THE BONGO CLUB (Part 2, 3 and infinity)

[smittybass33]

You have a beautiful Bongo collection!!
Every fingerboard option is represented.
Wow!! Very nice.
That StingRay ain’t too shabby either.

Thank you very much! Technically, I don't have rosewood board yet... Something to work towards . The Honey Burst has a pau ferro board during CITIES before they reversed it for instruments. The stingray is the outlier here but it's a killer bass.

 

[JeroB666]

Mantis Green Bongo 6 checking in. Received it yesterday but finally had the chance to post about it between lessons and gigs. Pretty sure this is the one they used for all their promos too.

Awesome collection! I love the starry night limited run, too bad I missed it. I ended up with the 6HH Harvest orange instead!

Now all you need is a fretless which I highly recommend if you can find it

 

[smittybass33]

Awesome collection! I love the starry night limited run, too bad I missed it. I ended up with the 6HH Harvest orange instead!

Now all you need is a fretless which I highly recommend if you can find it

I love the Harvest Orange. I considered it for a minute when they came out. Funny enough, the starry night is actually a fretless!

 

[JeroB666]

I love the Harvest Orange. I considered it for a minute when they came out. Funny enough, the starry night is actually a fretless!

Nice! Didnt notice it since its lined!

 

[smittybass33]

Nice! Didnt notice it since its lined!

It's a common thing to be honest. In retrospect I kind of wish I went with unlined but being new to fretless at the time I was hesitant. With that said it is nice to have that security on a dark stage doing theatre gigs and such. I had an idea to redo them so they were not subtle but I'm nervous about doing that kind of work to it.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

It's a common thing to be honest. In retrospect I kind of wish I went with unlined but being new to fretless at the time I was hesitant. With that said it is nice to have that security on a dark stage doing theatre gigs and such. I had an idea to redo them so they were not subtle but I'm nervous about doing that kind of work to it.

That bass is a thing of beauty.

 

[JeroB666]

It's a common thing to be honest. In retrospect I kind of wish I went with unlined but being new to fretless at the time I was hesitant. With that said it is nice to have that security on a dark stage doing theatre gigs and such. I had an idea to redo them so they were not subtle but I'm nervous about doing that kind of work to it.

Good call, I came from double bass so i just wanted the aesthetic of having no lines. They are both cool!

Crazy how they are so hard to find nowadays.

 

[Loring]

I know right! Still looking for a fretless 6!

 

[smittybass33]

Good call, I came from double bass so i just wanted the aesthetic of having no lines. They are both cool!

Crazy how they are so hard to find nowadays.

I played a ton of upright in college... Definitely helped my ear. I had been a few years out my the time I got the fretless so I got nervous! They are hard to come by. I was lucky it was an option when I ordered since it was a pdn color and was given the options as a pre-order. Not sure they offer fretless at all in the bongo right now.

 

[JeroB666]

I played a ton of upright in college... Definitely helped my ear. I had been a few years out my the time I got the fretless so I got nervous! They are hard to come by. I was lucky it was an option when I ordered since it was a pdn color and was given the options as a pre-order. Not sure they offer fretless at all in the bongo right now.

They do not. Only as Vault specials or one off BFR if we are lucky.

I ordered mine in 2015 and even then they weren't many around.

 

[smittybass33]

They do not. Only as Vault specials or one off BFR if we are lucky.

I ordered mine in 2015 and even then they weren't many around.

Which is a shame. Hopefully with the custom design experience with the stingray it opens things up for others like the bongo and getting a fretless that way. Or even wilder options too!

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

 

[JeroB666]

Some bittersweet news related to the Bongo Collection.

Since I had to downsize due to a new custom St Germaine, I had to let go of my Tangerine Orange 6HH unlined fretless .

The good news is that its on its way to @Loring for a new life

Don't worry. my other 2 arent going anywhere anytime soon

 

[Loring]

Some bittersweet news related to the Bongo Collection.

Since I had to downsize due to a new custom St Germaine, I had to let go of my Tangerine Orange 6HH unlined fretless .

The good news is that its on its way to @Loring for a new life

Don't worry. my other 2 arent going anywhere anytime soon

Thank you to Jero for releasing his beautiful fretless to me!

Now I have brothers!

 

[JeroB666]

That’s a good looking bunch!

Also great choice on the harvest orange, we have the same one

 

[BQFS]

Hello Everyone!

I just today received my second 6 string bass, a Bongo. If someone is in charge of handing out Club numbers, I would be pleased to have one. My only other 6 is a Dean. I strung it with LaBella Super Steps and installed an excellent four band Audere preamp which turned it into a great sounding, great playing bass, but I won't compare it to the Bongo; that just wouldn't be fair. I paid all of $200 for the Dean, brand new.

Normally, I wouldn't be able to afford the Bongo, but Guitar Center was offering them with 48 month interest-free financing, so it was only going to cost me about $50/month and I found that irresistible.

I have back issues and was afraid the Bongo might be too heavy, but it's under 10 pounds, which was totally surprising, and as a result causes me no issues at all to play standing up.

It came strung with Slinkies, with which I have no prior experience, being pretty much a LaBella or SIT guy, but the Slinkies sound great. No idea how long they will stay that way. If they don't hold up, it will be interesting to hear what other Club members here use for strings.

Anyway, I tried to capture the excellent sparkly orange finish. It is one beautiful bass, even though I still prefer the standard Ray look.

In the pictures, the Bongo is flanked by a 2020 BFR unlined fretless Stingray Special 5 string and the newly introduced 2024 Epi Jack Casady Signature fretless 4.

 

[Chuck M]

Normally, I wouldn't be able to afford the Bongo, but Guitar Center was offering them with 48 month interest-free financing, so it was only going to cost me about $50/month and I found that irresistible.

Sweetwater also had 48 month no interest so I bought a Blood Orange 6 although I already have a gloss black Bongo 6 that I got used from GC. The black bass is great but wears some bumps and dings from its previous life so it is wonderful to have one that is new also.

Then, a few days ago a Barolo (dark purple) Bongo 5 showed up on GC's used page and it is on the way to me. I have my fingers crossed that it is in "great" condition as it was described.

View attachment bongo 5 body front.webpView attachment bongo 5 full back.webpView attachment bongo 5 body front.webpView attachment bongo 5 full back.webp

 

[Loring]

Hello Everyone!

I just today received my second 6 string bass, a Bongo. If someone is in charge of handing out Club numbers, I would be pleased to have one. My only other 6 is a Dean. I strung it with LaBella Super Steps and installed an excellent four band Audere preamp which turned it into a great sounding, great playing bass, but I won't compare it to the Bongo; that just wouldn't be fair. I paid all of $200 for the Dean, brand new.

Normally, I wouldn't be able to afford the Bongo, but Guitar Center was offering them with 48 month interest-free financing, so it was only going to cost me about $50/month and I found that irresistible.

I have back issues and was afraid the Bongo might be too heavy, but it's under 10 pounds, which was totally surprising, and as a result causes me no issues at all to play standing up.

It came strung with Slinkies, with which I have no prior experience, being pretty much a LaBella or SIT guy, but the Slinkies sound great. No idea how long they will stay that way. If they don't hold up, it will be interesting to hear what other Club members here use for strings.

Anyway, I tried to capture the excellent sparkly orange finish. It is one beautiful bass, even though I still prefer the standard Ray look.

In the pictures, the Bongo is flanked by a 2020 BFR unlined fretless Stingray Special 5 string and the newly introduced 2024 Epi Jack Casady Signature fretless 4.

View attachment 7032527View attachment 7032528View attachment 7032529View attachment 7032530View attachment 7032531

I have its twin! You will love it. I found the slinkies didn’t last long and made my hands black. I have TI jazz rounds on mine now but did have the flats on for a while…

 

[Chuck M]

I have the above mentioned pair of bongo 6's and put my usual D'Adarrio EXL-170-6 on the first used one. When the new Bongo 6 arrived it had the Slinky's on it and I could A/B them. They both sounded great but the D'Adarrio's sound a bit warmer to me and they feel much smoother to the touch so I put D'Adarrio's on the 2nd Bongo 6 and am very happy with they way they sound and feel.

Strings are a very personal thing as is the amplification you use. My better amplification is a Mesa D-800+ or a WD-800 into one or two Subway 115's. My lighter rig is a Fender Rumble 800/210.

We are living in a terrific time when so much wonderful bass gear is available.

 

[BQFS]

I have its twin! You will love it. I found the slinkies didn’t last long and made my hands black. I have TI jazz rounds on mine now but did have the flats on for a while…

I had heard that Slinkies didn't last long, so I'm not surprised. I've been playing for over 50 years and 99% of that time, I've used roundwounds. I like the crisp treble. Although I've tried a couple of different flats on different basses, they just never sounded right to me. It's all subjective, that's for sure. We'll see how long the Slinkies last and wait till then to make the "what's next" decision.