ern500evo

If this is a 2024 it sounds fantastic! http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYpzAw0IiCM

Yes the videos are on Elixir's channel. The guy is John Carruthers, he makes it very easy to follow and understand. I used it live for the first time last night, it sounds great. Going to take a little bit of getting used to, the body and neck feel bigger than my Warwick. Biggest thing though is finding somewhere comfortable to rest my thumb, the H feels too far back and the S feels too far forward! I've always rested it on the P pickup on my Warwick which would sit in the gap between the 2 pups on the Bongo.

My mum got me into some good music, she used to listen to a lot of Motown, Cream and The Rolling Stones. My dad used to work away a lot so on saturday nights he'd take my mum out, and every week without fail he'd come into my room to put his Fats Domino record on to listen to while he had a bath and got ready. Whenever I hear the opening piano part of Blue Monday now it puts a big smile on my face and takes me straight back to that time.

[quote name='Bassman Sam' timestamp='1394156898' post='2388637'] Looks great for it's age, lush. Through the Ashdown it will sound fab. Time to brush up the Cream licks. [/quote] Agreed, first thing you have to play on these is some Jack Bruce, it's the law!! Congrats, very cool bass.

Thanks guys, it did just need a minor tweak of the truss rod to sort the buzz. The rest really was just checking stuff as I watched the videos, which by the way are very good. I had to do it, it would've been too painful to leave it at home for saturdays gig! The more I play it the more I like it, and I know I'm biased but I think the stealth black finish looks pretty cool.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1394114015' post='2388052'] Congrats on the new bass! Really not sold on the looks, however the sound and playability is superb, best of Musicman for sure [/quote] I know what you mean about the looks Kev, it took a while for me to be convinced.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1394114623' post='2388065'] It looks lovely (like the Knight Rider bass rig!) You couldn't believe that in 6 months you'd be buying one... In 6 months you won't believe that you were scared to do a set-up on it!! (And wonder why you waste money paying someone for a set-up when it's so easy!) [/quote] Well i did it! i got the tools needed together, sat down and watched a series of 4 short videos by John Carruthers and went for it!! Did the truss rod first, and immediately the buzz started disappearing,. Then followed his instructions and did saddles, checked intonation etc. Only thing i didn't have to do was the height at the nut, which i'm rather glad about because he might have looked confident filing away at a brand new bass but i wouldn't have been! Still going to keep practicing it on my OLP though, but both HowieBass and yourself are correct, i did sit there after thinking "Well that wasn't as bad as i thought"!

[quote name='Nodd' timestamp='1394113029' post='2388038'] Welcome to the enlightened level of Bongo Nirvana! 18V of Donner und Blitzen [/quote] Thanks man, I've been just playing about at home with it, so not really loud but have to say it sounds great. Really versatile, can't wait to get out and hear it in the band mix at the weekend!

Good job i got it for an excellent price, in all the excitement of NBD i've just ordered a comfort strapp in short, thinking i wear my bass just above my waist (see avatar). Looked at the measurements (after i ordered!!) and thought "that doesn't sound very long", set the strap off my Warwick to the same length, and the bass is just under my chin, i think even Mark King would need it longer! Oh well, second hand Comfort strapp anybody??

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1394101542' post='2387874'] I love setting up instruments! I was probably a luthier in a previous existence [/quote] I would like to get into it, i bought an OLP bass to practice on and play about with. Give it time i might grow a pair and just do it!!

[quote name='burno70' timestamp='1394100752' post='2387856'] Nearly bought one of these a few years ago but couldn't quite pursuade myself to go through with it - not 100% sold on the looks - don't mind it, just don't love it. The tone however, really is incredible. Powerful and extremely versatile. If I won the lottery I would definately get one! [/quote] I'll be perfectly honest, when i first saw one i thought it was hideous. Then i listened to a comparison video without looking at the basses and noted which sound i liked each time, watched it back and it was the Bongo every time. That got me looking at them, and the more i saw the Stealth model the more it grew on me!

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1394099308' post='2387833'] If it's buzzy all over the neck the saddles are probably a little too low for your playing style and raising them is simple (just do it say half a turn at a time until the fret buzz goes away). Checking intonation is again simple with a good tuner; tune the open string, then check the fretted note at the 12th, if the 12th is sharp the saddle needs to come back a little, if flat then the saddle needs to move forwards. I like to check the tuning higher up too until I have it pretty much perfect. And happy new bass day! [/quote] I know i should man up and do it but i can't bring myself to do it! I think i'll get this done by someone who knows what they're doing and keep practicing on my cheapo so that i'm confident to do it in the future!

[quote name='Horizontalste' timestamp='1394100625' post='2387854'] Nice little set up you have there, I reckon it'll sound immense. Congrats [/quote] Thanks, that's pretty much it for me now. I wanted a set-up that wasn't a complete pain to load back into the house at 2am on a sunday morning so bought the Barefaced, now with the versatility of the Bongo and the RH750 i think i've pretty much got everything i need soundwise.

Well after much searching i finally got the one i wanted, a a Bongo 4HS Stealth. I think it looks fantastic, i can't believe how much i've changed my opinion on these since hearing one. If someone would have told me 6 months ago that i'd buy one, i would have assumed they'd been smoking crack! Brilliant service from the store in Holland where i got it from, prompt replies to any enquiries and very helpful. I ordered it Tuesday lunchtime and it arrived at 8.30 this morning, brilliantly packed! Slight downside for me is it could do with a set up, the action is too low so a bit buzzy. I like it fairly low but i also like the ability to dig in and change the tone, it's just too low for that at the moment. Bit of a bugger as the tech i use can't have it in until next week and i'm gigging Saturday. I know some of you guys will tut at me and say it's really simple, but i've only just bought an old bass to practice set-ups etc on so have never really done it before, and seeing as this is all new and shiny (well all new and matte black!) i think i'll let someone who knows what they are doing sort it out. I'm just not confident in taking tools to my brand new bass just yet. Unless of course some friendly BC'er wants to earn himself some beer money, I've got some left in the pot as the price on this was unbelievably good! So, here it is, with its new partner in crime, i look at this bass and rig together and i'm one very happy man! [attachment=156931:007.JPG]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1394006163' post='2386717'] Also, bear in mind that even if you did manage to find some way of getting around EBMMs no export rule you'd be screwed if you had any problems with the bass as it wouldn't be covered by any warranty. [/quote] The only way I could have done it would have been to get my sister in law to buy it while she was in the US and bring it home with her, that way BC wouldn't have broken any EBMM export restrictions.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1393928301' post='2385820'] About Bass Central: Location: 181 Oxford Road, Suite 107 Fern Park, Florida 32730 Hours: Monday - Friday 10am - 7pm Saturday 11am - 5pm Closed Sunday Definitely going there during up and coming trip to FL. Will take pictures and post them Only 20 minutes from hotel [/quote] The guys there have been absoulutely brilliant tbh, obviously their hands are tied by Musicman on international orders but theyve been really helpful in trying to find a way around it. Unfortunately it doesn't look like i'll be able to order from them, as i just don't feel comfortable about it being delivered to a hotel in Vegas, but they have been great about the whole thing. Shall definitely be paying them a visit next time i'm in Florida.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1393889960' post='2385624'] Look out for a used one in the US. If there's a dealer with a used or ex-demo one then they can ship outside of US. [/quote] Yes he did say that a used or ex demo model wouldn't have the same restrictions, so that's another option. They do have quite a few used MM basses on their website, so maybe I'll just have to keep checking to see what they've got.