yeah me too, today to be exact.
I bought mic cables at Guitar Center this afternoon. I had my wife and kids waiting in the car, I mean, I was only going to be a minute...then I saw this gold flash from the bass section...they had replenished the MM stock. Yipes...one 4 string and two 5 string bongos, including one of the stealthy ones.
I've been itching to try one, and AnthonyD's Christmas toy post, you know, the Red Bongo in the Santa Hat, made me really itchy.
The 4 string was set up for Archery, so I adjusted the truss with my swiss army knife screw driver tool...love that wheel.
My big 'fear" with the Bongo is the 24 frets. I've tried to make the 24 fret transition for the entire 90s, which also happended to be a six string bass. You remember the early 90s?, 'everyone' was playing one, and there was even an article, 'is the 4 string doomed" Bass Player. Yeah...I'm back to a 4 string Ray now....whew..but I digress.
On the 24 fret neck, I usually found myself grabbing one fret too high. Which meant I had to constantly check myself on the neck. It was always a relief to come back 'home' to a 22 fret (or less), and find the notes right where they should be.
But today...I went back and forth between a Bongo and MM Sting Ray, and the difference didn't seem that great as compared to what was happening to me before.
Looking at all those frets above the 12 did seem like looking into a piano, alot more notes...but I don't know, did the Bongo makers, movers and shakers figure a way out of this....or am I just looking for a way to squeek one into my gig bag.
I also noticed that the radius on the fret board was flatter, but it did still feel like home to me.
Any of you Bongo lovers find any transition issues with a 24 fret neck?
MJK
