BONGO!!! My classic rock/blues band absolutely loves my Bongo. If I bring another bass, they always tell me to bring the Bongo back. It just sounds so good in a band setting.
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Music Man Sterling HH or Bongo??? (opinions please)
- Thread starter RockTheBass92
- Start date
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,943
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
Not too sure about that. The one thing about the Sterling that I was going to say you CAN'T get with the Bongo is that funky/burpy stringrayish sound. Different people find different tones they love in each instrument though. It's quite possible one can find Sterling sounds in a Bongo, but not the characteristic sound that jumps out at me.
Bongos definitely have a sound of their own. The Bongo is definitely a more aggressive instrument. I own a Bongo HH and a Sterling HS. And a Big Al and a Stingray. I also have a Bongo HS due for delivery this week.
If I had to choose one, I'd choose the Big Al.Before making your final choice, you might want to look into the Big Al. IMO it's an awesome mix of everything Musicman, w the addition of some other traditional basses. It can sound super aggressive (a jazz w a rocket engine up it's butt as a talkbasser described once after seeing me w it at t gig), and it can get real sweet, woodsy and gooey in passive mode. It's easily the most versatile of my MMs, and quickly became my #1 go to bass. If I could only have one bass for the rest of my life, I wouldn't have to think for a second. Big Al would be the guy. Maybe I'll start thinking of it as Big Alice. I'm not really homophobic, but I grew up in Bensonhurst Bklyn.
If I had to go with a Bongo or Sterling, it would be really tough choice. Would probably come down to versatility vs balls. Sterling for versatility, bongo for balls.
Not too sure about that. The one thing about the Sterling that I was going to say you CAN'T get with the Bongo is that funky/burpy stringrayish sound. Different people find different tones they love in each instrument though. It's quite possible one can find Sterling sounds in a Bongo, but not the characteristic sound that jumps out at me.
Bongos definitely have a sound of their own. The Bongo is definitely a more aggressive instrument. I own a Bongo HH and a Sterling HS. And a Big Al and a Stingray. I also have a Bongo HS due for delivery this week.
Before making your final choice, you might want to look into the Big Al. IMO it's an awesome mix of everything Musicman, w the addition of some other traditional basses. It can sound super aggressive (a jazz w a rocket engine up it's butt as a talkbasser described once after seeing me w it at t gig), and it can get real sweet, woodsy and gooey in passive mode. It's easily the most versatile of my MMs, and quickly became my #1 go to bass. If I could only have one bass for the rest of my life, I wouldn't have to think for a second. Big Al would be the guy. Maybe I'll start thinking of it as Big Alice. I'm not really homophobic, but I grew up in Bensonhurst Bklyn.
If I had to go with a Bongo or Sterling, it would be really tough choice. Would probably come down to versatility vs balls. Sterling for versatility, bongo for balls.
I agree, Big Al is a sound beast!! But the reason why I could never purchase one is because of it's dead ugly looks, in my opinion. Has the shape of a random piece of metal debris from Earl's Scarpyard.
From what I've played of the two (I have not owned either one but have played each extensively) the sterling is a thicker, meatier sounding bass most likely due to the fact that all of the pickup combinations are in series instead of parallel like on the bongo. I preferred this to the sound of the bongo which, while malleable due to the four band eq, I always felt that it was just too trebly sounding. IMO, a player should be able to get a good sound without any extra eq. Eq can take it from good to great but I felt like I had to work too much with the bongo to get the thick, aggressive sound I like.
I prefer the looks of the Sterling, but voted Bongo because it's a Transformer.
It's ugly as S when vertical, but beautiful when played.
It's ugly as S when vertical, but beautiful when played.
