johnDeereJack

PM'd

🤤🥰

Literally everything about this bass is freakin amazing... Soooooooo much want! Thank god this is in Germany, otherwise I'd be £2300 worse off!

GLWTS 👍

PM'd RE Elites

Excellent basses, these Bongos. I have a 2003 HS 5-string in the same Desert Gold finish. As you pointed out, these are absolutely amazing things, and so easy to play - it's truly effortless, it almost plays itself! 🥰

 Anyway, I'm off to convince myself that I don't need a matching 4-string Bongo! GLWTS! 🙂

PM'd

4 hours ago, gareth said:

It’s a de fret - you can tell because the side dot markers in the wrong position for a Fretless 

No, they're not. It's pretty standard, not to say perfectly acceptable, for a lined fretless to have the side dots between the fret markers.

This one. I think I missed it by a few hours...

😞

Wow, this is a really cool colour. I have a Bongo 5-string in Desert Gold, they're absolutely fantastic basses!

Am really interested in your 4-string - I'll PM you :)

Well, either way, I reeeeeally like this bass... If it's still here at the end of the month, I may PM you! 

7 hours ago, NikNik said:

It'll be '60s.

Selling as just bought back one that I should never have let go!

Ah yes, of course it'll be 60's spacing if it's a JB62! Sorry, I must have missed that the first time around - too busy drooling over the pictures! 🤤

Am sure you won't have any trouble selling this, it's feckin gorgeous... in fact, I'm surprised it's still here! 

Incidentally, didn't these models come with the grounding strap between the bridge and the bridge pickup, or was that only the US 62RI basses? 

Thanks 

Oh, why do you have such a gorgeous bass for sale, and why do you have to be in Edinburgh too? That's no fair, the temptation is overwhelming! 

Do you know if the pickup spacing is 60's or 70's?

I had a 5-string 'The Jack Bass Custom' in natural around about 100 years ago in the 80's. loved that dammed thing and regret selling it. I've always thought about reacquiring one. Maybe some day...

GLWTS

Tremendous basses! I'll see your 4-string and raise you my 5!

Oooh matron, that is lovely! 🤤

This would look really cool alongside my Bongo!

He didn't own it, but I met Sting and had him sign (and play) my custom Larkin Reacter fretless a few years ago. Turns out he has a 6-string Larkin from roughly the same year!

PM'd

I picked up a Bongo recently - a HS 5-string in Desert Gold (or 'shiny orange' as I like to call it!) Am really digging your pearloid blue with the white pearloid pickguard, very tasty! 

These are such good instruments, an utter joy to play... Even the styling is growing on me!

Anyway, GLWTS - I'm sure whoever buys your Bongo will be more than happy!

20 hours ago, 4000 said:

I came at these the opposite way round. I like the looks, love the orange finishes, but when I tried one I found the body really uncomfortable. It was really disappointing, as if not for that I’d have bought one. I keep meaning to try another, see if I have the same experience, but I never see them these days.

If you can find one, definitely have another bash - I honestly find these basses incredibly comfortable, both sitting and standing.

And yes, the shiny orange finish is superb - I've been singing the old 'Kia-Ora' advert: "It's too orangey for crows, it's just for me and my dog"! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqXfuZ_Sk_E

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

Reasonable? A bongo?!

Incredibly, yes! 

1 hour ago, bloke_zero said:

When we're allowed out again I'm going to go and track one down for a test run!

Surely the best idea would be to do it before we're all grounded? At least that way you'll have a nice new shine bass to keep you occupied! 😁

53 minutes ago, bloke_zero said:

I love the orange, sorry, desert gold!

Yeah, I'm calling it orange!

2 hours ago, Machines said:

I had one just like that just with a  pickguard. Still not sure why I sold it, would have it back but the prices have gone up since. 

Yeah, this one came with a black pearloid pickguard, but I took it off. I want as much of that lovely shiny orange (Desert Gold!) finish showing as possible, so I don't want a pickguard covering it up! 😁

15 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

They do look odd, but I think you’ve nailed it when saying that for you it’s the best bass you’ve ever played, that surely has to be the most important thing. From my limited experience of EBMM my impressions are of extremely well built, good quality, great playing instruments.

15 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

I'm an Ernie Ball fan too. They do the classics like the Sterling and Stingray but then they push the boat out and dare to make something awesome like the Bongo. 

Yeah, I bought a really nice used 2-band 4-string StingRay not that long ago - my first EBMM bass. I had always been a Fender player prior to this bass, with fretted and fretless Jazz basses, and an excellent mid-80's Fender Japan 57RI Precision (strung with flats of course!)

I'd always hankered after a 2-band StingRay, and I finally found a nice used one in good condition for a decent price, so I played it for half an hour and bought it. I was instantly taken with the playability and build quality (not that there is anything wrong with the playability / build quality of the Fenders I have!) and have since become a big fan of MM basses because of this used SR - plus, the EB Customer Services are excellent, which is always a bonus.

When I first saw the Bongo design, I really didn't know what to think. Like I said, I certainly didn't think I'd ever own one, but they're freaking excellent. I can't stop playing it!

I recently went into my local GuitarGuitar looking to buy a decent mic, which I did!

However, while wandering about the store, admiring all the pretty basses I couldn't afford, I spied this 'creation', finished in shiny orange, hanging in the 'Used Instruments' section of the shop. I wandered closer, checked the price - 'Hmmm, reasonable!' So I took it off the wall hanger and sat down with it... 

And suddenly everything just clicked... the world fell into place... my reason for being a bass player - nay, my reason for being - became clear; it was simply to sit down with this utterly bizarre shiny orange creation, and play it! Ultimately, I bought it!

So, what did I buy? Well, I bought an orange MusicMan Bongo HS 5-string! Bwaaahahahahahaaaa! 🤣

Oh my god, it's the freaking best bass I have ever played. The looks may not be to (most?) people's taste, but jeez this thing is freaking amazing!

It's so versatile with the range of sounds you can coax out of the 4-band, 18v preamp (I'm not overly enamoured with the hi- and lo-mid EQ stack, been mostly using the pickup blend and the bass / treble EQ stack); the bass hangs perfectly - no neck-dive at all; the neck is really nice(a wee bit thin front-to-back compared to previous 5's I've owned, but I adapted almost instantly); it's not overly cumbersome (haven't weighed it yet); and it's shiny and orange! 😁  (well, Desert Gold according to the EBMM Serial Database!)

When I first saw the MM Bongos, I seriously wondered who had lost their mind, and I never in a million years thought I'd ever own one, but this thing may seriously end up being my only bass, it's that good! 

Buy one! They're grrrrrreat!