NBD.

[Maxi Funkl]

Congrats will the Stingray Special tuners fit this bass? They are much lighter than traditional Bongo or Stingray tuners.

 

[Shoreline Gold]

I read the design of the Bongo was done by BMW. I guess the lower horn is excellent at shielding your hand from the mud that gets thrown up from the tires -
Or it was designed so it creates a perfectly balanced downforce when you reach 200mph. However. The curve of the Body does not make it sit on your lap in a very comfy position.

This remark just won Talkbass today, IMO.

Congratulations! I've never liked the sound of them when I've played them, and others don't like their look, but I think they're cool and different and I so agree with the playability thing--no substitute. Enjoy and play in good health!

Peace.

 

[N4860]

I've never had a single H bongo but shouldn't it have stacked controls for the mids? Or is it a different preamp from what they do now? My bongo's have always had 2 pickups (HH or HS) and they've had volume, blend, stacked hi & low mids, stacked bass & treble.

 

[timmus]

and make sure and get that C string in the saddle groove. killin my ocd.

 

[timmus]

The Bongo basses have fascinated me since the first time I saw Colin Edwin (formerly of Porcupine Tree) playing one years ago. I found one in a music store and tried it. They have a great B string sound and overall just sound great...unfortunately, they are quite a ways out of my price range.

 

[Obese Chess]

Nice score. I, like many people, didn't like them when they came out, but the design has really grown on me and they sure do sound and play great. Enjoy it!

 

[Clark W]

Gorgeous bass!

I recently posted a 'Talk me out of it' thread, which more or less competely failed.

So this is a MusicMan Bongo 6H.
View attachment 5159364

The color you're seeing is called Sequoia Gold and was released in a limited edition in 2008. Since all the hardware, including the pole pieces of the pickup and the pickguard screws, is golden, I'll go ahead and install a set of golden strings on this one to match the theme. I have a 6er set Optima Gold roundwounds and a set of LaBella golden Deep Talkin Flats sitting in the cupboard for this.


As mentioned in the 'Talk me out of it' thread, the job of the Bongo would be replacing a Dingwall NG3 6 string - as my backup 6 string. I got it cheap, and selling the Dingwall will let me pocket quite a sum.

I'm still in the office, so I could only give it a once over and play it for a few minutes.

Here's what I liked:
Both the neck and the area to navigate with the right hand feel great.
The back of the neck is satin, not gloss. I'll have to really play it for a while but those five minutes (that actually lasted 30) I spent with it, I was right at home, no minute to get used to the dimensions or anything else.
This is, in my book, the most crucial thing.
Most of the rest can be circumvented, but if those ergonomics do not match your hands, there's not much one can do about it.

Here's what I did not like so much:
Weight is 10.4lbs I expected low double digits here, but still - when you're used to something much lighter, this feels heavy. I have a strong and healthy back. I can take it.

I read the design of the Bongo was done by BMW. I guess the lower horn is excellent at shielding your hand from the mud that gets thrown up from the tires -
Or it was designed so it creates a perfectly balanced downforce when you reach 200mph. However. The curve of the Body does not make it sit on your lap in a very comfy position.
On top of that, sitting down with the bass on your lap, it is prone to neck dive.

I guess I'll have to look into lighter weight tuners - given there are six of them, I could possibly shave off some total weight and eliminate neck dive at the same time.


First Impression:
I'm very happy with it and I'm pretty sure the Dingwall may go.
I will have to play it through an amp before I make any more comments, though.

So you came to talkbass to try and get talked out of buying a bass?

Gorgeous bass!

 

[logdrum]

Even in their 4 string -- pre Special Music man basses are heavy. I will be over the moon for a 10.4 lb 6 string bass -- That's just what most 4 strings would weigh, granted Bongos have basswood bodies. Put ultra-lite tuners and you can probably bring it down to sub 10. 10.4 is a light 6 string bass of that era.

 

[Sam Evans]

Gorgeous!

 

[_Obra_]

That's a beauty! I guess it was about 6 months ago I got the below StingRay SLO Special. I love the bass. BUT, it's the heaviest bass I own, coming in at 10 lbs., 2 oz.. I'm a big guy so it's definitely not too heavy for me. Just heavier than my other basses.

I got this Italia 4" strap and it really distributes the weight well.

View attachment 5159466

What's that black cube combo behind You?

 

[el murdoque]

Yes. Though single pickup Bongos are uncommon. Is the bass over 10 years old?

It was made in 2008, so yes.
Am I right in thinking that the pickup position is different with the single pickup models?
Or is it the same as the bridge pickup on the HH / HS models?

I've never had a single H bongo but shouldn't it have stacked controls for the mids? Or is it a different preamp from what they do now? My bongo's have always had 2 pickups (HH or HS) and they've had volume, blend, stacked hi & low mids, stacked bass & treble.

For reasons unknown to me, the Bongo H has the three band EQ.

Gorgeous bass!
So you came to talkbass to try and get talked out of buying a bass?

Gorgeous bass!

Yes, I thought maybe that if I tell TB that the Bongo would replace another bass, I'd get some .... whom am I trying to kid here? I came to the enablers to get the one thing they deliver ...


I hooked that thing up to my setup and hit a single note - then the doorbell rang. I opened it, to see that Tim Commerford stood there. He gave me a nod of approval and left without saying a word.
So I played some RATM tunes before anything else.

This bass is feeling very vibrant and very lively in my hands.

 

[N4860]

It was made in 2008, so yes.
Am I right in thinking that the pickup position is different with the single pickup models?
Or is it the same as the bridge pickup on the HH / HS models?



For reasons unknown to me, the Bongo H has the three band EQ.




Yes, I thought maybe that if I tell TB that the Bongo would replace another bass, I'd get some .... whom am I trying to kid here? I came to the enablers to get the one thing they deliver ...


I hooked that thing up to my setup and hit a single note - then the doorbell rang. I opened it, to see that Tim Commerford stood there. He gave me a nod of approval and left without saying a word.
So I played some RATM tunes before anything else.

This bass is feeling very vibrant and very lively in my hands.

Ya, I looked up some other Bongo single H basses and saw that they have the same knob configuration as yours. Wonder why they've just done a 3 band eq for the single H's. Weird.

Yes, I can confirm that the pick up location of the single H Bongo is not the same as the bridge PU on the HH and HS bongo's. Yours is going to be in the classic Stingray bridge PU location whereas on the HH and HS the bridge pickup is a bit closer to the bridge.

 

[40Hz]

Congratulations!

Bongos are truly capable basses. Took me a long time to get my head around their…er…unique body shape. But I was absolutely sold the first time I got a chance to play one and hear how they sound. “Tone machine!” doesn’t even come close to doing them justice.

And FWIW, asking the TB collective to talk you out of buying a bass is like asking a roomful of sex addicts for advice on how to become a celibate. As in “that is sooooo not gonna happen” as one young lady of my acquaintance once put it.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I recently posted a 'Talk me out of it' thread, which more or less competely failed.

So this is a MusicMan Bongo 6H.
View attachment 5159364

The color you're seeing is called Sequoia Gold and was released in a limited edition in 2008. Since all the hardware, including the pole pieces of the pickup and the pickguard screws, is golden, I'll go ahead and install a set of golden strings on this one to match the theme. I have a 6er set Optima Gold roundwounds and a set of LaBella golden Deep Talkin Flats sitting in the cupboard for this.


As mentioned in the 'Talk me out of it' thread, the job of the Bongo would be replacing a Dingwall NG3 6 string - as my backup 6 string. I got it cheap, and selling the Dingwall will let me pocket quite a sum.

I'm still in the office, so I could only give it a once over and play it for a few minutes.

Here's what I liked:
Both the neck and the area to navigate with the right hand feel great.
The back of the neck is satin, not gloss. I'll have to really play it for a while but those five minutes (that actually lasted 30) I spent with it, I was right at home, no minute to get used to the dimensions or anything else.
This is, in my book, the most crucial thing.
Most of the rest can be circumvented, but if those ergonomics do not match your hands, there's not much one can do about it.

Here's what I did not like so much:
Weight is 10.4lbs I expected low double digits here, but still - when you're used to something much lighter, this feels heavy. I have a strong and healthy back. I can take it.

I read the design of the Bongo was done by BMW. I guess the lower horn is excellent at shielding your hand from the mud that gets thrown up from the tires -
Or it was designed so it creates a perfectly balanced downforce when you reach 200mph. However. The curve of the Body does not make it sit on your lap in a very comfy position.
On top of that, sitting down with the bass on your lap, it is prone to neck dive.

I guess I'll have to look into lighter weight tuners - given there are six of them, I could possibly shave off some total weight and eliminate neck dive at the same time.


First Impression:
I'm very happy with it and I'm pretty sure the Dingwall may go.
I will have to play it through an amp before I make any more comments, though.

Pretty bass. One piece of advice. Get a second strap adjusted for sitting. Works wonders.

 

[Pings Bass]

Too heavy for this old man, but a very distinctive, well put together instrument, congrats!

 

[C Stone]

and make sure and get that C string in the saddle groove. killin my ocd.

Good eye!
Congratulations OP it’s a very cool color.

 

[Jeff K]

What's that black cube combo behind You?

Ha ha!!! That's just a footrest/ottoman. I often sit on that chair by it and play my bass along with Spotify. I'm sure it's not the best way to play for posture, but it's comfortable for me!! My amp is outside of the picture to my left (the right part of the picture).

 

[Jeff K]

@_Obra_ , here's a pic of my main rig. Two TC Electronic 212's, Mesa Boogie D-800+, and a Korg rack tuner (without a rack!)...

 

[Spectre Gunner]

That's a gorgeous bass! Is it a Ball Family Reserve Limited Edition?

I recently weighed my new set of lightweight Hipshot tuners on an accurate kitchen scale and compared them with a set of standard Fender steel open tuners. The Fenders weighed in right at 1lb and the Hipshots were one half that at just 1/2 lb and that was just four tuners. Therefore a six tuner swap can potentially net you up to 3/4 pound weight savings with a significant loss of neck dive to boot.

Anyone know what MM tuners weigh? Are they already lightweight making my post stupid and pointless?

 

[el murdoque]

Ya, I looked up some other Bongo single H basses and saw that they have the same knob configuration as yours. Wonder why they've just done a 3 band eq for the single H's. Weird.

Yes, I can confirm that the pick up location of the single H Bongo is not the same as the bridge PU on the HH and HS bongo's. Yours is going to be in the classic Stingray bridge PU location whereas on the HH and HS the bridge pickup is a bit closer to the bridge.

I think these two are related. When I plugged in the bass, I had, what I personally would call a classic Stingray tone. That wiry top, the snarly midrange, but still lots of punch in the lower regions. With the pickup in the Stingray position and the active three band EQ, you basically get a six string Stingray that looks like a luxurious golden toilet seat.