Music Man Bongo 4

[JoshOohAhsChannel]

Do you mind saying what you set your eq at to get your 'stringray' sound ? I've been trying for a while and I can't seem to get as close as you did.

[bassist99909]

That bass does run off of 2 batteries, correct? Does that get on of you nerves or does it not bug you?

[TunaMloohnahz]

Can someone please tell me what he's playing at 3:10? It's driving me insane :\

[zumazmusic]

@TunaMloohnahz - Why not ask the source? ;+) ... It's my bastardization of Con Funk Shun's track called "Too Tight"

[Koolikoo]

I LOVE THE NECK!

[bassplayer1494]

its like a jazz on steroids! very nice sound and playing :)

[zumazmusic]

@bassplayer1494 - That's a pretty good assesment. Jazz on steroids indeed. It begs the question...what would a Jazz with a Bongo preamp sounds like?

[bassplayer1494]

@zumazmusic good question. i bet it would sound killer!!

[bemolable]

anyone who know about spacing strings on this bass please!!!!

[zumazmusic]

@bemolable - I never looked up the specs but it's a VERY nice feeling neck. Going purely by feel, the spacing is somewhere between a Jazz and a Precision. Not very narrow, not very wide.

[EvilSkeltos]

Sweet bass man, I like that funk sound. I don't play guitar but listening to you play that thing looks like so much fun I might try picking one up

[kalci]

159 reallies :)

[XChrisxRubiX]

would the string go down to drop tuning and still sound good?

[zumazmusic]

@XChrisxRubiX - It sure would but also consider string gauge/type and instrument setup when drop-tuning. The DR DDT strings are great for this and you wouldn't have to widen the nut to accommodate them. Give 'em a shot!

[Brian19451]

is the bongo heavy like a jazz bass, or light like a ibanez?

[zumazmusic]

@Brian19451 - This bass is exactly 8 lbs 12 oz! I don't want to make any generalizations about specific brands. I personally feel that anything under 9 lbs is pretty damn good. Anything under 8 pounds is pretty outstanding. Anything over 9 1/2 lbs better sound great, look awesome or balance exceptionally well! Of course, you should also consider balance when sizing up an instrument. It can be even more important than overall weight. A good strap can keep a heavy instrument in line as well.

[Brian19451]

@zumazmusic thanks bro im thinkin bout gettin one

[stenhouse1992]

omg im sbout to jizz what an awsome bass man ur so lucky !!!!

[MrThrash4life]

how much is this and is it a good metal bass

[Jakeocide]

@MrThrash4life they go from about $900 used a lot to about $2200 brand new and yes it is an amazing metal bass

[tylerwylie]

@MrThrash4life I would say this is one of the better basses to use in metal, I have a Bongo 6 HH stealth and it rules for metal.

[dukeofhazzard421]

you look like Hal Sparks and Robert Rodriguez had a kid

[zumazmusic]

@J3R1N427i - I like my action as low as I can get it and I don't mind a little buzz. Strangely, I have always enjoyed a little bit of buzz. To each their own I suppose.

[deucekus]

the bongo 4 is the real deal ,its got a compensated nut ;p

[zumazmusic]

@deucekus - and don't forget the HUGE BALLS!

[jordanobass]

the best!

show

[hamboner2005]

I wanna get a white bongo, and then for the pick guard i want it to be yellow with brown blotches. It will be one shitter of a bass.

[illusionFTW]

the sound u got at 6:24 its just like the song Meganoidi from Meganoidi !

[Poppyseedsaredrugs]

clear your through man!

[Mightypaul]

@Poppyseedsaredrugs HAHA no shit, I was trying to hock that luggie for him

[zumazmusic]

@Mightypaul - You guys crack me up!

[mathiaze1]

Hey man great video!! I have a doubt hope you can help

my bongo is just like yours but my volume knob is not working...the sound comes out but only with the other knobs the volume dossn't change nothing...do you nknow what can it be?

thnak you

[zumazmusic]

@mathiaze1 - I couldn't begin to tell you what to do. I suggest you contact Ernie Ball's customer service. They are great.

[jgsky]

I hate the look of bongo....but it sounds great!

[TechSmack]

knob twiddler

[JCACFILMS]

Is this bass good for funk? Like get that Flea sound? Or Marcus Miller?

Thanks a lot!!

[zumazmusic]

@JCACFILMS - It rules for funk!

[Jakeocide]

@JCACFILMS yes

[bongusoryu]

-drools while dreaming- bongo, bongo, bongo, MUSICMAN BONGO,,,

[tylerwylie]

@bongusoryu I just got my Bongo 6 HH Stealth Black a couple days ago, now I want to get a 4 to keep it company.

[bongusoryu]

@tylerwylie Haha. I guess it will be a bit lonely. Let me guess. You might want to get the 5 string too? Unless you have it already.:):):)

[tylerwylie]

@bongusoryu Actually for 5 string I'd like a Sterling HH. All Music Man though for some reason.

[metalfanatic01]

this bass is my most fav and i getting 1 soon . juat some questions. y does it need batterys and wat do the batterys power? and is it possible to get that exact bass but in left handed form and an ebony fretboard ty. and this bass sounds like my destiny lol.

[DanielzBassz]

Hey! (: great video you got here!

I have a question for you:

can you use it for playing jazz too? to have that fat low treble jazzy sound?

[zumazmusic]

@DanielzBassz - Yes, you can get that sound. Use mostly bridge pickup and dial in a little bit of Bass and Low-mid. It gets you pretty close.

[bbender1986]

what song is a 2:45 i seen les claypool do that solo as well... look it up here,,, les claypool bass solo...what song is that ..

[zumazmusic]

@bbender1986 - It's my take of "Con Funk Shuns - Too Tight"

[31rS3RP3N7]

love it. looks like a UFO with wings.

[zumazmusic]

@greekdomination - You know what, I did rip that riff from a Larry Graham instructional video. I wasn't aware it was an actual track. Nice catch! ...I just looked it up, yes that's the song. Awesome! I am just bastardizing it of course!

[hellsSG]

Great review

[themusicman555]

I find the Bongo to be lacking the character that a stingray has, I also think the stingray has more growl in it, not that I dont like the Bongo I think its a very decent bass

[dakoko123]

I have tried this bass before.Then, i didnt think this bass is good.However,the bongo of this movie has so good sound.

I really want this bass.

[Jordo1900]

yeah i dont like this one i love the sting-ray though im getting a stingray

[MomoTheBellyDancer]

I can't get used to the look of this bass. To me it reminds me too much of a toilet seat.

[superste53]

"im not a real big knob twiddler"

im so immature :')

[Pblack476]

nice display man. Just a note, Basswood is indeed a very poor wood choice, specially for basses, but this only really applies to passive basses. Active ones can pretty much be built in anything because their tones are, for the most part, determined by the internal preamp ;)

[zumazmusic]

I would tend to agree with you that most active basses do get a lot of character from their electronics but I must bring up two points. Some active preamps, like Glockenklang, are designed to be transparent. Also, Basswood in a well made passive bass can sound good. Check out my Runaway, Serious and Portrait of Tracy videos. That's passive basswood! To me, it's not a super deep tone but pretty warm and punchy.

[AttitudeCastle]

@Pblack476

Basswood i find usually very good for bass, but i guess everyones ears are different!

The bongo was meant to be plastic but they wanted a warmer tone, and Alder was too heavy so they chose basswood!

But How growly/grunty can you get the HH model? I can't decide between HH and HS =( Thanks in advance!

[pandaman546]

Nob Twiddler LMAO

[MrEradication]

bitches

[hellesdreams]

I think you are the best teacher! thanks!!

[liberalsocialist353]

hey Zumazmusic. do me a favor help with this diamond dust guy

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 why do you need help? Why are you trying to rally the troops?

[diamonddust22]

I can't stop looking at this bass. It's the exact bass I have on layaway, and they call it Black Sapphire color.

[MegaMrbass]

Hey zumaz I would like for u to play the bass line from the song,I know u got another by the group the reddings. If u like FUNKY BASS u will love this

[BreakupBass]

great review....and i have that same fender shirt!

[pufifa]

dude, how can be 'half moon' cool? that's just the way how they save with materialz instead of full dot

^^

[diamonddust22]

pufifa with a comment like yours, the bass part you would be, would be a knob.

[liberalsocialist353]

how much was this?

[waynegacy666]

Check out in the Ebay, but I think it's cheaper than a stringray. I don't know why bongos are used now, 4 years ago nobody bought bongos

[liberalsocialist353]

coo. I was just checking this out. I'm gonna buy an epiphone t bird. either the nikki six sig or the standerd and swap the pick ups for some better ones. like emgs. I don't wanna buy this bass. kinda ugly. haha

[waynegacy666]

Well, EMGs are "The ultimate active pickups for guitar", but EMGs for bass are not that good. Bartolinis are the most known bass pickups and Seymour Duncan pickups are more popular in bass than EMGs.

I use an Ibanez 3 coil pickup (tribucker?), it's Ibanez's stock pickup

[liberalsocialist353]

I'll remember that. maybe I'l lshoot for some semores. I use a fender squier mb4 with duncans in them (it was modded by the other owner

[MegaMrbass]

UR right bartolinis r the best pickups for a bass guitar.2nd place r EMG 3rd r Nordstrand and seymour Duncan Bassline according to Bass Player mag.July 09

[melodic777]

@MegaMrbass

I respectfully disagree, I've been playing Bartolini's for 10 years, time for a change, and my new Bongo 5 with piezo will accommodate me well I am thinking.... Basslines and all!

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 anything below 2000 dollars is a starter bass. I've been through it all, you want a good bass you have to put out the cash. Anything Asian is shit and not worth the cash. It is true that something made in America is better. The only other company that I think can hold it's own is Yamaha, but that's it. Btw, the Bongo is awesome looking. The T-Bird is a shitty bass, especially an epiphoney.

[liberalsocialist353]

so you're totaly ignorent that you can have a good bass that doesn't cost much. Maybe you haven't noticed but Japanese guitars ARE GOOD. I happen to like the sound of the Nikki Sixx bass. and just because something isn't made in America doesn't mean it's shit.

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 if you truly read what I wrote, you'd clearly see that I said Yamaha was a good company. I am not ignorant as I have probrably had more basses then have ever owned in your life, and I've even built my own 1 of a kind bass, but I must stress that today cheap basses never measure up to good quality. You want quality, you have to pay for it, simple as that. Most basses under a thousand just do not measure up anymore.

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 anything I've tried from the US, which I am not from, has been top notch, whereas anything outside the US besides Yamaha, has been average to just plain crap. The T-bird bass is a dull sounding bass on it's own, and an epiphone is even worse. Get the real thing or don't buy it at all. If you aren't willing to invest fully into your craft then you really aren't that serious.

[liberalsocialist353]

I like the sound of the T-bird. and epiephones are decent guitars. the higher end ones. you also said. anything that's not over 2000 is a starter bass. so the fender american jazz basses and the music man stinrg rays are too? hmm what now?

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 personally for me I've even bought a Fender jazz bass for $1200, it felt good, but nothing was as good as a bass that is above 1500 dollars to 2000. You can hmmmm all you want, if you want mediocrity, feel free the world is full of garbage basses from Asia and god knows from where else. I've learned my lesson. No more basses bought unless it's from the States or maybe a Ricky, or a Hofner from Germany. Other then that, it's firewood.

[liberalsocialist353]

just because you have a really expensive bass doesn't mean you have to shit talk other basses. you're the kind of people I don't like. Closed minded douche bags that think what they have is the best and no one else will ever have or has anything better. you are an idiot

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 Closed minded? Nah, I've tricked out every bass you can think of and have told myself that this bass was good, that bass was good, but in reality, I was only fooling myself. I've been writing for 20 years plus, so I know what I am talking about. Name me a wood, and I'll tell you if it's good for a guitar. Problem is most of the bass made just under a thousand are made outside the US, and are made with shit wood, and crappy components.

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 the only reason why I built my own bass was because they didn't sell the bass I wanted and I couldn't afford the one I wanted, so I spent close to 3000 dollars making it. I bought a good bass because I am tired of buying things that are just plain mediocre, and I'm tired of bullshitting myself by telling myself, yeah it's so good, when it really isn't. I've tried the T-Bird, and all these knock offs, they are all shit and mediorcre. Stop fooling yourself and invest properly

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 Closed minded? I'm one of the most open minded people you can talk to, I am just sick of buying foreign garbage made out of fake lamenated junk, while cheap people ohhh and ahhh about the crap they bought. I made that mistake too many times. Chinese guitars are for amateurs and people who are starting out. When you get serious, you'll put down your beer and your pot and buy a real musicians instrument.

[liberalsocialist353]

well duh. but you are closed minded about being closed minded. which makes you more closed minded. musically speaking. I don't care about you're political views. my bass was made in Japan. does that make it shit? a lot of bassist use basses that aren't American. Famous ones too stop being stupid

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 I didn't once speak of any political views, in fact you are the one with the name advertising your own political views, and if you go back a few posts, I said the only that Yamaha was the only Asian company that holds a candle to anything. Korea is #2 to Japan. Musically speaking I am not closed minded, I have also played viola in an orchestra on top of having a 15 song Cd, with 2 more Cd's coming. I know a lot of players use bases that aren't Amer, but they get the best.

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 so you are wrong, I am not closed minded at all, in fact when you get an Asian bass and they claim it's mahogany, it in techical terms is not, it's an asian mahogany replacement, and it's as cheap as hell. To make a good bass you need good tone wood. In expensive basses you see them use terms like Select alder, or select basswood, or select whatever, but you don't see that in low cost basses. Look I'm not going to be your YES man, I'm telling you straight, don't buy shit.

[liberalsocialist353]

okay just let me get this straight. you're open minded but you only think that American guitars and basses are good. I agree that American guitars are good guitars. but because you think that american basses are the only good ones you are closed minded. you sierously need a dictionary.

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 if you were listening, which you weren't, I also posted that America, Germany, and Japan make the best basses. I also said that I like Hofner's, Ricky's, and Music Man. You also spelled seriously wrong, I think it's you who needs the dictionary. Bottom line is, I was you at one point in my life, I bought all the lower level mediocre basses, and I realised that they are just not good enough. They are dull sounding and full of flaws, sorry but that's the facts.

[liberalsocialist353]

you have no proof that you know what you're talking about. you're probably just some 15 year old kid that thinks he's all cool cause he has a really nice bass. troll.

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 you are 28 years old, and you act like a little spoiled baby who can't get his own way. Look, If you want to buy your shit basses of mediocrity go right ahead, but what happens is they do not project without adding other effects, or if the bass is active. Being a liberal/socialist tells me why you are such a little kid. People like you are all the same, you shoot them down cause like immature spoiled jackasses cause they spoiled your lil fantasy world. Grow up loser.

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 if you were listening, I'll reitterate. German, American, Italian, Swiss, and Japan sell the best basses. Anything else is a crap shoot and is for starters and amateurs. So keeping trying to convince yourself and others that a shitty fucking epiphone can hold a candle to a Music Man Stingray, a Hagman, a Rickenbacker, a hofner, or a 70's Fender, cause it can't. Old cut trees are all gone, and they are making Asian piles of shit now. You want that, be my guest jerk.

[liberalsocialist353]

well congratulations. you've totaly convinced me that you know how to swear. *blocked*

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 you are so immature

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 you swore and insulted me the whole time I talked to you and I said nothing like that. You called me a douche bag and whole load of other insults, and now I get fed up with your bullshit, you act like a 28 year old coward? Grow up.

[liberalsocialist353]

have fun with that Troll. *blocked*

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 have fun with your Asian garbage

[D4V35PR1NG]

m8 don't bother with him he thinks he can talk tough by hiding behind a computer screen i think u should just block him d00d or he really is gunna annoy the crap outta u he's already fucking annoyed me by the stuff i've read that he's posted

[diamonddust22]

D4V35PR1NG thank you brother, I really appreciate your words of wisdom. you are totally right, I'm blocking him now. thanks again.

[D4V35PR1NG]

WTF? troll? seriously man wot kind of an insult is that and everyone has their own style of bass which they prefer it seems to me that ur jealous that u can't afford an awesome bass such as a musicman

[diamonddust22]

liberalsocialist353 famous artists get a special bass or guitar made for them, unless you are Billy Sheehan where he wanted basses he could pull off the rack at any store anywhere in the world. Bottom line is, you get what you pay for. Anything less is for kids starting out.

[namcizum]

Anything below $2000 are starter basses? Is that the list price or the MSRP? I have to respectfully disagree on that. Most US Made production basses cost anywhere between $1200 to $2000 and most of them are well built. $2000+ basses are considered boutique so they are in a different level IMO.

[MrTMStevens]

I got the 5-string version and I am very satisfied with it, although it sounds a bit different. Thanks for the Review!

[METAL4EVER911]

damn what was that line you were jamming with for the slapping demo? it was pretty funky.

[zumazmusic]

I think I might have ripped some of that off from some Larry Graham video. :+)

[yowoodublome]

How much dude!!

[zumazmusic]

Ha ha! Not for sale!

[Baal1115]

Bongo uses Neodymium pickups.

[PF149]

okay thank you!@Duarfunk!.oh- and your bass playing sounds GREAAAT!!~

[Baal1115]

The difference between the stingray and the sterling is the stingray uses Alnico pickups and the sterling has ceramic pickups, so the sterling is more punchy and edgy. One thing that separates the bongo from the other models is that the body of the bongo is made of basswood while the other two are usually made of ash, also the bongo comes in a 6 string model while the other two don't

[PF149]

okay but what kind of pups does the 'bongo' have?@Baal1115?.(thks).

[Duarfunk]

It uses Music Man Neodymium pickups.

[PF149]

what is the difference in the 'Stingray'; 'Sterling', and the 'Bongo'? pple?

[Duarfunk]

To find the differences visit the Ernie Ball forum. The differences are numerous and complex - they are all extremely different basses.

[far0n]

I love the way he looks utterly stoned off his tits :oD

[shahafsagi]

how much did this guitar cost you?

[Duarfunk]

Great sound. I just got an HS model and it kills too!

[winstontk]

Great review. I really enjoyed it.

[smokeyupahead]

I know nothing about bass but I really like that sound!Amazing!

[sprintbass]

what did you use to clean it up? it looks great...what ever your using i need t use it...i wish i could find some sort of super wax that would keep smuges away...i miss that bass some what..i think it was a good bass for really heavy sounds, its almost to powerful (IMOP) atleast for what i wanted/needed...my big question is how would you compare it to my aria im getting because this bass along with several other bass's are casualties in my serch for that elusive tone..

[sprintbass]

sigh...................

[spartan117a]

im lost why does it take battries, is it wireless?

[Asgard222]

In terms of electronics, there are two types of basses; passive basses and active basses. A passive bass doesn't require batteries, but active basses require batteries. There are many tonal differences between active and passive pickups, the Bongo you see in the video uses 18 volt batteries.

[apassageto2112]

it uses two 9 volt batteries....

[jaydu26]

hi,

could in have your email adress please because i'm really interested in your bass.

Thanks

jay

[sprintbass]

the batteries support the pre amp in the bass...the bass is (active) it gives it more of a punch..

[achievist]

Love those review videos. Sweet set of axes you got there, Zumes. My fav so far is the Bongo.

[canvoodoo]

Thanks mate loving the reviews wish more people would demo there gear.