LeftyBassist.com

Found this on the 'bay whilst slurping the morning coffee

BONGOMANIA

woah...Bongo Envy

whoa nice!

Ordered one brand new for $1,640.00 about a year or so ago. I previously played a Stingray 5 for years exclusively and always wanted another pickup for more tonal options. Well the looks I was prepared to have grown on me if the tone was killer. Body was designed in partnership with some guys from BMW.
Now I realize my opinions vary greatly most of the time with most of the members here but that’s what keeps things spicy right? Anyway here were my thoughts after having it for 2 months and dumping it for a $450 loss and glad to do it. The bass is shaped like a toilet seat period. It is at almost every angle disturbing to look at. The lower horn is short and tapers off to a sharp point like a fresh turd only as hard as a rock. So sitting in a chair or on a couch and practicing with is excruciating to the upper left thigh. The tone to my ears and everyone else’s in the band was just awful. Sounds nothing like a Stingray or any other MusicMan. Was fake modern digital cold sounding. My band mates pleaded with me to leave it at home. I never was able to get a useful tone out of it.
MusicMan is an incredible company and make super well built and useful instruments. I commend them for giving us lefties so many options. Trying something new and innovated is great. I do not look down on the Bongo but I personally would rather play a Kazoo than an El KaBongo.
I watched YouTube videos and the guy from Dream Theater is killer and is sounds great with him. But man after owning one just seeing that thing on eBay makes me throw up just a little bit. But this coming from me will most likely mean you will love it as I’m not a big Fender fan either so to each his own.

I guess it isn't for everybody, for me the Bongo is one of my favorite basses in current production, I have three of them. My single H Bongo is the best sounding EBMM I own.

I was taught to put my bass on my right leg when sitting down. It's supposed to keep the left wrist straight or something. Damn, I was taking lessons back when Reagan was president! As for the body; it's stupid to complain about something you can clearly see before you buy. I'm with you on the tone, though; it's not what I was looking for at all.

Hey peoples, that's my eBay listing. I think I agree what most that have been said here. I have a love/hate relationship with EBMM. I've had something like 5 StringRay 5s, 3 StingRays, 3 Sterlings, and that is my second Bongo - I had a 4-string before.

I love Music Man at home. I really enjoy the necks, and they sound great solo. But I play in a 9-piece band and I wear earplugs, so I need clarity above all, and humbuckers in general just don't have clarity. (I do like narrow-aperture humbuckers, like stacked humbuckers, though.) I perfer the sound of AlNiCo, humbucker or not. I don't think those Neo magnets yield to most musical sound. I have a Carvin B5 that has an AlNiCo MM-style humbucker, and it is so much clearer and alive.

And at the end of the day, I'm a Fender guy.

I found that Bongo at a good price, and having nothing else more exciting to try, I pulled the trigger. Love the Bongo neck and playability, and it has great punch, but it just doesn't feel right in my band mix, and I have have too many basses to keep this just to noddle at home. It would be a great bass in a 3- or 4- piece band where there is more sonic room for the bass.

I'm one of those who made endless toilet remarks about the Bongo early on. It looks silly, but I ended up liking it, and it's very comfortable to play standing up. I agree with lower horn being too short, but I play standing up 90% of the time.

Anyhow, Bongo, anybody?

Try one, you might like it.

Dang, I hope I like the new Bongo I just ordered. It's coming next month.

If not, there might be another southpaw spotted soon.

Geoff, that's the bitch about being lefty and taking risks ordering some instruments you have not tried before. Hopefully you'll get a bass that you like, even Tony Levin plays one of those and he has a great taste in basses. If you don't...sorry, I was gonna bring up the toilet stuff again but I realize that more finesse is needed in this forum.

" I was gonna bring up the toilet stuff again but I realize that more finesse is needed in this forum."


Frenchy you are 100% right. I do apologize for being so crass with expletives and unnecessary descriptions of my personal dislikes of the instruments design and tone. I do feel exactly the way I so cheaply explained but please know the Bongo love it or hate it is an excellently crafted instrument.
I think all MusicMan basses for the craftsmanship and quality are one of the best basses you can buy for the money. I wouldn’t be worried about buying one if you like the looks. They balance extremely well standing upright and are not too heavy. The neck was killer, one of the best MusicMan necks I ever felt. I prefer the matte finish so I actually like it better than a stingray neck. More to love about it than not love. I’m just over the top sometimes with my opinions and I am sorry to all the members and guests here. I will think twice before running my keyboard off first without some forethought.

Well, this baby didn't sell, but that's actually good news. . . I'm gonna keep her for awhile. It plays so nice. . .

I'd love to have a Bongo, but I'm kind of holding out for that "Egyptian Smoke" color to crop up on eBay. As for the whole toilet seat thing, maybe this picture will put things in perspective....
I actually saw a guy on eBay selling toilet seat guitars not long ago. This is a trend that somehow I don't see catching on...

it makes spaghetti out of crap. Not very comfortable as well i might imagine