Owen Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 I picked up some Bongo electronics. I have owned some (!) Bongos in the past but found them uncomfortable when seated. But I loved the electronics. Our own @Manton Customs did the routing work and all that malarky. New scratchplate, control cavity, battery and pickups. The control knobs are all sorts of wrong, but I will source some better ones. The before pictures are here. Share my joy. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 Sorry, I should have noted, Mr Manton does lovely work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 Interesting. Which pickups are you using? Have you managed to source some Bongo units, or are you using something else? (Potential for coil switching beckons!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 They came out of a Bongo. I waited a long time to find some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 I thought that the neck p/u was too far back... Of course, it's not. The neck is 3 frets less than a Bongo at 21, hence the larger gap 🙃 I bet it sounds great. Are the controls; Vol/Balance (the silver stack) H mid/ L mid Treble / bass ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 MORE ROOM TO SLAP!!!!!! That is not going to happen. I have not actually had a chance to plug it in yet but from what I recall of Bongos, you are correct. I had to put the Vol/Bal on a dual concentric otherwise it would be a 4-pot plate. I like a front-loaded jack socket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 4 hours ago, Owen said: I picked up some Bongo electronics. I have owned some (!) Bongos in the past but found them uncomfortable when seated. They are usually OK, though? 1 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocketflup Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 Having never had a chance to pay a Bongo, and I mean this in the nice way, what is special about the Bongo electrics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 (For me, and this relates to the 4EQ models) Bongos just have effortless headroom and a great degree of tonal adjustability. It's the 18v electrics coupled to the Neodymium pick-ups and 4 band eq. They can pack a mighty punch when required, but can equally just sit neatly in a mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 52 minutes ago, Paul S said: They are usually OK, though? I see what you did there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 35 minutes ago, sprocketflup said: Having never had a chance to pay a Bongo, and I mean this in the nice way, what is special about the Bongo electrics? They are just super grunty. I realise that that is a super subjective way of putting it, and pretty meaningless really as anything could be grunty given enough gain at the front end. They have clarity and a cut which is quite unlike anything else I have tried. Like a full-throated roar if needed. When I say clarity I am not talking about shiny high frequencies. Wow, tone words! They mean nothing! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 That is lovely @Owen 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted September 28, 2023 Share Posted September 28, 2023 Awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 28, 2023 Author Share Posted September 28, 2023 10 hours ago, Beedster said: That is lovely @Owen 👍 1 hour ago, LukeFRC said: Awesome I cannot deny it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloke_zero Posted September 28, 2023 Share Posted September 28, 2023 14 hours ago, Owen said: They are just super grunty. I realise that that is a super subjective way of putting it, and pretty meaningless really as anything could be grunty given enough gain at the front end. They have clarity and a cut which is quite unlike anything else I have tried. Like a full-throated roar if needed. When I say clarity I am not talking about shiny high frequencies. Wow, tone words! They mean nothing! Tone words mean nothing?! I feel like I'm understanding you more clearly than I do many people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 1, 2023 Author Share Posted October 1, 2023 Tone words. I played the Umm.....Bongo at church this morning. In a kind of strange analogy, it was like playing bass on an Aston Martin V8. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 1, 2023 Author Share Posted October 1, 2023 Ummm....Bongo - copyright @LukeFRC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 17 hours ago, Owen said: ... like playing bass on an Aston Martin V8. Two of my favourite sounds in one sentence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 2, 2023 Author Share Posted October 2, 2023 It's gratifying when a concept actually comes to fruition like you hope it will. My track record of "improving" basses is chock full of "Ah, not all that after all" moments. This is all I hoped for. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grreth Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Looks amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 3, 2023 Author Share Posted October 3, 2023 53 minutes ago, Grreth said: Looks amazing! I cannot deny it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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