LeftyBassist.com

For those that may be interested, Bass Central shows TWO 5 string EBMM Bongos. One used in Sapphire Black and a very cool looking new '07 Blue Dawn LE version. I have two on the way myself but I've been reading a ton of stuff about these basses lately and everything the majority of reports say is that they sound killer and play great. A prime example is shown by the very excellent musician Dave Marks in a Bongo 6 demo on YouTube. Check this out with either some great headphones or some speakers capable of some great bottom 'cause the bottom on that Bongo 6 is killer. Obviously the 5 would be the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rO2K8F5-Xs

Just called Bass Central and of course, the Sapphire Black is gone already and it turns out that they had a Stealth fretless that they sold that never made it onto their site. They still have the Blue Dawn though. Those guys really are bad at keeping their web site up to date.

Here's a pic of the Blue Dawn they sent me.

Man, that finish is pimp!

Yeah, that's what I thought. Shame they're asking so much for it. I think it can be had for around $1800 - $1900, upcharge because of the Limited Edition thing. I bought a brand new Sapphire Black Bongo 5 for $1400 from The Perfect Bass. MUCH better price.

And check out the nice board on it.

Haven't got it yet but will have it in a couple of weeks, I'll post some more pics when I do.

Interesting that nobody's jumping on this. These Bongos are supposed to be killer. That's why I'm getting two. Granted it's an experiment but my homework is telling me it's likely to pay off.

Blue Dawn is my favorite EBMM finish (right after Envy Green, but that was a limited edition run, dang it!). I must confess that I have always had a bit of difficulty getting along with the Bongo shape, however, every one I have ever heard live sounded absolutely killer!

I've heard that they are actually very comfortable to wear and balance well, so I might just breakdown one day if I find one for a magical price!

Check out that YouTube link I posted of Dave Marks review of the Bongo 6. That thing REALLY sounds fat... or is that phat?

I think that a lot of people can't their heads around the looks but once they do and play one, the general consensus is that it's a great bass. Think about the variety of sounds that Tony Levin gets out of his Sting Rays and then think that the Bongo can out Sting Ray a Sting Ray from a sound and versatility point of view.

Like I said in an earlier post, I've been doing a lot of homework on this thing. Apparently people are getting a Bongo and then selling their Ken Smiths, MTDs, Roscoes, and Laklands 'cause the Bongo just kills.

I'm not a Music Man dealer or endorser and I have yet to get mine in my hands but I'm looking at some of the, sorry guys, quite frankly ugly basses that I see out there and the Bongo design seems quite tame in comparison to some of them.

I had a Bongo 4-string for about 6 months, and recently had a 5-string. My personal opinion:

-I like the way they look. Even though I'm a Fender guy, I like the overall look and the fact that they are different.

-They are comfortable, especially the 5-string. My 4-string was a bit heavy (9.5 lb or so) and unfortunately, my 5-string was still too heavy for me, too.

-I love the playability of all EBMM instruments. I've been able to perfectly set up the action on all the 14+ EBMM basses I've had in the past 10 years or so.

-The EQ is very versatile.

-The one thing I didn't like much were the neo-magnet pickups. I think they sound a bit muddy and tame in comparison to AlNiCo or Ceramic pickups. And through the years I've also come to the conclusion that generally I don't like MM-style humbuckers, I like single coils or stacked, J-type humbuckers, and generally prefer a J or P sound, passive.

I sold mine was because of the weight and my preference for other pickup configurations (and in the case of the 5-string, I was also in my latest phase of playing/owning only 4-string basses ). Otherwise, they were great basses, especially for the price. $1400-$1800 buys you a lot of bass.

Yeah, I've gotten over the looks of the Bongo, as I bought one brand new. And of course, I didn't notice the looks AT ALL when I played it.

I simply didn't like the preamp as much as I thought I would - the midrange and treble tones weren't as clear and aggressive as I wanted. And mine was an H, which generally provides a more aggressive tone than an HH or HS, based on my understanding.

I was also scared to death to dent the thing. Basswood is soft, and I generally don't baby my basses.

Other than that, they are killer. I agree with comments above - very versatile and they feel great.