In theory, lighter tuners always seem better but sometime taking mass away from the headstock increases a dead spot or impacts the overall tone.
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New Music Man Bongo model? (new tuners?)
- Thread starter Hitman261
- Start date
The new one doesn't look ugly to me. I never liked cloverleaf tuner and on Bongo which is very futuristic looking ... why put old school tuner on it ...
- May 30, 2000
- 4,707
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- Creator of: iGigBook Sheet Music Manager
I have those newer tuners on my 25th Anniv. and the clovers on my Big Al SSS. I am glad I have the older tuners on the BiG AL. The newer ones are alright on the Bongos I think.
If your tuners on the your 25th are stock they are very similar looking but are different than the new ones. I just bought a
BA5 H tonight, probably get it Monday, and I'm also happy it has the old tuners on.
Sterling Ball said they are a i/2 lb lighter than the old ones and have a better tuning ratio. I never had a tuning problem with any MM hell even my Ray 35 stays in tune but tighter and lighter sounds like a good thing.
To me the clover style looks out of place on teh bongo. It's angular yet rounded shape would look more at home with some of those Steinberger high ratio gearless tuners. If they made them for bass.
False. Guitar makers, once they become profitable, gain a superior sense of what "we" the consumers of their products will find most aesthetically pleasing.
- Aug 5, 2005
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- Endorsing Artist: J.C. Basses
I wonder if they're lighter than the Gotoh Res-o-lites, because they certainly don't complement the bass, IMO. Does anyone have any information on them?
Epitaph04 said:Yeah...because tuners definitely decided my last bass guitar purchase...
Kinda, actually. As in, If I were about to spend money on a Bongo, those would send me to the classifieds rather than the music store.
If I were buying an MTD or a Rob Allen, I'd live with them, but I generally don't like the way Y tuners feel, I hate their twinky look, and I've twice blown the plastic washer on a Y tuner. I avoid them wherever possible.
Roadkill I have to agree with you that I prefer the old fashioned clover leaf ones - except on the MM Reflex - I think I prefer the old ones on the Bongo but I'll wait until I've seen one with the new ones in the flesh before I decide.
One point that I 100% disagree with you on is that the old clover leaf tuners don't look like cheap far eastern ones - all of the very cheap Fender copies and Musicman copies I've seen have a very cheap lightweight version of the classic tuner - it's only when you use them or get up close that you realise because from a distance they look more or less the same. So would you not buy a Fender/MM etc because the tuners resemble those on cheap basses?
These new MM tuners are very similar to the ones which have been used on the Reflex and those look and feel great to me - - very classy- so I really don't see the cheapness argument.
As one or two others have said, the Bongo (which itself is now nearly 10 yrs old) is a futuristic looking design - not sure why it should be burdened with Fender style tuners which perhaps are rooted more in the middle part of the 20th century than now. I'm glad there are some people around like Epitaph whose yardstick is not firmly rooted somewhere in the past. The idea is to reduce weight, especially on a 5 string - which is something worth having.
Would any of you guys who don't like them have bought a Bongo anyway???? Are you seriously saying your decision would be swayed by the tuners - if so there are NOS ones around for you to snag...............
I said this earlier, but I think they kind of fit the bongo and reflex headstocks with their "modern" shapes but I really think the more traditionally shaped big al (headstock) should have kept the clovers. If I had finally decided to plunk down the scratch for the big al 5er I've been looking at it would almost definitely be used now, not new with those tuners.
- Dec 5, 2002
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Well, FTR, I'm glad my Bongos have the cloverleafs. It wouldn't be a deal-breaker at all, but I kind of like the big old clunky things. Also got 'em on my Big Al and never thought about it one way or the other.
- May 30, 2000
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- 257
- Disclosures
- Creator of: iGigBook Sheet Music Manager
The clover leaf tuners interfere with my Seiko clip on tuner meaning it's tough to find a spot to clip the tuner to the headstock due to the size of the tuners. These new ones look like they would solve that problem.
