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Well how about a BONGO CLUB? (Pics inside)

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#622
Ian Perge said:
Jaguar, that is a beauty of a bass! I absolutely dug it since it was first announced, would so love to pick up a HS/p Dargie Delight II on the used market when I've the money for it, and in general it truly has made the cut in the narrowing down of basses desired to be 1 of the 3 that will be my next purchase, but there's one thing that bugs me in general regarding the look of the Bongo. On a bass that screams "FUTURISTIC!" from its design from every viewpoint the body has to offer up to the headstock with its angles that match the upper and lower horns of the body and "really tie the bass together", to its Neodymium Magnet-equipped Pickups and Preamp with 2-bands of High-and-Low Midrange EQ (if not a First in general, certainly a First in a mass-production bass)... why is it sporting older-than-old Cloverleaf-style tuners? Just because all of the other Music Man basses do? As I said, it's the *one thing* that draws my eye away from the Bongo as a whole when looking at it, and I think it would be much better served with a "Y-Tuner" or something of the type by another company (Gotoh?) that doesn't feel quite so dated. And that's "The One Thing" that would pull me away from picking up a DDII if I had the chance, because I'd really like to replace the tuners with a more modern design, drop-in or not and I'm not sure I'd want to instantly devalue a Dargie II by drilling holes for new tuners. :scowl:

...and don't get me started on the lack of hardware color choice at the price levels of Bongos, StingRays & Sterlings, given that tese are not "stock" basses and that there are other options that you can choose from (3 pickup arrangement choices, fretboard wood, lined or unlined fretless models, matching headstocks, piezo pickups, etc) and that both Black as well as Gold are in use or have been used on "Special/Limited Editions" in the near-past. An upcharge would be all well and good as the cost for them is a factor, just please make this hardly time-and-effort-consuming option available to the public.
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Thanks Ian, Yeah o,One off custom tuners would have been awesome.I too would not drill into it.Last night was the first live show I gigged with it and couldn`t be happier.I can`t believe I found it about a month ago,three pages in on the classifieds.I jumped on it because it too was one of the only basses that really got me wanting to score it.Also the guy on the TB forums I got it from kept it in mint condition.Basically still brand new.I understand there were only a few in this configuration and you could only get the DDI`s during a short window.I dig it! :)
 
#625
Ian Perge said:
I certainly hope it was disinfected before being shipped out... ;)

Seriously, that's amazingly cool! :D
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The only reason I sold it is because Gene Simmons played it. Just kidding...I think.

Here's the story. On this particular day, Gene Simmons was the "Grand Marshall" at the St. Petersburg (Florida) Grand Prix. We were playing at a club in the mid-afternoon that is owned by close friends (husband and wife) and were told that Simmons was going to arrive at the club with his film crew from his reality show, "Family Jewels" to promote his involvement with the St. Petersburg Grand Prix. He sat in with my band on a tune and played my Bongo 5 HH bass. When I handed him the bass I said, "You know, Gene...this bass is the wrong color (white) and it has too many strings."

Gene then asked me which string was the "E" string!

If anyone had ever told me that someday I'd be giving Gene Simmons a "bass lesson," I'd have told them that they were crazy.
 
#626
Ian Perge said:
< Snip >

why is it sporting older-than-old Cloverleaf-style tuners? Just because all of the other Music Man basses do? As I said, it's the *one thing* that draws my eye away from the Bongo as a whole when looking at it, and I think it would be much better served with a "Y-Tuner" or something of the type by another company (Gotoh?) that doesn't feel quite so dated. And that's "The One Thing" that would pull me away from picking up a DDII if I had the chance, because I'd really like to replace the tuners with a more modern design, drop-in or not and I'm not sure I'd want to instantly devalue a Dargie II by drilling holes for new tuners. :scowl:
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I'd say that's the one design element that seems off for the Bongo: the cloverleaf tuners. And yet, the 25th Anniv/Reflex has the more modern enclosed style. Go figure. I imagine that's more for balance issues than aesthetics.
 
#627
I like current tuners :) They work great and look very... hm... hot-rod? It's a nice touch along with that 50s font of the logo placed at the bridge. Bongo is my favorite bass a the moment. The only _real_ problem is its whimsy neck (as described above). Can't put this bass down literally :)
 
#628
No, for me, the tuner thing certainly isn't a deal breaker. Just a little weird. And while I'm happy to second-guess the powers-that-be on some dopey website, I'm pretty confident that they tried it both ways. Marketing types are paid big bucks to agonize over such details.

Besides, Big Poppa probably made the final call anyway...it's good to be king!
 
#629
Yep, the only flaw - Achillie's Heel, with the Bongo is the pointy tip of the headstock. As it's a 24-fret, and that little point is way out there, you never know what you're going to bang it into. Most in service Bongos have the characteristic headstock ding.
Otherwise, yes - you can dial up virtually any tone, the neck is wonderfully done - not quite as wide as a "P," comfortable radius and and thin without being flimsy. HH configuration wth piezo pickups and you do everything from swing/big band to Bulgarian Death metal, useful if you're in a show band that has a wide repertoire.
 
#631
I played with it in a club setting for the first time Sat. night.Through my V4B,it was the best tone I`ve ever had.My band mates said the sound of my bass was awesome.I usually would just set my bass and leave it,but the range of tones are so broad,I changed the settings on the bass all night.I enjoyed all of them.Also,the balance is amazing,I did not feel like I had an anchor around my neck after one hour.My first experience with this Bongo is A+:D
 
#633
We had a great gig yesterday and my Bongo sounded just phenomenal. Look how happy I am :)


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#638
OOZMAN said:
My strap button is over the 11th fret, does this mean my neck feels even shorter than a bass whose strap button is over the 12th or 13th? I haven't played many basses... but my neck feels quite nice and short:hyper:
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Not that it makes a huge difference since it's still within the "comfort zone", but yes. You should see/feel the first fret slightly closer to your body.
 
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