Sterling Bongo 5 - quick review.

[falling_in2_infinity]

I thought I'd add some comments about this bass, as people might be interested.  Received it the other day, after it being on order for months...

 

 

 

My history with Bongos:  I've owned a 5-string HS 2008 model, a 6-string HH 2009-ish, and I currently own a 5-string 2019.  I prefer the 2019, mostly for the lightweight tuners and other subtle improvements.  I actually started playing Bongos because of the ergonomics:  Several things about their design have significantly reduced wrist and shoulder pain when playing.  To some extent, it combined some elements of the tonal power of my old G&L basses, with the lighter weight and 24-frets of my Ibanez SR Premiums.

 

 

Two things I really don't like about Bongos (5's, especially):

1. The close proximity of the G-string to the edge of the fretboard (I made my own nut to slightly improve this).  Yes, technique obviously can mitigate this, too.
2. The lower 'horn' digs into my thigh, and is quite painful to play seated.  I tend to put a leather strap between bass and leg when I practice, to mitigate this.

 

Everything below assumes you already appreciate the Bongo, both in terms of sound and aesthetics...

 

Why did I consider this Sterling Bongo?  Mostly just curiosity.  Plus, I do want a lightweight and ergonomic 34-inch, 5-string bass that I could just leave set up with a high action, as a different option to my main Bongo.

 

 

Initial impressions:

 

It certainly looks like a Bongo.  It weighs around the same.  The paint quality is ok, but feels a bit cheap to touch  The same is true of the neck, although I've never been a big fan of the feel of roasted maple.

 

The frets are poorly finished at the ends, with sharp bits that have already sliced my hand.  However, the frets also aren't rolled quite as much as my 2018 US model, which makes the G-string feel further away from the edge of the fret (there's more actual fret under the string, as it were).

 

Talking of things that are actually better than the USA Bongo, the lower horn doesn't dig into my thigh as much, because it's not rounded to a point, which spreads the weight out just a little more:

Note, the same is also true of the headstock, where they've not really bothered rounding-off the edges of the 'point'.  This means that not only is is still highly susceptible to damage, it's now usable as a weapon.

 

 

Moving on...

 

The neck dives like Tom Daley with an anvil tied to his ankles.  I've had the machine heads off, and they weigh around 90g each.  For me, it would be essential to reduce the overall headstock weight by around 140g, which I could easily achieve using lighter hardware.  This would improve the balance and significantly reduce dive.

 

The sound is quite disappointing (as expected).  The lack of Bongo pickups, and the 4-band EQ, both result in this being a very different sounding instrument.  Unfortunately, not only does it sound different, it also sounds quite cheap, and reminds me of a pretty nasty Traben bass I had once.  I've not played any other Sterling models, but I understand the pickups and preamp are standard on some Sterling Ray models, so YMMV.

 

 

The overall feel of the bass is just a little feeble.  It might just be the tonal issues playing with my head, but I'll swear that it doesn't feel as nice under my hands.  The frets and fretboard both feel a bit cheap under my fingers.  This all around reminds me a lot of the impressions I got from the Strandberg Boden Prog that I tried a few years ago... a somewhat feeble and gutless instrument, of questionable build quality and playing feel.  At least this Bongo is only £999, although I reckon any Ibanez or Yamaha of similar price would be a better overall package.

 

In all, I think it's the kind of thing you should only buy if you really love the Bongo shape, but don't care about how it sounds or feels to play (this seems slightly counterintuitive to me, as many people hate the look but like the sound).

 

 

I'm left wondering if I should return it, or if investing around £700 in improved hardware and electronics would make enough of a difference.  £1700 is around what I paid for my USA model on Reverb, but they don't come up very often!

 

 

I hope this was all helpful to someone.

 

 

The headstock point:

Edited 1 hour ago by falling_in2_infinity
Final pic was tooooo big!

[Mudpup]

Send it back I reckon. It sounds like you've invested £1000 into something that you don't love and aren't going to pick up and play much.

 

You'll instantly lose at least £400 if you flip it in a few months and investing a further £700 in it makes no sense at all to me as it will still not be a real Bongo.