't make a big difference in regular fingerstyle playing, but it makes the slap tone even more aggressive and adds a beautiful color for tapping solo pieces.
 
After seeing Alvabass' video I would like to amend my first post by saying "Please do not pay attention to this lesser slap mortal and instead listen to the slap god". In other words "I suck". lol :D
 
WOW!
3.gif
I never expected such nice comments. Thank you BP and 4metta! That performance is still so far of what I want it to be. I'd really like to be that good. I only enjoy playing bass and try to do my best. Thank you again!
 
Big Poppa said:
That Alva guy is REAL good!
Click to expand...

Yes, he is.

And here is the reason: He stays idoors practising all the time! I mean, check his leg, it's white as, you know, white:p

And he lives in Colombia, where I'm told they have sun all the time.

Alvaro, great playing as always, but you really should get out into the sun more:D
 
Darn fine Alva....

If you are learning to slap then you can adapt easier I reckon, on any of the pickup configs. I went from single to HS, took a couple of practises but got there in the end.

You cannot buy new out of the States.....but if you are after something in the UK drop me a pm as I got a good shop who can sort you out.....:)
 
thanks for the advice,
roballanson- cheers its gonna be a couple of months yet as im about to move house fairly soon so i need to get that sorted before i can blow my cash on a bass, (allthough i am tempted ha ha)
 
Alvabass - that was awesome - truly inspirational - I am only just beginning to learn slap technique (I've been playing 30 years), and this ole' dog is having a hard time learning new tricks! Watching that was so cool!!

Re the HH - even being a newbie to slapping, getting the pop space between the neck and the neck pup hasn't been too bad, but then I have little experience with anything else. I do love the tone though!! HH all the way!
 
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