CP quinto and conga--The Incredible Shrinking Congas?

[bongobro]

Recently I played a new (2009-2010) pair of CP wooden congas at my drum teacher/buddy's store as part of a lesson. They were the standard-issue quinto and conga pair that just about every drum store sells as a price-leader. (If you're familiar with Latin Percussion, you know CP [Cosmic Percussion] is the lowest price level in the line).

They were the standard-issue oak finish I've seen on many LP products over the year; they had black, powder-coated comfort curve rims as always; but somehow they didn't quite sound the same as they used to. The heads were the usual buffalo skin; they seemed about the same thickness as other CPs I've played through the years (including mine). They seemed sturdy and well-assembled.

It didn't take long to tune the quinto to get sharp crack sounds from rimshots (in fact, with the cold, dry conditions we've had recently, it took not even a quarter-turn of the wrench on each lug to nail the pitch I wanted). The conga, on the other hand, took a bit more tuning (about three turns per lug) and--while it sounded good--it didn't have the bass or "bottom" sound you expect from a conga.

"Ya know," I said to my buddy, "these congas seem kind of small." A ruler and a few moments later, I knew why. They were "kind of smaller." The new CP quinto head measures just eight inches; the conga head barely 9 1/4 inches. (Considering the hembra head on my LP Generation II bongos alone measures nine inches, that's quite a shrinkage in 20 years.) In earlier days, this quinto would be classified a requinto and the conga a quinto.

What's more, they stand barely 25" tall; that's not a problem if you're playing them standing, since there's an adjustable tripod stand that comes with the set. If you play seated, you'll need feet or basket stands to bring them up to your comfort level. I didn't have either when I played them in conjunction with a pair of bongos on a stand. Even with the bongo stand lowered as low as it could go, there were nearly three inches between the top of the conga heads and the (tilted) lower edge of the bongos. This could be uncomfortable if you're a taller player or have limited reach.

These CP congas would be a good choice for a future conguero (particularly a child from 8 to 12), due to their size and relative lightness. This may be LP's new target for the CP series, but dedicated congueros may be disappointed, as I was. Even a low sale price would not make up for the lack of "bottom" in the conga's sound, and as such, the lack of versatility you would have in a two-conga setup. Given the choice, I would spend a little more up front on the Aspire series or, better yet, save my money for an LP conga.

As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for."

[Gretschhead]

Bro, I know you play on a couple of older CPs, how do they meassure up to the newer ones? Its been my experience that the CP brand in the 80s was much better quality than the newer stuff. It seems like the Aspire line took over what CP was originally doing, and CP went to an even cheaper more beginner line. An 8" Quinto is just rediculous.

[Jerry Bembe]

Older CP congas with the chrome traditional harware is in my opinion better than most of the newer LP stuff made today. AAAAK!

LP went to the cheap Black Powder coated thin curved crowns because perviously the oly difference between CP and the more expensive stuff was the price.

Peace and Play that thing!