Hi. Just a question for you...what do you guys think is a better bass: An ernie ball musicman Bongo Bass or an ernie ball silver? I bought a black second hand bongo for $1050 canadian and I like the way it plays, but it has some wear and the paint on the back of the neck is chipping off, which kind of annoys me. I play rock mostly, but need a tonally versatile bass for studio recording. I know that both of them are around the same price new, so I wasn't sure if one was better than the other or if it was personal preference. The paint chipping bothers me; what if I buy one new and it does that? What are your thoughts? Bongo or silver? Or is there another bass that would be better that is in the same price range?
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Bongo vs. Sterling
- Thread starter fatbassturd
- Start date
I believe the word you are looking for is "Sterling" not "silver." And both basses our great, its really personal preference.
Yes, that's it. I guess I thought "silver" as in "sterling silver". Are they both capable of the same amount of tonal versatility? The Bongo has two extra knobs on top of the rear two, and I am not sure what they do.
Ernie Ball does offer various pickup configurations on the Sterling. You can get a humbucker or a single coil in the neck. With all the coil switching, you have plenty of great tones to choose from.
If cosmetic issues are bothering you (paint chips, ect...), its probably not the bass for you. With every great bass I've owned, it didn't matter what condition it was in. The tone, feel and playability mattered most. My Sterling plays and sounds so good you could take an icepick to it and I'd still love it. 
I totally agree with you birminghambass; Tone and playability are way more important than looks. I just wanted to know if Bongo basses are prone to paint chipping...because I don't like the rough feel of the neck while playing.
Different animals. The bongo will be more versatile, while the sterling will be more aggressive. The sterling has a slimmer neck, and 22 frets. The bongo has a neck which is somewhere inbetween the stingray and sterling neck, and 24 frets. The bongo also has a 4 band preamp, with different controls than the sterling, which has a 3 band, and the controls feature a coil switch, rather than a pickup blend type deal.
well, i guess you don't have to worry about a painted neck if you go with the sterling
- Dec 5, 2002
- 4,165
- 2,254
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Ernie Ball Music Man/Sterling By Music Man
I've got four or five Bongos now and have owned at least twelve or thirteen others over the last few years and never had a problem with paint chipping off (headstock dings excepted).
Sounds like the previous owner got a bit rowdy.
Sounds like the previous owner got a bit rowdy.
ya, ive never heard of the paint chipping on a bongo neck. id guess there was some sort fo fall that chipped the paint and it wasnt dressed so it got worse n worse.
i agree with figjam. they're different animals. the sterling has a more jazz-like neck, so to some its fast and awesome, to others its small. also like fig said the sterling can get a pretty aggressive tone (though you can tame it).
i dont have a bongo so i cant give you a great comparisson, but i have have 4 sterlings so i can vouch that they are awesome (IMO of course). but either way, both basses are awesome... just different kinds of awesome
i agree with figjam. they're different animals. the sterling has a more jazz-like neck, so to some its fast and awesome, to others its small. also like fig said the sterling can get a pretty aggressive tone (though you can tame it).
i dont have a bongo so i cant give you a great comparisson, but i have have 4 sterlings so i can vouch that they are awesome (IMO of course). but either way, both basses are awesome... just different kinds of awesome
In this case I'd be tempted to advise you to stay with the Bongo (but you should perhaps get the neck looked at). The dual pickups and the 4 band EQ allow a lot of breathing room when it comes to versatility.
Can't I get the same or similar pickups on the sterling? I like the feel and look of the sterling better. Also, I like being able to switch between tones rather than turning knobs. The Bongo has dual humbuckers right? Can't I get something like that on the Sterling?
They're *completely* different basses.
Having never played a Bongo, I can't really comment on them. I'm not particularly fond of the looks, but then again, I'm not a fan of the looks of the Stingray either, whereas the Sterling is just different enough to be appealing to me, so looks are kind of out the door. I have played a single-pickup Sterling before, and I really liked it . . . not enough to buy it, but enough to change my opinion of Ernie Ball/MusicMan basses. The single-pickup with the coil-tap switch is SUPER-versatile, and very easy to use. I also liked the slim neck and the more contoured, slimmer body, compared to the Stingray.
Once again, having never played a Bongo, I can't really comment at all. Some people here swear by them; others make jokes about their appearance. The only things I have to go on are (a)a clip of Sterling Ball demonstrating the Bongo, in which I thought it sounded like absolute crap (basically, the advertisement backfired on me), and (b)hearing clips of stuff that Tony Levin recorded with his Bongo, which I thought sounded amazing. So yeah, I really have no idea what a Bongo is like in reality.
Paint chipping off necks is uncommon unless the bass is incredibly cheaply-made or if it is severely beaten up and dropped and so on. I'm a fan of painted necks, but honestly, a lot of it is looks. Considering how different the two basses are, I would suggest you try playing both of them and decide which you like more.
Also, bear in mind that there are humbucker, dual-humbucker and humbucker + single-coil options for both the Sterling and the Bongo last I checked, so there's a lot of mixing and matching you can do.
Having never played a Bongo, I can't really comment on them. I'm not particularly fond of the looks, but then again, I'm not a fan of the looks of the Stingray either, whereas the Sterling is just different enough to be appealing to me, so looks are kind of out the door. I have played a single-pickup Sterling before, and I really liked it . . . not enough to buy it, but enough to change my opinion of Ernie Ball/MusicMan basses. The single-pickup with the coil-tap switch is SUPER-versatile, and very easy to use. I also liked the slim neck and the more contoured, slimmer body, compared to the Stingray.
Once again, having never played a Bongo, I can't really comment at all. Some people here swear by them; others make jokes about their appearance. The only things I have to go on are (a)a clip of Sterling Ball demonstrating the Bongo, in which I thought it sounded like absolute crap (basically, the advertisement backfired on me), and (b)hearing clips of stuff that Tony Levin recorded with his Bongo, which I thought sounded amazing. So yeah, I really have no idea what a Bongo is like in reality.
Paint chipping off necks is uncommon unless the bass is incredibly cheaply-made or if it is severely beaten up and dropped and so on. I'm a fan of painted necks, but honestly, a lot of it is looks. Considering how different the two basses are, I would suggest you try playing both of them and decide which you like more.
Also, bear in mind that there are humbucker, dual-humbucker and humbucker + single-coil options for both the Sterling and the Bongo last I checked, so there's a lot of mixing and matching you can do.
I don't like muffled tones on the bass...I like to hear it with drums and guitar and not just have a wall of low-frequency mud. I don't know what the different pickups do on basses, as I just got into it. What would dual humbuckers do? Anyone know about the different types of pickups or know of any good articles?
well, i guess you don't have to worry about a painted neck if you go with the sterling
It doesn't matter that the neck is painted, IIRC it's finished with the same satin oil-style finish as all of Musicman necks. They all feel great to me!
I played both. If I could afford it I would buy both. I bought the Bongo. The 2HH 4 Band EQ model in Lava Pearl. Both basses were great players. I liked the EQ and neck better on the Bongo. I guess it was personal preference. If the bass headstock says Musicman, be proud and welcome to the family !
