PriZeMaN

Great Condition!

All screws smooth.

Off of my Bongo 6

I have my tuning keys up for grabs from my EBMM Bongo 6 string.

Original Clover bass keys in great condition.

£20 each, postage included.

B, E, A or D original clover tuners for right handed StingRay, Sterling, Joe Dart, Cutlass & Caprice bass models.

Also used on older Bongo, Big Al & Reflex bass models made prior to April 2012. (The April 2012 date is aproximate, these tuners will not work for a bass that originally had the lightweight triangle tuners.)

Notes: This tuner will NOT work for a StingRay Special bass or StingRay Short Scale bass.

INCLUDES tuner bushing.

On 24/12/2022 at 17:45, Woodwind said:

well I'm back on this post again as it has truly inspired me.

 

My main new years project will be decapitation of my backup fretless 4 string, turning it into my main bass.

 

 

That's awesome, my 2 favourite features...fretless and headless

49 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

I'd prefer to be Fauci than Trump, I suppose.

 

Let's try and address the salient points here. 

 

#1 The headstock.  You've compromised the strength of the neck behind the nut by routing so much off to accommodate the string anchor unit - how much wood is there diagonally where you've cut it out at the right angle?  Less than a centimetre?  The screws (eight?) will also compromise the fibres in the wood.  The dowel you used to plug the old B-string hole has left ugly black marks (this may be grease/lubricant used by MusicMan to get the original ferrule in).  The old string anchor hole (filled) is visible.  I'm not certain, but have you shaved so much off that an original machine head screw hole is showing?

 

 

#2 The front and rear of the headstock.  I think this speaks for itself.  The black witness line of the undercoat finish on the rear, the 'glass smooth' filled holes.  The visible dowel front and rear.  Honestly, 

 

 

#3  The new bridge (#1).  While I don't doubt the hardware looks fairly robust, in your attempt to hide the scar left by the original bridge, you've rubbed back the original finish with a high grit paper and ruined the original finish; this is possibly to flatten the surface to accommodate a flat-plate of some sort for the new bridge to ride on?  I'm unsure whether this could be buffed out, but it looks terrible. 

 

 

#4  The new bridge (#2).  The rubbing back I mentioned above is clear here.  Looking from this angle it looks like you've slipped with the router or there's been some chipping of the finish by the low B-string tuner.  There's also an unfilled hole by the high-B tuner.  Absence of any finish in the routed out area.  I'm assuming this bass will be played sitting down as there's no strap button.

 

 

#5  Rear of the bridge.  Words fail me.  It's like you've free-handed the router.  I'm assuming you masked off the area with tape of some sort and when you pulled it off it tore away the lacquer.  Good grief.

 

 

If you'd had a catastrophic headstock break and wanted to try to get it customised rather than sourcing a new neck, then I'm sure one of the builders here could have fashioned something original under your directorship, this though?  Nah.  It's awful. 

 

Hello

#1 : 15mm is ample and I'm sure that the ETS screws do not compromise the integrity. The dowel was less than 1mm recessed and now has a decent wood filler that is mirror flat and doesn't compromise anything.

#2 It's glass smooth and flat...end of. Come and feel the bass in person, I can guarantee it.

#3 Of couse I've ruined the original finish..IT NEEDS TO BE REPAINTED, what are you not understanding, have you even read the original advert?

#4 That whole section is a tight and precise basswood shelf and is nothing what you have mentioned. The old fixings from the original plate are wide set with brass inserts and needed to be pilot drilled out and then plugged and filled, which I have done smooth as silk. Only holes left are the scratch plate ones that I've left in case the new owner wants them. I put in a strap button the other day, it took me minutes, thanks for your observation but it really doesn't matter.

#5 See #3 The wood is super flat and yes the paint is fractured making the edge look wobbly but it's not!

The only thing that's awful is your incorrect opinions.

Put down the keyboard and pick up your bass, you can never go wrong with tapping on a bass.

LOVE...PriZeMaN

On 19/12/2022 at 10:29, Rich said:

The problem here is that now I'm looking at a couple of my headed basses and thinking they'd look pretty good with a trip to the guillotine... not so much GAS as GBS  

As long as your truss rod adjuster is the wheel type at the base of the neck, you're golden...just get the saw out, cut off that head and there's no turning back 😜

On 19/12/2022 at 02:23, Kev said:

What made you do these modifications, and why are you now selling after all this work? 🙂

This bass is a powerhouse like no other except for maybe the Spector but it's only possible to do this modification with the trust rod adjuster at the base of the neck and this bass has that. I'm really a fan of the Bongo but I have never liked the looks so I thought to myself, let's do this. I play a 5 string fretless and I was about to play for a band that required a 6 string but it unfortunately has dissolved. To be honest I'm not fussed if the bass sells or not but I thought that if someones appreciated it as much as myself, that a new owner could make it shine in the spotlight as at the moment I only play my fretless

9 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

Thing is, hardware and labour account for nothing really.  People want originality at the hands of the maker, not something created by a guy in his driveway.

 

I've no idea why anyone would do this type of thing, was there actually anything wrong with it?  The unfinished parts, the partially rubbed down area around the bridge, the messy filling of the machine head hole, the poorly filled machine head screw holes, the bad sanding on what's left of the headstock, the bad routing around the new bridge.  There's not a lot of wood left around the nut, so with screws holding down the whatever-it's-called-thingie at the ex-headstock end, the wood is going to lose a bit of structural strength. 

 

You can argue all you want that these retail for £2.5K, but let's face it, it's not really a Bongo anymore; for £2K (and a bit of patience and haggling), you could probably pick up a 6HH easily enough (a lava pearl 6HH model sold on Reverb recently for £1,500).

The unfinished parts, the partially rubbed down area around the bridge, the messy filling of the machine head hole, the poorly filled machine head screw holes, the bad sanding????

All the filling is glass level, what are you chatting about, seriously dude what are you talking about?? The routing is set square level, it's just the poly paint that has randomly fractured from machining. You literally are making stuff up on the fly, who are you... Dr.Fauci?

On 18/12/2022 at 22:55, binky_bass said:

That's not quite correct. I have one of these bridges, the reason why the ADGC screws are further out is because the saddle the ball end sits in is a little too far forward prior to tuning this means you have to wind the tuner more which then exposes the end of the screw. If you wind the saddle in before setting the ball end of the string in it, it moves the saddle to a better position therefore you need to rotate the tuner less thus not exposing the screw. Makes no odds to the functionality, but that'll be why the B and the E are more recessed. 

OooooH the tuning knob screws not the headplate set screws, I misunderstood. Yes they have all been evened up now as I hadn't finished with the intontation before I took the photos.

14 minutes ago, binky_bass said:

Thanks for falling into my trap! 😂 

 

Going back to the bass...

 

Do you think you'll consider re-cutting the headstock to a less divisive shape? Also, someone mentioned employing a bit of elbow grease and sanding the whole thing back and giving it a nice natural oil rubbed finish - both wouldn't cost you much more money and both would increase the chances of a sale exponentially.

 

Make your work shine sir, at the moment you've done some interesting and good work which is being marred a bit by the look of the product your offering - a few costless minor tweaks and you'll really be on to something cool! 

 

You're minutes down the road from me (I'm in Wickford), if you normalised the headstock and gave it a natural rub finish I'd be interested to see it in the flesh.

Ha haha I fell in 😜

The head angle matches the horns but if the new owner wanted it removed I would be able to do this no problem.

It's poly paint so the whole bass would need to be stripped which is usually done by heatgun. This should be carried out professionally by the painter and not attempted by myself or anyone that doesn't know 100% what they are doing.

I apprecciated that you would be interested in seeing your preferred changes but unless you actually part with the cash, I'm afraid that's not gonna happen

All the best dude, remember to play your bass on Christmas day...LOUD! hahah

13 hours ago, yorks5stringer said:

OK, I'll bite  even though I realise I'm just adding 02 to the flames....

 

Must be my eyes too then, are you really telling me the routing  for the tuner cut-out in photo 3 has not 'wandered' a bit? Looks like it may have tipped and nibbled some of the edge?

It may look like the edge is not flat but poly paint is thick on the bongo and the lacquer is really thick (they really did a good job) so if I didn't want the paint to fracture and chip I would have had to score it real deep and being on a curve of the body I wasn't willing to sacrifice any wood damage from over scoring knowing that inevitably the whole bass would need to be striped and repainted. It does look wibbly wobbly but I can assure you that it's literally the illusion of the random chipping on the paint. Rather than just leave the sharp fractured paint edges from the machining, I lightly sanded them but I can assure you that the wood is straight.

Lemmywinks' statement of: The execution is poor though - bare wood, odd shaping choices and wonky lines all over the place. Is unjustified and NEGATIVE!

The execution is not poor.

The bare wood is clearly justified in my description knowing that the poly paint has to be COMPLETELY stripped for the new owner. The bass is kept indoors in a case not in my shed and in need of priming! By priming it, I am just creating more work for the painter to re-strip AND by painting it the potential buyer cannot CLEARLY see the modifications that I have made. It's impossible to match metallic poly paint so that's out of the window too.

My line choices are subjective and in my opininion carefully thought out, ODD means not the norm, suggesting that Lemmywinks thinks his choices would be more appealing to the masses.

The head cut matches the body horns and the rear cut matches the flow of the hardware and you can't start making extreme angles in this area because there is the straplock placement to consider. The strap now sits in the lowest possible postion because of minimum cutaway and it is nicely balanced.

Sorry for the lengthy explanation but there are a few fellow bassists throwing out incorrect statements on this thread instead of just opinions.

I LOVE everyone on this thread regardless of their opinions, we are all fellow bassists playing through the game of life!

13 hours ago, binky_bass said:

Pretty wonky grammar their. 😆

Ok fair doos I missed out a t and an apostrophe in my haste but I think we both need to work on our grammar. It's 'there' NOT their 😜

6 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

I really like the idea, even just putting a bag over the Bongo headstock would be an improvement so lopping it off completely gets my vote. Bongos are amazing instruments but also unspeakably hideous at the same time.

 

The execution is poor though - bare wood, odd shaping choices and wonky lines all over the place. Needs some work to put right and a full refin, price is a bit wacky but if you have the skills to fix it and wait until the inevitable price drop it could be a good buy. Kudos to the seller for showing the work done, warts and all.

 

I think is your eyes that are wonky my friend.

23 minutes ago, binky_bass said:

This is a bass forum, you've got a bass for sale, people are commenting with genuine observations and thoughts. I would see this as an opportunity to learn from the critique. You've done something I couldn't do with skills I don't have, so that is admirable from my point of view. Perhaps consider some of these comments as points to address to expand your potential customer base. 

Thanks dude, that was a nice reply and...no moaning

3 minutes ago, binky_bass said:

Because people will want to know why you undertook this project and why you're selling it - this is a very unique and personalised customisation. For you to sell it may make some people think that is doesn't play well, or sound right and especially for £2000 they'd want to ensure they're not buying a lemon. Mentioning a reason why you're selling isn't essential, but it may alleviate some worries.

Seriously??? If it was a lemon then who in their right mind unless they were Jim Carrey from Liar Liar would include that in the description?

I'm guessing that because this is a very unique modification that any potential buyer would want to view the bass in detail and play it rather than just have it posted.

It plays the same as when it was original and all the mods have been carried out with precision and care. I like taking on weird and wonderful projects, that's the kind of guy I am.

I don't wish to waste my time or risk pissing off a fellow brother/sister bass player who may travel miles and miles to buy a serious bit of kit for them to be hugely dissapointed with a lemon.

This will be evident to a collector that is interested when they see and play the glory of the HEADLESS BONGO

2 hours ago, yorks5stringer said:

Looks OK, not the usual 'cut and shut' but if only he'd trimmed those strings so they matched the contour of the headstock, and what's going on with those set screws  on the B and E strings, as they seem a lot more recessed?

The set screws in the locking clamp use shallower gauges to allow for the obvious thickness of the strings. I see you're another party member of the 'Trim the strings brigade'...I'll throw in a pair of Knipex wire cutters if you buy it 😜

3 hours ago, Beedster said:

Sure it’s fine, might even be a huge improvement on the original, but I suspect any buyer would want to know a few whys. Why did you do it, why is it better than the original, and why are you now selling it? 

Why do you want to know? Especially the last 'why' because that is potentially a very personal question that isn't relevant?

2 hours ago, paul_5 said:

not just trimming the strings either - that's small potatoes compared to the unfinished wood he's left at the bottom and lack of rear strap peg.

 

Wowsers, is there an old ladies moaning meeting you should be at somewhere instead of trolling here?

I can trim the strings in seconds but I can't put the ends back if the owner decides they want to either plug the ends, create a plastic clamp or possibly recess them at an angle into the triangle headstock.

As for the unfinished wood, the whole bass would need to be stripped back and repainted costing up to £500 as you can't just retouch poly paint and expect it to seemlessly match.

Everyones strap choice can be very specific so if buy a bass and it has different straplocks to what you already have do you buy another strap or change the locks to match...moan, moan, moan.

51 minutes ago, dyerseve said:

Why is it unfinished though? What's with the unpainted areas on the back of what's left of the headstock and the cutout for the new bridge? Not to mention the hideous looking area around the bridge?

If you are going to ask top dollar, you should at least make it look like a finished article!

 

As for it bring unique, anyone can drill holes in any bass and call it unique...

Dude, that's pretty mean!

I had to route out the complete lower section and create a matching basswood shelf to accommodate the hardware. The shelf was painstakingly sculped at the precise height to allow for correct string height with fine tuning adjustment and the tuning block sits at another precise angle corresponding to the bridge. The existing helicore/brass inserts that the original bridge sat in also had to be pilot drilled out and plugged with custom dowels made on a lathe.

As for the unfinished wood, the whole bass would need to be stripped back and repainted costing up to £500 as you can't just retouch poly paint and expect it to seemlessly match.

10 minutes ago, binky_bass said:

If it was properly finished and that fugly triangle headstock cut off, then it might well achieve 2k. As it sits, the unfinished looks and the weird angular headstock will (in my opinion) make it utterly unsellable at £2000. My 2 cents would be tidy up the headstock, make it look like a proper headless and for the love of God finish it! 2k for a bass that still needs a full refinish is just not viable. The comment about owning a unique 1 off bass is fair, but no one gets a custom bass that still need a total paint job.

By painting it I just narrow the potential out of the infinite possible finishes, hence the buyers choice. 

The headstock matches the angle of the horns that's why I created that angle. Nearly all headless basses are cut at a horizontal but my choice is different and out of the box

2 hours ago, k-sad said:

This definitely suits it. They should offer it as an option!!! 

Glws

Imagine in a years time after someone at Musicman seeing this post, that it actually becomes an option. This bass will go down in history 😜

8 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

Stick the no longer needed machine heads up in the for sale section...

Thanks Paul, that's a sound idea!

1 hour ago, horrorshowbass said:

You should contact John Myung with this. Awesome.

Please trim those strings tho, I've got anxiety.....

Hahah I know right, it's so much more METAL!  I was thinking about something like skittles on the ends

33 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

In defence of the gent above, I confess to have been contemplating a headless Stingray over the last few days, OK so I wouldn't be butchering a full fat EBMM Stingray but a "Sub" type.. 

20 minutes ago, Beedster said:

What I don’t get from the listing is why do it and what has been improved? 

Why get an off the shelf bass when you could have the only one in the world? I own a custom ACG Krell and I'm more of a unique collector.

It's a personal thing, some might be of the opinion that the looks have been improved but most will like the original, I didn't create it to cater for the masses

Ohhh a lot of haters using negative words, hahahah. Guess some people like marmite, some don't.

As for the price, these are £2.5 new and the ETS hardware cost over £300 as well as hours of hard work..but it's not for you guys and girls.

Calling on Bassists with similar taste...SHOW ME SOME LOVE

I personally took on every aspect of this project so I know the alterations with every meticulous detail.

All plugs and the plinth/shelve is made from matching basswood to retain the overall resonance of the bass.

The bass is in really great condition.

Custom german made hardware by ETS (ACG Alan uses them on his basses).

I'm gonna let it run for a bit to see how much attention it gets but I want £2000 minimum.

I have priced it accordingly rather than get it painted to my personal taste and put another £500 on top and it isn't to the new owners taste. So you have a blank canvas to create your dream look

Those of you who are familiar with the bongo know that it is a BEAST of a bass and if you're into metal of any type, I personally think it know looks mean instead of a droopy toilet seat.

Last 4 images are of the original bass to show the condition.

Brand new and unused D'Addario NY strings.

Feel free to come and check out this absolute weapon in CHELMSFORD, Essex.

Thanks for looking...PriZeMaN