What to do with your old congas?

I started out with LP Aspire congas before stepping my way up until I bought my Giovannis. Counting the cost of shipping, it didn't make sense to sell the Aspires because you could buy them new with free shipping for about the same price. So here's what I did with them:

I bought a set of three Toca sit-down stands - and 11" and two 12"s (Tocas are slimmer so going up one size set the Aspires about 1" off the ground.) For the second 12" stand I put the legs on the outside of the ring and it worked perfectly.

Next, I bought some strings of LED lights from Amazon (the adhesive type on a string that you can mount on bathroom mirrors). I cut down the strings to only four lights (each with 3 LEDS) and I stuck them on round foamcore disks that I had made, then set them inside the drum near the base, with the cord-mounted dimmer knob stuck to the inner bottom edge of the drum.

I then ordered some round glass tops with a beveled edge on the bottom - 13", 14" and 15" for $25 to $35 each. To keep the glass tops in place on top of the skins, I bought some small oval-shaped silicone pads like women use inside their shoes (something like three dozen for $5).

And Viola! I have the coolest end tables in town. As my décor is African (having lived in Kenya and Tanzania way back when) it really makes an impression. I have all the lights connected to a footswitch in the corner to turn them all on at once. With the LEDs turned down low and the ceiling light dialed bck, it gives the place a great ambience. Very exotic and serene.