Dingus

Seeing as a picture paints a thousand words , check out this chap's videos on YT, featuring some excellent playing on a 1977 BB1200 exactly the same as this one for sale here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDKCMvie0v0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVjvT938gvM

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1405064250' post='2498370'] What I really like about them both is that neither looks anything special, but both are superb professional quality instruments that belie their apparently humble aesthetics and origins. I'm tempted to keep both but I simply don't think I need to, it would be like owning two Pre-CBS Precisions, just unnecessary [/quote] I totally agree with your assessment of Japanese-made Yamaha basses Chris, except I would take exception with the description of them of being of humble origins. Loads of top pro players have gravitated towards these basses right from when they came out, and they have featured on loads of recordings, especially after they became a popular choice with the L.A - based session players like Abraham Laboriel, Larry Klein and Nathan East from the late 1970'S onward These first run of BB basses were very much high-end prestige instruments , and were very quickly recognized as such and adopted by the very best high - profile players of the day . Here is Paul McCartney playing his ( listen with headphones and you can hear what a great tone he gets) : [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4gVQImhWP0[/media] Paul Jackson with Herbie Hancock: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGHbNs5ykH0[/media] Lee Sklar with James Taylor. Lee played this same bass on the studio version too, which features the bass very high in the mix if you want to check out what these basses are capable of sounding like in the right hands. : [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77G9VZSm5ZA[/media] All playing exactly the same bass as you have for sale here. These early examples from the first run of BB's are sought out by some Yamaha aficionados because Yamaha pulled out all the stops to see that the BB's were well-received and went to great lengths to see that they were crafted meticulously . The fact that these basses are so durable is testament to the superlative quality of their construction ( compare them to a well- used Fender from the same era and you will probably start to see what I mean) , and you can even see from the quality of the fitted hard case, this is a class act. I am well familiar with the BB1200 as a drummer friend of mine from back in my younger days had one to use in his home studio and I used to play it regularly. I was always knocked out by the sheer depth of the tone and easy playability, despite having a slightly beefier neck than the bass I was using at that time. The tone has ( not surprisingly) got all the midrange grit and grind of a good P Bass, but the Yamaha has a much more extended bandwidth at either end of the frequency spectrum, i.e the bottom end goes much deeper than a Fender, and the treble is far more extended, too. I'm sure the neck-thru-body construction must contribute a great deal to that sound. As I have occasionally been moved to comment before when top quality Japanese-made basses from this era come up for sale at incredibly reasonable prices, this is a chance for someone to pick up a very serious instrument for silly ( silly cheap, that is) money , especially compared to a lot of the ridiculously-priced tat from the mid- to -late '70's that a lot of folks are trying to pass off as "vintage". This is a bass that actually works properly , and will probably stay working that way for a long time yet. GLWTS.

[quote name='JazzBassfreak' timestamp='1404910745' post='2496887'] Won't be one as good [/quote] I seriously doubt you would find one as good as this , Chas. or one as recent as this one . As you know, I have no axe to grind seeing as you paid me ages ago and I have already spent all the money on hookers and chocolate biscuits. This is a spanky hotrod of a bass. A lot of the used Bongos you see for sale in the U.K are from the first flush of Bongos that came into this country in the early 2000's when it was a new model and the U.K importer ordered a load of them in anticipation of big demand for the first totally new model of MM bass since 1976. After those first run basses were sold, most new Bongos were special orders for customers ( like this one) and so they are far less likely to end up on the secondhand market. .

I think you should keep your Bongo , Chas, because you may well miss it if you make a full recovery ( fingers crossed ), but I suppose you could always buy another one later.

If anyone is looking at this bass and in two minds about it for any reason, as already mentioned, until very recently this bass used to be mine and I can personally vouch for it being a superb instrument in every way. This Bongo was totally like brand new when Chas got it from me, and I expect he has looked after it well in the interim period. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bought this bass brand new early in 2012 and literally hardly played it during the time I had it. You might see slightly cheaper Bongos advertised elsewhere now and again, but this is a recent example that was in exceptional condition when Chas received it from me . It is also in the relatively rare gloss black finish ( it suits these basses [u][i]so[/i][/u] well) with a known ownership history and that makes it worth a little bit more. I am a massive fan of Bongo basses, and if you are looking for a bass with a punchy modern sound , fantastic playability and a bit of attitude and personality then I can't imagine you being disappointed with one of these. What I love most about the tone of these basses is the guts and sheer power they have , especially when compared to the overly polite sound of most hi tech active basses. I love using my Bongo for busy, up-front bass playing like was popular during my formative years in the 1980's, but you could just as easily play a mellow, laid back groove with one . These basses won't sound " vintage" or like a Fender in any way, but why would you want it to? The tone has got a hint of Stingray lurking in it , but has a much more focused and articulate midrange and a sweeter treble. The four band EQ with dual-band mids means you can get a very wide variety of very usable tones from these basses, but even with EQ flat, they are very musical and sound fatter than a greedy chav with a wife who works in the local chip shop ( Mrs Dingus works in a feminist bookshop . No free chips and I have to do the cooking for " idealogical " reasons, apparently ) I sold this bass to Chas just a couple of months ago because I have another bass the exactly same and currently have no need for two identical basses , but I wouldn't be without my remaining Bongo . Buy this one and use the 18 volt active circuit to pound your enemies into submission. Comes with a very nice moulded ABS Musicman-branded case that says " Bongo " on it , too.