THE BONGO CLUB (Part 2, 3 and infinity)

[JesseMalaska]

After playing my Bongo HH 5-string since December I have been thinking that the sound is pretty "clanky" and has a lot hi-mids. I always cut almost all the hi-mids from the pre to get the sound more to my preference. But today I realised that the pickups were WAY too high after seeing some other pictures of Bongos! I screwed the pickups down to the factory setup and VOILA! That took care of the "clank" and made the bass sound ALOT better! It's more "hifi" and warm at the same time!

 

[PrimitiveMan]

After playing my Bongo HH 5-string since December I have been thinking that the sound is pretty "clanky" and has a lot hi-mids. I always cut almost all the hi-mids from the pre to get the sound more to my preference. But today I realised that the pickups were WAY too high after seeing some other pictures of Bongos! I screwed the pickups down to the factory setup and VOILA! That took care of the "clank" and made the bass sound ALOT better! It's more "hifi" and warm at the same time!

Sounds about right. Pickup height on the Bongo makes a huge difference

 

[Jerkeejoe]

Got a great deal on a Bongo 5 HH a couple weeks ago and have fallen in love with it. Neck feels amazing, balance is good for me, and the sound is amazing. Happy to join the club!

I love flats, so I have some EB Cobalt flats on the way. Excited to get them on and see how it sounds.

 

[JustFunk]

Good call on the return

It's amazing how good cheaper instruments are nowadays

Got the other unit today, this time it was the Bongo I expected it to be

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Got the other unit today, this time it was the Bongo I expected it to be

Hell yeah, enjoy it!

 

[gusrb5]

Jesus if only our house would sell within six months so we could move to a cheaper place I’d buy a Bongo 6HH right away. I tried this in my local music store, played like 2 hours, and srsly nothing tops this. The most useful pickup pan pot of all time. Front pickup - P bass-ish, blend - recording ready high end active bass, rear pickup - somewhere in between Spector NS-4 and Stingray. It's literally "Walembic". I almost couldnt believe how good it was. I have zero prejudices and fascinations about basses. My local store regularly stores some high end basses so I tried a lot of things and still Bongo was the winner imho. What a monster.

 

[Chuck M]

I'll be putting my Barolo purple Bongo 5 up for sale soon. It is near mint and in the original case. It is a beautiful bass, plays, sounds and looks fantastic but these days I am playing 6 string Bongo basses. It is too good a bass to have sitting in its case. I will get better photos taken outside (shows more detail) when I post the ad.

 

[Barticus]

I need some info from the Bongo experts here.. I’m just starting to learn about the Bongo 5s and I’m looking to better understand the differences between like a 2005 to something newer. Can someone give me an idea of the things to look for in an older model versus the newer models? Are there different pickups in a 2005 let’s say vs a 2015 vs the new remodels?

Also, what are the differences in the body woods that are used? …for for example if it has the beautiful bird's eye maple neck like the one above does that mean that the body is mahogany or hardwood and then if it’s a painted neck that matches the body does that mean the body is Basswood?

 

[PrimitiveMan]

I need some info from the Bongo experts here.. I’m just starting to learn about the Bongo 5s and I’m looking to better understand the differences between like a 2005 to something newer. Can someone give me an idea of the things to look for in an older model versus the newer models? Are there different pickups in a 2005 let’s say vs a 2015 vs the new remodels?

Also, what are the differences in the body woods that are used? …for for example if it has the beautiful bird's eye maple neck like the one above does that mean that the body is mahogany or hardwood and then if it’s a painted neck that matches the body does that mean the body is Basswood?

Electronics have never changed since the inception. The only difference is that they phased the HS and H models out (around 2016 or 2017 I think).

Most are basswood bodies, regardless of neck being painted or not. My 5HS has an unpainted flamed birdseye neck, but still has basswood body. There are some BFR with mahogany bodies, and even mahogany necks. They are really nice too. I used to own one

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Oh and they changed to lightweight tuners in like 2013 or so

 

[Barticus]

Electronics have never changed since the inception. The only difference is that they phased the HS and H models out (around 2016 or 2017 I think).

Most are basswood bodies, regardless of neck being painted or not. My 5HS has an unpainted flamed birdseye neck, but still has basswood body. There are some BFR with mahogany bodies, and even mahogany necks. They are really nice too. I used to own one

View attachment 7487512

Thank you.
Those birdseye necks are amazing!!

 

[VeryTallBassist]

Thank you.
Those birdseye necks are amazing!!

I happen to love the HS. Had a 2006 LE that was my main bass for many many years. One of the few basses I regret letting go of.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

I happen to love the HS. Had a 2006 LE that was my main bass for many many years. One of the few basses I regret letting go of.

View attachment 7487578

I had both a 5HS and 5HH at the same time. I really like both but am not a many basses type of guy. I max out at around 3 instruments. So I ended up selling the HH and keeping the HS. The neck single coil just has a more usable classic tone for me, so I find the HS a tad more versatile. That being said I like the blended sound on the HH a little better.

Can't go wrong with either but am bummed they discontinued the HS and H variations.

My goal is to get a single H version next, really want to compare to my Stingray Special 5H.

The Bongo necks, on both the 4 and 5 string, are some of my favorite necks I've played. I really don't play my Special much anymore, so am wondering if I could replace with a Bongo H version.

 

[Barticus]

I had both a 5HS and 5HH at the same time. I really like both but am not a many basses type of guy. I max out at around 3 instruments. So I ended up selling the HH and keeping the HS. The neck single coil just has a more usable classic tone for me, so I find the HS a tad more versatile. That being said I like the blended sound on the HH a little better.

Can't go wrong with either but am bummed they discontinued the HS and H variations.

My goal is to get a single H version next, really want to compare to my Stingray Special 5H.

The Bongo necks, on both the 4 and 5 string, are some of my favorite necks I've played. I really don't play my Special much anymore, so am wondering if I could replace with a Bongo H version.

So are the Bongo 5 necks thinner than the Special’s?

 

[PrimitiveMan]

So are the Bongo 5 necks thinner than the Special’s?

Yeah the Bongo 5 is just slightly less round, but the difference feels great to my hand. Special 5 string neck is also excellent

 

[Barticus]

Yeah the Bongo 5 is just slightly less round, but the difference feels great to my hand. Special 5 string neck is also excellent

Ugh, you were supposed to say “no it’s chunky”

Now I need to get my hands on one to confirm
And I need to locate one for sale in an appropriate color, new ones are pretty limited… let the hunting begin

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Ugh, you were supposed to say “no it’s chunky”

Now I need to get my hands on one to confirm
And I need to locate one for sale in an appropriate color, new ones are pretty limited… let the hunting begin

I'm guessing you'll love the Bongo. Good luck, hope you find the perfect one

 

[smittybass33]

I happen to love the HS. Had a 2006 LE that was my main bass for many many years. One of the few basses I regret letting go of.

View attachment 7487578

Dude that's the olive gold le right? I wish I would have grabbed one. They happen to show up once in a blue moon and I always want to get it but it's far too expensive. Definitely a white whale for me.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Well I bought a Bongo 4H. Should get here in a week or so. I was holding out on a 5H but got a good deal so just went with the 4.

I'm very curious how it will sound compared to my Stingray Special 5H and my Bongo 5HS.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

On another note, I have gone back to the Sadowsky stainless strings on my Bongo. I really liked the Dunlop Dual Dynamic strings but they just didn't last long enough. I have had these issue with Dunlop's, I love the Super Brights too but they also go dead fast in a weird way. Just suddenly lose their snappiness. The Dual Dynamic were the same, just lost some character suddenly.

I was using the Blue Label Sadowsky for awhile but went with the light gauge Black Label this time. Great strings and they last a really long time.