• 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.

To Bongo Users::

#21
Bassmunnky said:
No, you're not...


I love the Bongo, love it, sound feel..but the notes aren't in the same place on a 24 fret..People will argue and say 'they are, get used to it'...but I can't argue with the law of physics...bridge, neck and the 12 fret are in a different spot..I'm grabbing 1 fret too high when I play.

I also find myself not being able to rely on muscle memory as I will occasionally want to fret inaccurately, especially when grabbing a few quick notes above the twelfth fret.
I need to play more.:hmm:
Click to expand...
 
#23
xring said:
I love the Bongo, love it, sound feel..but the notes aren't in the same place on a 24 fret..People will argue and say 'they are, get used to it'...but I can't argue with the law of physics...bridge, neck and the 12 fret are in a different spot..I'm grabbing 1 fret too high when I play.

I also find myself not being able to rely on muscle memory as I will occasionally want to fret inaccurately, especially when grabbing a few quick notes above the twelfth fret.
I need to play more.:hmm:
Click to expand...

You're right, you can't argue with the laws of physics--that's why the bridge, neck and 12th fret are in the exact same spots. It's still a 34" scale bass.
 
#25
the bongo is a great active bass. obviously tone is a subjective thing, but if you like the active sound the bongo is great at delivering it. i had a stealth bongo 5HH. it had a great neck, great body, powerful preamp.

my main gripe with the bongo is that I actually prefer the tone of a passive bass, so i grew tired of the bongo and sold it. That means my decision to sell the bass in favour of a j-bass was based on my personal preference on tone.

i really can't fault the bass in an objective way. it ticked all the right boxes, but in the end it just wasn't my thing.

you'd be best off playing one yourself and playing around with the eq (which varies the tone a LOT) and deciding for yourself whether the fuss is warranted.
 
#28
Marley's Ghost said:
:hmm: hmmm 22 to 24 frets...hadn't thought of that. Since I will be using both my SR4 and either a bongo or SR5 live, might be easier to go with an SR5.
Click to expand...

This is hilarious!...one person posts some inaccurate info and it just grows exponentially.

All EBMM basses are 34" scale. Every fret (1-22) is in the exact same place. It has to be or you would have no intonation. The only difference on the Bongo is that the neck extends closer to the bridge to make room for the 2 extra frets.
 
#29
mynan said:
This is hilarious!...one person posts some inaccurate info and it just grows exponentially.

All EBMM basses are 34" scale. Every fret (1-22) is in the exact same place. It has to be or you would have no intonation. The only difference on the Bongo is that the neck extends closer to the bridge to make room for the 2 extra frets.
Click to expand...

+1. unless the scale length of the neck changes, then there will be great difference between changing the number of frets on the neck.

it only really makes a difference when you reach for a fret that isn't on the neck (e.g. 24th fret on a neck with only 22 frets).

:ninja:
 
#30
'You're right, you can't argue with the laws of physics--that's why the bridge, neck and 12th fret are in the exact same spots. It's still a 34" scale bass.'

Yep you win.

I guess wasn't so clear in my post. I meant, where the notes fall under my hand when the bass is on the strap.

I've found that even if different basses are all 34" scale, the length of the BODY, where the bridge is placed, how the top horn extends over the body, all effect where the notes lay under your hand. Try a Gibson Les Paul Bass, Steinberger?

I wasn't talking about scale, I do understand the scale length...I'm used to the Ray with the strap button directly over the 12th fret....any other bass that has 24 frets and the strap button is somewhere lower than the 12th fret...like say...Carvin (not the BB model) or a Bongo, just throws off where I think the notes are.

It sure as hell wasn't my intention to post innacurate information, but they feel different to me..on the strap.
 
#31
Bassmunnky said:
I guess wasn't so clear in my post. I meant, where the notes fall under my hand when the bass is on the strap.

I've found that even if different basses are all 34" scale, the length of the BODY, where the bridge is placed, how the top horn extends over the body, all effect where the notes lay under your hand. Try a Gibson Les Paul Bass, Steinberger?

I wasn't talking about scale, I do understand the scale length...I'm used to the Ray with the strap button directly over the 12th fret....any other bass that has 24 frets and the strap button is somewhere lower than the 12th fret...like say...Carvin (not the BB model) or a Bongo, just throws off where I think the notes are.

It sure as hell wasn't my intention to post innacurate information, but they feel different to me..on the strap.
Click to expand...

yep, i see where you're coming from and it makes sense. i've experienced the same thing, finding the actual position of the body and neck under my fingers changes from bass to bass.
 
#32
Bassmunnky said:
'You're right, you can't argue with the laws of physics--that's why the bridge, neck and 12th fret are in the exact same spots. It's still a 34" scale bass.'

Yep you win.

I guess wasn't so clear in my post. I meant, where the notes fall under my hand when the bass is on the strap.

I've found that even if different basses are all 34" scale, the length of the BODY, where the bridge is placed, how the top horn extends over the body, all effect where the notes lay under your hand. Try a Gibson Les Paul Bass, Steinberger?

I wasn't talking about scale, I do understand the scale length...I'm used to the Ray with the strap button directly over the 12th fret....any other bass that has 24 frets and the strap button is somewhere lower than the 12th fret...like say...Carvin (not the BB model) or a Bongo, just throws off where I think the notes are.

It sure as hell wasn't my intention to post innacurate information, but they feel different to me..on the strap.
Click to expand...


This I can get behind with no problem. Where a bass hangs on a strap, or the body shape/location of upper horn can certainly change the way the bass feels and can make the 1st fret seem farther away than you are used to. But, that is independent of the number of frets. :D
 
#34
Why don't you love them so much? I'm amazed about them....

Just joking a bit.

Bongo's have crazy awesome looks, play very nicely and have such a broad palette of tones. 18 volts help poke through the mix very nicely and they just have a great sound to them.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back