Thanks! Will see if any are left if my budget can allow it!
Thanks! Will see if any are left if my budget can allow it!
Yes, a faithfull reintroduction of the former Valje model. Since LPinc has the license to market a VALJE model, Resolution is a new moniker for the same Valje design BUT ~ Valje had design flaws and Resolution carried these flaws over. The Lug cleats tend to warp out of position & cause tunning hooks to grind the threads against the Lug cleat saddles, The crowns should be more rigid & warp proof, and six lugs should be used on all sizes, perhaps even a 7 lug on the lrg tumbas. In the case of resolution Bongos, they are prone to crack where the 2 shells are joined. The bracing is prone to twisting. The bottom base is not as sturdy as other models like Meinl for example....and there is not enough clearance to allow the hooks to move in the saddles, this can cause hook thread damage & make it nessesary to replace tunning hooks as that happens. Every Valje ( and Gon Bop ) Bongo I have owned had problems. The Conga Lug Cleats tend to bend & become mal aligned w/ the hook, the original Valve conga hooks would bend out of shape as well. OAK wood in general is prone to cracking along the softer grain. American crafstmen copy old designs and are too stuborn to correct the design flaws...thats why Asian models dominate the market now ! Its SAD ! These Resolution Congas need a rubber base at the foot of the drum for resonance, non slipping on smooth floors, non scratching of floors & act as a shock absorber so the shells wont crack. I have seen all these problems in original Valje models & Resolution models share the old flaws. I do love Valje shell design though !
Volcano drums are excellent...as compared to any American made brand. Far superior than Asian models as well....I loved every thing about them, the shells, heads, hard wares, the fitting & finishing, and the full tonal range sound...every thing except for the fact I have to sell my 1997 Gon Bops in order to buy them one day !?
TIMBA percussion is in fact...the ORIGINAL GON BOPS ! All the back stock, tooling and such was sold out by GB to the new Timba. All the orig GB sizes from super quinto to super tumba is available at Timba. Timba corrected GB design Flaws, such as the lug cleats, superior" steel bands" around the shells ( not the old Aluminium ones that stretched out ). The Head selections are still a bit iffy, some times too thin ect but...if u actualy see & play the drums...u can choose the perfect model for ur self. BUT...Volcano wood selections and superior heads and uniform production seems a bit above Timba in quality controll. Both Skin on Skin & Mathew Smith congas...are also flawed from not having better hardwares. The old Cuban style they used were prone to bending out of alignment and the crowns could warp, the shells sometime went out of round, the heads could tune down only a bit until it bottomed out against the shell. MO PERC from Canada makes a fine drum but are cost prohibitive. I loved thier stainless steel hard wares !
A friend recently bought Matt Smith's Congas & a set of Bongos. I have seen several pairs of Jays drums ( had to repair them etc & re head them after I brought the shell of the 11" back into round ) I will definately publish a report on my findings regarding construction, hardwares, heads & do a full range sound check on floors & on stands. From the pictures, the heads seem mounted almost flush w/ the top of the crown ( ouch ) and if the crown / head cannot be brought down to a comfort zone for the players hands and allowed to stretch down w/o bottoming out against the shell...thats just LAME ! I will report the details ~ pros & cons, BUT to hear congueros rave about them as they do...I think its more romantic nostalgia than critical design details !? From engineering perspectives, the hardwares are in need of refinement for strength to weight ratios and to be trouble free for many years. For example....The lug cleats need to never warp out of alignment so the tunning hooks never grind thier threads against the lug cleat. The riviets of the " V "s on the crown should never pop off, nor should the crown go out of round ( especialy since many congueros do not take care in how they tune the drum. ) The " ALMA " ~ interior shell reinforcement ring ~ should contact every stave in order to hold every stave in position...not just the few it actualy braces against or the shell will flex until it eventualy will become out of round...and the head & crown will follow ! I dont wanna sound so negative...but I am realistic...These are the design flaws so why pretend they are so SUPERIOR ?
Last edited by Ernesto Pediangco; 08-18-2010 at 03:51 AM. Reason: typos
I noticed the quinto on far left is a new Gon Bop model that Akbar ( formerly of Valje & Sol Perc ) is responsible for its design. If u notice the crown is made from 1/4 round extruded stainless steel stock...not flat stock...as shown on the Resolution congas. This originated from " FAT Congas of Santa Barbara ( i think they only build cajons now ) These same crowns are on Volcano Drums if u select that option. This design is the strongest crown you can get...besides LP's original comfort curve crown ( now applied to the Matador line ( is better than comfort curve II's on the high end line ) This 1/4 round stock has been hard to find since it is so specialized a shape and is only extruded if u buy a large bulk order from the steel plant that extrudes it. It is very strong and rigid. Fat Congas had the best design of all these types. The " V "s on the crown were EQUIDISTANT located on the crown, meanning the space between the V's were the same as the space between the width of the V's, that means there was no wide space that was prone to warping so the crown, the drum heads skin wire remained perfect and helped keep the drum shell round as well ! By comparison....the old Cuban style of flat stock crowns w/ stamped V's w/ rivets are antique designs w/ problems inherant to the crude design. Valje & Resolution have wide saddles for the hooks to grab the crown...but allow the hook to twist in it and I have seen hooks loose chrome plating from the friction, I have had some hooks pop off the crown at times too. If anyone remembers " KING Kongas" from Calif. You will recall the very heavy crowns w/ Straight tunning rods...not Hooks, that were always in alignment. The only weakness was from using a cast metal lug cleat which could crack ( like "Bauer" Congas Lug cleats from Brazil ) King Kongas had a 3 bolt mounting to the drum shell which braced the cleat firmly to the shell. Valje's & Resolution drums have a small cleate w/ 2 mounting bolts that are close togeather & in line w/ the grain of the wood stave & the stave seams !? This could cause cracks ! Design Flaws carried over from old designs do not make for improvement ! This is why I would choose Volcano drums over Resolutions or Matthew Smith/Ritmo Studios or Skin on Skin brands.
I've got to stick up for Valje and Resolution. I most problems with the old Valjes is user abuse. I've got a 40 year old Valje that is in incredible condition and has seen a huge of amount of playing time. It's my main rumba ax.
The only design flaws in Valjes and Resolutions are the same design flaws inherent in every conga with lug tuned hardware hardware. I've never missed having rubber bottoms on these drums. They don't slip at all. The Resolutions have 6 lugs, except the quinto. I don't think it would be good to have 6 lugs on a quinto, not enough space for your hands.
The half curved rim from Akbar and Volcano an Fat Congas is very nice, but a rectangular steel section is stronger. I don't know if Akbar necessarily got it from fat Congas though, or if he came to it by himself. Anyways they are all great drums. As long as a conga is respected and not abused it should last a long time.
The main thing is the sound and response. The Asian built models have nowhere near the sound or responsiveness as these others. They feel dead to the hands.
I have a lot of nice drums and have been around a lot of nice drums. If a drum can survive 40 years of use and abuse it's a great drum. I love all my drums.
Welcome aboard from one "bongo" man to another!
Hey, superbongos, I bet you have a blast playin' any and all of those congas! I'm only slightly jealous, bro'!
keep the beat goin' ... Don't keep it to yourself!
Charlie
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." --Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854
"There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value." --In memory of Frank "fiacovaz" Iacovazzi
"Maybe your drums can be beat, but you can't."--Jack Keck
SPOILER ALERT ! The hard ware design flaws to be aware of on theses drums * Notice the lug cleats are small in size, which does not distribute enough of the tension stress loads from tuning , * Also, the mounting hole locations are very close to each other and in line w/ the wood grain & wood stave seams...which is a recipie for cracking the wood. Also...the saddles which are rivited to the lug plate / cleat, can easily bend & mal align the tunning hooks and cause hook threads to grind against the saddles ! These are crucial flaws which were the cause of many vintage Valjes to require parts replacement & / or shell repair. I have always loved Valje conga shells & sizes and the crown rims...but these flaws are un acceptable in modern days in light of the failures of the original hardwares which the Resolution models do not correct. Gon Bops had a sturdier lug plate design...but still the saddles had simular problems...they bent out of alignment, but had a 4 hole mounting hole location on a larger lug plate that secured the tuning hard wares in a more secure & dependable fashion.
Drums like volcano and resolution are custom made works-of-art that will run u anywhere from $850 to over a grand per drum. Generally they are made by one person. Two @ the most. LP, Meinl,etc. don't even come close. My opinion. Peace in Music.
Also keep in mind that the Asian drums are made of a wood( white lau, rubberwood, Siam oak) that many times do not fair well in our climate especially here in Michigan. Every lp drum I own including 2 quintos under the valje name cracked. My Fat Conga maple drum is still going strong. Rick put a marine epoxy coating on the outside surface of the drum. Gave it a rubbery feel. I believe it has since rubbed off, since I just feel wood now. I have had this drum close to 20 years now.
- Admin
We are proud to present one of the net's largest drum forums. Please click the following link if you need assistance with our Drum Chat forum. | Drum Chat is brought to you by Drum Bum, Inc. featuring Cool Gifts for Drummers & all Musicians & Custom Drumsticks
I never had cracking issues with my Fat Conga
Don't expect any new congas under the Valje name. LP still owns the name. Akbar Moghadam recently made some bongos for LP under the Valje moniker. They come in mahogany and red oak. The heads are Remo Nuskyns.
My cool voodoo conga... and friends. Old hi-hat stand re-purposed to shake rattles by foot.
voodoo4421.jpg
voodoo4422.jpg
Okay, the conga is not that cool. Just a cheap Cosmic Percussion that was originally in a 10"/11" mounted pair that my sister picked up cheap from a "divorce sale", and gave to me as a birthday gift a few years ago. I removed them from the tandem-stand, and got a solo stand for the larger drum. Although I am not a hardcore germophobe, I was a little grossed by the idea playing a dirty old skin head that had absorbed years of sweat and body oil and dirt, etc., from the grubby hands of people I didn't know. So I replaced the head with brand new Fiberskyn. And applied some decals just for fun. Might get a new, better conga model this year.
Last edited by JoePasko; 01-19-2018 at 06:32 AM.
^Ha! That's awesome! You work wonders on re-purposing old drum gear Joe! Welcome back man...
Bookmarks