Musicman Bongos - worth it?

[CereBassum]

The mids ring clear and the tone is much more refined. The Stingray has better fundamental lows and girth.

That's exactly how I hear it too. I use the Bongo for jazz and I when I want to work out melodies or even play a little classical stuff. It's also great for Metal. But it I want to dig in deep and play old school RnB or Funk, I use my Stingray 4 HS.
I'm pretty hooked on the MM's - since I started with them it's tough to play anything else - always feels like I'm compromising. (I can't afford boutique instruments and I have no urge to try one. The Ray and the Bongo have cured my GAS after going through an awful lot of basses.)

 

[BlackDog Music]

That's exactly how I hear it too. I use the Bongo for jazz and I when I want to work out melodies or even play a little classical stuff. It's also great for Metal. But it I want to dig in deep and play old school RnB or Funk, I use my Stingray 4 HS.
I'm pretty hooked on the MM's - since I started with them it's tough to play anything else - always feels like I'm compromising. (I can't afford boutique instruments and I have no urge to try one. The Ray and the Bongo have cured my GAS after going through an awful lot of basses.)

Yes!
In very short order, I've been finding myself only picking up either the Stingray or now the Bongo. I've been a staunch Fender guy for many years, and the only debate was "is it the Jazz or the P tonight"? I'm finding that my MM's are doing everything and are just that much fuller sounding - higher highs, lower lows. And slapping - forget it. Pure joy - and I'm not even a super slap-happy kind of guy - much more old school.
I might have a lot of basses to sell soon....

 

[B-line]

"MusicMan Bongos-Worth it?"

When in doubt, always ask Mr. Burns!

Here's mine, (it's kinda special!) and what he had to say:

 

[Runnerman]

Congrats to you! Welcome to the family. I've been gigging mine for 6 years or so and still get positive comments. It seems like only other bassists hate the shape though I've never had any comment negatively about mine. General public's comments are always that it is very cool. MM build quality and instrument stability is excellent. Never touched my truss wheel since I've owned it. Try flats you will be blown away...just put cobalt flats on mine a month or two ago at other TBer's recomendation.

 

[Low Key]

Yes!
In very short order, I've been finding myself only picking up either the Stingray or now the Bongo. I've been a staunch Fender guy for many years, and the only debate was "is it the Jazz or the P tonight"? I'm finding that my MM's are doing everything and are just that much fuller sounding - higher highs, lower lows. And slapping - forget it. Pure joy - and I'm not even a super slap-happy kind of guy - much more old school.
I might have a lot of basses to sell soon....

Been playing MM 90% of the time over the last several years. I feel like I "had to" own a fancy Jazz bass and saved for a Lull. Truth be told, I love that J bass and it comes out from time to time. But practicing and "meat and potatoes" is almost always MM. The Bongo is a combo of bold, warm and clear. It does finger style and slap great. I sometimes think I ought to swap my Stingray for a single H Bongo and have two Bongos, but perhaps I'm better off with these two basses. All bases are truly covered.

 

[Derry Murbles]

I used to own a 5HS- Absolutely adored the thing. Versatile, ballsy, booming, comfy, and sharp looking! I say do it!!

My white whale (not super high end or anything) is a Bongo 4HS in the limited PDN color scheme of Neptune Blue with a roasted Birdseye maple neck... best looking bass I’ve laid eyes on in a while:

Most other pictures I’ve seen are darker than this one but I’d sop this up quick if it came available.

 

[BlackDog Music]

Been playing MM 90% of the time over the last several years. I feel like I "had to" own a fancy Jazz bass and saved for a Lull. Truth be told, I love that J bass and it comes out from time to time. But practicing and "meat and potatoes" is almost always MM. The Bongo is a combo of bold, warm and clear. It does finger style and slap great. I sometimes think I ought to swap my Stingray for a single H Bongo and have two Bongos, but perhaps I'm better off with these two basses. All bases are truly covered.

Yeah, I have a '68 Tele bass (the real thing, not a repro) and that thing has a tone all its own. I just don't like bringing it anywhere - the idea of getting another ding on it or some loser making off with it fills me with dread. Besides, its tone is really better appreciated for recording. It has some beautiful, bell-like overtones that get lost when the band is bashing through some Stones. And when I tried to point it out to the guitarists, I was met with some blank faces - "pearls before swine," as my dad used to say.
My MM's are like precision sledgehammers - never a missed note, punchy as all hell, and cuts through the wall of sound that two electrics, a loud drummer and 3 singers make. The Tele just can't compete with that.

 

[Low Key]

I used to own a 5HS- Absolutely adored the thing. Versatile, ballsy, booming, comfy, and sharp looking! I say do it!!

My white whale (not super high end or anything) is a Bongo 4HS in the limited PDN color scheme of Neptune Blue with a roasted Birdseye maple neck... best looking bass I’ve laid eyes on in a while:

View attachment 2774717

Most other pictures I’ve seen are darker than this one but I’d sop this up quick if it came available.

That is gorgeous. I have seen those come up used for sale from time to time, but haven't been ready to buy when they were available.

 

[CereBassum]

Never touched my truss wheel since I've owned it.

Bongo 6 is the only bass I ever owned that I have not touched anything on it since I unpacked it. Everything was perfect when I got and it's a year now and I haven't done a thing - it's so good I'm afraid I'll mess it up if I try to tweak it.

I did have to change the strings and setup on my Stringray 4 HS.

 

[Paulabass]

I think Bongos are very cool. I find the preamp a bit finicky. On a Stingray, I just put bass at just + on bass, mid flat, and just - on treble. I can set it before even plugging in.

 

[BlackDog Music]

I think Bongos are very cool. I find the preamp a bit finicky. On a Stingray, I just put bass at just + on bass, mid flat, and just - on treble. I can set it before even plugging in.

I'm liking having the stacked knob for two separate mid controls. And the treble on the Bongo I find to be more of an actual boost, whereas the treble on my Stingray not only boosts the treble but adds some of that harsh extra bright string rasp as well. Maybe it's the string brand on the two or the acoustics- I'll have to A/B them sometime to be more "scientific about it....

 

[CereBassum]

I'm liking having the stacked knob for two separate mid controls. And the treble on the Bongo I find to be more of an actual boost, whereas the treble on my Stingray not only boosts the treble but adds some of that harsh extra bright string rasp .

Bongo's pre-amp is entirely different than the Ray's.

 

[Epitaph04]

The Bongo's 4 band EQ is a completely different animal. The bongo as a whole sounds and feels very different from a stingray, is very very versatile, and has a lot of range. It can take some getting used to.

 

[CereBassum]

The Bongo's 4 band EQ is a completely different animal. The bongo as a whole sounds and feels very different from a stingray, is very very versatile

Agree 1000% . They're both great instruments, but entirely different. The StringRay is a pile-driver, the Bongo is a finely sharpened sword.

 

[CereBassum]

I find the preamp a bit finicky

It's called "granular".

 

[shewhorn]

Plus, the top three strings felt like rubber bands (could've been the DR Hi-Beams, though).

That's the laws of physics. It has nothing to do with the bass. That string set on any other bass with the same scale would feel exactly the same. Things that can change string tension are: change the scale length, change the pitch, change the gauge. All physics related!

I also bought, briefly, a PDN Bongo 6 in Neptune Blue (w/ roasted neck and mahogany body). I then compared each of these to my Peavey G-V, and the Peavey totally blew them out of the water, action-wise, eveness of the eq, and costing waaaaaaaaay less. So, it's an understatement to say that I wasn't impressed with the Bongos.

EQ and cost are definitely valid considerations if they're not to your liking, but action wise, if you have a bass set up by a pro (someone who has been doing it 5 days a week for 30+ years) instead of doing it yourself, both the Peavey and the Bongo should be nothing short of exactly what you want. Neck shape is a different story though. If one fits your hands better, it may feel like it has a faster action. I believe the factor spec for the Bongo (and it's worth noting that the factory setting rarely complies with the factory spec... every bass or guitar I've bought has needed a setup off the rack) is around 2 mm at the 12th fret on the G string. That's pretty darn low. I actually like my action a little higher. Anyhow, Peavey has made some really nice stuff too.

 

[sko1270]

I used to own a 5HS- Absolutely adored the thing. Versatile, ballsy, booming, comfy, and sharp looking! I say do it!!

My white whale (not super high end or anything) is a Bongo 4HS in the limited PDN color scheme of Neptune Blue with a roasted Birdseye maple neck... best looking bass I’ve laid eyes on in a while:

View attachment 2774717

Most other pictures I’ve seen are darker than this one but I’d sop this up quick if it came available.

I have this bass in the 5HH version. Killer bass, but I wish I had the 4 string version. lol

 

[Bassmunnky]

Own a Bongo 6 H and 4 H

To my ears - There's no bass that will outshine it in the band mix - equal yes- (my Sadowsky)

I find the body shape comments irrelevant as it just works

 

[Stevorebob]

Own a Bongo 6 H and 4 H

To my ears - There's no bass that will outshine it in the band mix - equal yes- (my Sadowsky)

I find the body shape comments irrelevant as it just works

This.

 

[packrat]

They can bit a touch heavy, but this doesn't stop my 5HS being my most-used 5.