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Ernie Ball Music Man Custom Design Experience

What is your favourite Bongo Pick-up/EQ settings?

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Scarbee

Scarbee

Active member
Joined
May 19, 2005
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35
Location
Holbaek, Denmark
I just bought a 4 string Bongo Egyptian Smoke and I'm not sure what i think about the sound - it doesn't sound like my Stingray for sure.. :cool:

What is your favourite Bongo Pick-up/EQ settings? What setting made you choose the Bongo?

Even though you can make many sounds -what IS the BONGO SOUND in your opinion.
 
Honestly, I like it flat. I have a 4 string HH, and I usually set the pickup blend to the middle, and the eq flat. I buy my basses for how they sound flat - then when I want/need to eq, I know that I have a lot of range. I adjust my amp for the room, my bass for the song.

Also, I found that these things are pretty responsive to string selection. Choose wisely.....
 
Scarbee-
I usually keep the bass,mid(s), and treble at flat when playing at home. If I'm looking for a more aggresive sound I'll pan more to the bridge-mellow torwards the neck. On the gig, I'll make little adjustments depending on how the room takes to the Bongo.

One sound I enjoy is about 70% torwards the neck pu, take a little highs off, and boost the low mids. Nice!

Actually the 3 sounds I use the most are the one above, flat, and pan torwards bridge-boost low mids.

This is on my fretted Bongo 5 HHp.

One more thing:

If you are the Scarbee that does those demos on the Celinder site- You sir, are a bad ass! Some sweet slap grooves going on in those demos.

Andrew
 
As said I own a SR5 which is wonderfull. I also have an Alembic Mark King Signature (which has many sounds), a Fender p-bas, a Celinder J-Update 5, a Celinder PJ Update 5, a Celinder Aura Fretless 5 and also a Yamaha.

I'm not sure the Bongo really adds anything (soundwise) special and I might swap it for a Rickenbacker 4003 or a Höfner Cavern.

However the design is quite cool. I guess I thought the Bongo would be a Stingray with extended features - which it is not.

Maybe it's a good "rock" bass - used with pick...hmm I'm a slapper/finger player but likes the pick some times though..
 
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If you have the stock strings on there- I would change the strings. When I got my fretted Bongo 5 the strings were pretty dead even though it was a brand new bass from the factory. I think maybe there was some extreme heat/cold going on that wasted away the life of the strings. I put fresh strings on there and it really came alive.

Andrew
 
Hi Andrew,

Nah strings are ok. My problems is that The Bongo is not yet available in Denmark - so I ordered it without hearing it first - which is a bit of a risc.

I'll see if I can get something nice out of it ;)
 
Then this is indeed a great thing that you are checking out the Bongo. It's funny, 'cause this morning I was bored, so I sat down and started to learn some of your licks on the Celinder demos as I'm always looking for some fresh slap influence. I was able to get my bongo sounding pretty similar to the tone on those tracks. :D How odd, that I would be talking to THE SCARBEE on the EBMM forum...it's a small world.

Andrew
 
MingusBASS said:
a small world.

Andrew
Click to expand...

Indeed.. I'm sampling the SR5 at the moment and it will be a killer sound! :D I plan to ask Ernie Ball/Musicman if they want some audio-clips when I'm done. I want to make some nasty demos of that sound -which I really, really like.

The stingray fingered and slap is my favourite sound just now... :)

Celinder is having good use of the demos - and get orders this way for his basses.
 
Do share when you are done! I can't speak for EBMM but dang that would be sweet.

edit:There is a Celinder Jazz for sale locally and those demos most definitely made me want to check it out.
Andrew
 
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Hey Scarbee.....Dont give up..this bass has sooooooo many possibilities. Sart with both your amp and bass flrst and then cut and boost and play around. I know that you will find your sound.

I dont know if you know who I am but Im sterling ball and would love for you to send us sr5 sound clips if you would be so gracious.
 
as an experiment I took the pre-amp out of my Bongo5 and have left it passive, further, I wanted my bridge Humbucker in my fretless to be a bit 'warmer' so I swapped the bridge Hum for the neck Hum on my fretted and have got to say that I really am digging the sound of both basses, I'm not saying that these tweaks are "better" I'm just saying that they're giving me what I had envisioned in my mind's ear and I'm diggin' them.
 
I used to keep my e/q flat on the beast, but then it came to me... HARK.... if Sterling and his R/D staff spent so much time designing this pre-amp, why don't I try it. So today, on an outdoor gig, I figured it was time to sever a couple heads with my sound, so I rolled up the last knob on the right (the bottom part, is that bass or lo-mid?) to about 8:00, and then the hi-mid to about 5. Man, with both humbuckers on, the thing annihalited everyone. And, on top of things, the sound guy said that it was the best sounding, weirdest looking contraption he's ever seen!

PS I wish the guy said toilet seat, because that way, everyone would become annoyed at him.
 
Big Poppa said:
I dont know if you know who I am but Im sterling ball and would love for you to send us sr5 sound clips if you would be so gracious.
Click to expand...

Yeah - i know who you are - pleasure to meet you sir! :)

Sounds great! Who do I talk about getting permission to use MusicMan Stingray name it presetnames or better: title of Virtual Instrument software?

This is the plan with the upcomming Celinder basses (where we even made a special Scarbee Signature PJ bass.. :D ) - that I call the product:

SCARBEE
Celinder® P-J Update 5 Bass

In MusicMan case it would be:

SCARBEE
MusicMan® Stingray 5 Bass

It will be a Virtual Instrument based on Steinberg Halion Player. Alternative if you don't agree, I will call it:

SCARBEE
SR5-MM Bass or

SCARBEE
M-SR5 Bass not to violate or in any way damage your trademark and brand.

But it would be great to be able to make the "official" MusicMan bass software as I can do it quite nice for you. I record DI and use complete original volumes etc. No EQ - but flat. So If you have udio clips on site bass players can get a perfect idea about the Musicman sound - which I love so much. :)

It'ds becomming a bit of a trend that hardware companies make agreements with software companies so they make a good representation of their sound, examples are Arturias Moog - officially endorsed by Bob Moog

and IK Mutimedias new Bass FX - officially endorsed by Ampeg.

I would be very proud to have a "Officially endorsed by Ernie Ball® MusicMan®" label on the products.

The software basses don't compete with real basses as the market is very small and musicians/producsers primarely use them for studio work - if they are not bass players... :eek: However since I make the SR5 very precisely you can use the samples to add stuff to your already recorded bassline or even use sounds for bass school - as you can program new licks etc, and rehearse difficult stuff.

It's gonna be a huge library with any articulation possible fingered and slapped and picked - even more detailed than the J-Bass i did.

If you discuss this possibility - you should also check the Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Pianet and Clavinet sounds I have done - just to get an idea of the quality. Some of the finest players and greatest producers are using my software because they are recreated to precisly and with love.

ex. of RSP73 (Rhodes® Stage Piano MK1 73) check Linwoods demo "Scarbee doodle" - very nice played. It uses or "Vintage keyboard FX" too.

http://www.musicplayer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/ubb/get_topic/f/18/t/014805.html

Direct link: http://www.bellmusicproductions.com/clientdownloads/scarbeerhodes.mp3

also check demos at http://www.scarbee.com/demos/index.php

If we end up making an agreement on this I will gladly do the Bongo too!! ;)
 
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MingusBASS said:
So am I to understand that those Celinder Demos were made with a keyboard? If so that's freak'n nuts.

Andrew :confused:
Click to expand...

Yes...that surprises many..I invented the programming because I suffer much from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - and since I love bass so much I managed to develop a software system that allowed me to play bass again without getting my hand paralyzed from time to time.

Howver I still play for real as I can't live without touching those strings!!

I always make my demos for real first and then transfer them to programming - so all "rules" are maintained - no impossible or unrealistic performances.. :eek:
 
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