The days of Ernie Ball not making signature basses are over. Ernie Ball Music Man has released only a handful of artist models, most notably the Joe Dart and Mike Herrera signature models. They’ve done it again with longtime Ernie Ball Music Man user John Myung of Dream Theater. Together, they created his signature bass, the John Myung Bongo 6 HH.
The company describes it as: ‘The John Myung artist series Bongo is a sleek, ultra-modern 6-string bass crafted and perfected to John’s exacting specifications. After over a decade of refinement, John and the Ernie Ball Music Man engineering team have addressed a multitude of design features to further enhance comfort, playability, and overall performance.
The very first thing that struck our eyes was the simplicity of the control knobs—just a volume knob and a 5-way switch, with the latter controlling the pickup blend. The body is streamlined, and the nut width is closer to the width of a 5-string than a 6-string, allowing for tighter string spacing. The neck is made from a combination of roasted maple and rosewood, giving the bass a visually interesting look.
Watch this quick video of John testing it out:
Specs
- Body Wood – Basswood
- Body Finish – High Gloss Polyester
- Body Colors – Black
- Bridge – Music Man chrome plated, steel bridge plate with stainless steel saddles
- Pickguard – Black
- Scale Length – 34″ (86.4 cm)
- Neck Radius – 11″ (27.9 cm)
- Frets – 24
- Neck Width – 1-3/4″ (44.5 mm) at nut 2-13/16″ (71.4 mm) at last fret
- Neck Wood – Roasted Maple Neck
- Fingerboard – Rosewood/Roasted Maple
- Neck Color – Natural
- Tuners – Custom Music Man, lightweight with tapered string posts and ergonomic design
- Neck Joint – 5 bolt, sculpted neck joint
- Controls – Volume, Switching 5-way pickup blend knob
- Pickups – Dual Humbucking with Neodymium magnets
The Ernie Ball Music Man John Myung Bongo 6 HH is available to order now for $2,999 and ships within three months.
Check out their website HERE if you’d like to learn more about this bass!
