NBD Red bongo 6 HS

TheMaynorD

TheMaynorD

Aug 28, 2013
650
1,200
4,551
Oklahoma City
#1
Found this beauty used and in mint condition on Guitar Center's website, so I took a bunch of gear down to the local guitar center and traded it in. Now my biggest problem is which bongo I like playing more.
basses.jpg
 
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#3
Edmang said:
Great basses! Congrats.

Are you able to describe the difference between the HH and HS? Do you have a preference?

Thanks
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So I have gotten this question a lot since there is not a whole lot of material out there comparing the two and the difference is subtle unless you are doing a direct ABY comparison.

The HH has a very modern and powerful tone with bright highs and deep lows which is great for aggressive slap, metal, rock etc. and when you roll off the highs and high mids and pan to the neck pickup it can sound almost like an active P bass. The bridge pup soloed is very close to a stingray but a little warmer. The HH doesn't have as much growl though.

The HS is not as powerful as the HH by a very small margin, I would say it's like saying a Ferrari is slightly slower than a Maserati. The HS has a lot of growl and is warmer than the HH with more articulated mids, and the neck pup soloed sounds close to a J bass.

I play in a progressive rock band with elements of Mastodon, Dream Theater, The Sword, Baroness, etc. and I use the HH for any slapping or big, doomy songs that require those huge lows. For the rest of the set I use the HS as I prefer its growl. Overdriven both basses sound almost identical so when my OD pedal goes on it doesn't matter which one I use.

I would say if you have to get only one, get the HS unless you play hardcore metal. The HS is easier to tame for vintage sounding tones than the HH. But if you want big deep and aggressive and don't care about a lot of warmth then the HH certainly delivers. Now I will say that both basses are highly versatile with the 4 band EQ and my guitarists agreed that both basses sounded good for any of the songs and that the difference in the mix was negligible. For example I can get the HH to sound almost like the HS if I play down by the bridge and really pull the growl out of it. Or I can cut the highs and high mids on the HS and pan to the neck and play up high and get a vintage thunk. Either bass is phenomenal and they play better than any bass I have ever owned. The finishes are amazing and the photos don't really do them justice. They have a subtle sparkle and look like the paint job on a muscle car. I love the way they look, but let the toilet seat comments begin.....
 
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