Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo Basses: Radical Looks, Serious Tone

No bass splits a room like the Bongo. One look at that carved, crescent-inlaid body and players either grin or shake their heads — until they plug one in. Then the argument ends. Twenty-plus years after it launched, the Bongo remains the most forward-thinking bass Ernie Ball Music Man has ever made, and Bass Central stocks it in 4, 5, and 6-string.

Designed With BMW, Built to Be Played

The Bongo’s shape wasn’t a styling accident — Music Man developed the body with BMW Group’s Designworks studio, and it shows in the details: a sculpted basswood body that balances perfectly on a strap, a fast neck with 24 frets, and those signature crescent moon inlays. It’s light, it’s ergonomic, and once it’s in your hands the looks stop being the story.

The Electronics Are the Real Headline

Under the hood the Bongo is all business: twin humbuckers with powerful neodymium magnets, an 18-volt preamp, and a 4-band EQ — the most flexible electronics package in the Music Man lineup. It will do the familiar Music Man punch, but it will also go places a StingRay can’t: deeper lows, a more hi-fi top end, and midrange control that lets you carve out exactly where the bass sits in a mix. Studio players figured this out years ago.

4, 5, and 6 Strings — All Covered

The Bongo is one of the few production lines that treats the 6-string as a first-class citizen — it’s been John Myung’s instrument of choice for years. We stock the full range: Bongo 4 HH, Bongo 5 HH, and Bongo 6 HH, in finishes like Titan Grey with an ebony board, Mantis Green with maple, and the blacked-out Stealth. Every one currently on the wall is the HH dual-humbucker configuration, $3,049–$3,249 depending on the string count.

In Stock Now at Bass Central

Pulled from the wall today — every one of these is here and ready to ship:

• Bongo 4 HH, Titan Grey / Ebony — $3,049
• Bongo 4 HH, Mantis Green / Maple — $3,049
• Bongo 4 HH, Stealth / Ebony — $3,049
• Bongo 5 HH, Titan Grey / Ebony — $3,149
• Bongo 6 HH, Mantis Green / Maple — $3,249

More Bongos are on order in Blood Orange, Stealth, and Titan Grey if your finish isn’t on the wall yet.

Why Buy Your Bongo From Bass Central

We’re a bass-only shop, so the oddball stuff isn’t a sideline for us — it’s the inventory. That means real depth on the wall, honest weights on the listings, and people who can talk preamps and pickup configurations because we play them. Every bass ships FREE in the Continental USA, with NO TAX (Excl FL).

Looking for a specific finish or configuration? Call or Email 800-545-8813 or sales@basscentral.com, or browse the full wall at www.basscentral.com.