• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

One Pickup Bongo 5 vs. SR5?

Dr. Cheese

Dr. Cheese

Supporting Member
Mar 3, 2004
57,342
120,733
Metro St. Louis
#1
I have owned a couple of SR5s and I think they are great basses. Anybody here play or own a Bongo 5? How similar is it to the SR5, does it offer any different tones. I know I can get a new Bongo 5 $300 cheaper than a new SR5. Those painted finishes are great money savers!
 
#2
You should probably play one to make sure you agree.

IMHO, the two pickup Bongo 5 gets the classic Stingray 4 tone, and the Stingray 5 does not. It gets in the neighborhood, but doesn't nail it.

I have not yet played a Bongo 5 single pickup(haven't seen one yet) but since it has the same bridge pickup, I can't imagine it sounding different than the 2 pickup model.
 
#3
embellisher said:
You should probably play one to make sure you agree.

IMHO, the two pickup Bongo 5 gets the classic Stingray 4 tone, and the Stingray 5 does not. It gets in the neighborhood, but doesn't nail it.

I have not yet played a Bongo 5 single pickup(haven't seen one yet) but since it has the same bridge pickup, I can't imagine it sounding different than the 2 pickup model.
Click to expand...

The pickup on the single pickup Bongo is not in the same place as the bridge pickup on the dual pickup Bongos.

I played a couple of single pickup Bongos at NAMM, and really enjoyed the way they sounded. The fretless had quite a bit of growl that I thought sounded amazing.

I plan to pick up a single pickup Bongo at some point. It doesn't sound like the other Bongos, but it has a great tone all its own.
 
#5
bassmonkeee said:
The pickup on the single pickup Bongo is not in the same place as the bridge pickup on the dual pickup Bongos.

I played a couple of single pickup Bongos at NAMM, and really enjoyed the way they sounded. The fretless had quite a bit of growl that I thought sounded amazing.

I plan to pick up a single pickup Bongo at some point. It doesn't sound like the other Bongos, but it has a great tone all its own.
Click to expand...
How wrong I am!

Does it get the 'Ray 4 tone, or no?

I am still trying to talk myself out of a dual humbucker Bongo.
 
#6
embellisher said:
How wrong I am!

Does it get the 'Ray 4 tone, or no?

I am still trying to talk myself out of a dual humbucker Bongo.
Click to expand...

In all honesty, I've not played Stingrays, or Sterlings, enough to have an informed opinion on their sound. I've only played one Musicman bass that I liked before I played a Bongo, and that was a fretless Sterling that was modified by Mike Lull.

NAMM isn't exactly the best environment for subtle comparisons, either. There is a definite difference in the character of the sound, but I wouldn't be comfortable trying to describe it now after two months and such a short demo. I just know I liked it at the time enough to want one for TI Jazz Flats to go with my other two. :smug:

Sorry I couldn't be more help. :hmm:

I think you should stop talking yourself out of a HH Bongo, and just get it. :D I'm a pretty big advocate of the Bongos, and I just found out that my fretless SC/H/P Bongo has been setup and is ready to ship from SLO today. :hyper: After months of playing them, I can safely say that if you know how to operate an EQ, you can coax quite a few different usable tones out of one with ease.
 
#9
it did not sound like a Stingray
Click to expand...

Josh, I think that if you crank the PU control all the way back to the bridge and add a bit of lows, you'll get a pretty accurate Stingray-esque noise. It takes some experimentation based on amp, room, cabs, etc, but I am definitely getting SR tones outta my dual H Bongo.

kudos to MM for making the bongo so darned ugly
Click to expand...

I meant to say, "No one cares."
Click to expand...

As someone listening to Rush Limbaugh once said, "Ditto."
 
#11
bovinehost said:
As someone listening to Rush Limbaugh once said, "Ditto."
Click to expand...
I'm not that guy.. but, ditto. :D
It's too bad that people have the same cosmetic biases against the Bongo that they have against Reverends. I've played bassmonkeee's Bongo, and I loved it. I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in the little things, like, oh, I don't know, playability and tone.
 
#12
Dave Siff said:
I'm not that guy.. but, ditto. :D
It's too bad that people have the same cosmetic biases against the Bongo that they have against Reverends. I've played bassmonkeee's Bongo, and I loved it. I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in the little things, like, oh, I don't know, playability and tone.
Click to expand...


He's more than welcome to discount a bass because he doesn't like the looks.

But, to go into a thread called "One pickup Bongo 5 vs SR5" simply to say you don't like the looks of a Bongo is like walking into an Outback Steakhouse to declare, "I don't like steak. It tastes like poo."

In other words, you only manage to draw attention to yourself and look like a moron in the process, so why bother? :eyebrow:
 
#18
bovinehost said:
It still escapes me, this concept of coming into a thread about a bass you don't care for.

I'm not in your Warwick threads, am I?

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Click to expand...


They are all jealous, Jack. I mean, it's like in grade school when you didn't know any better, so you pulled the hair of the girl you liked, or threw dirt at her.

They are all drawn to the Bongo. But, the Bongo denies them it's essence.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back