Re: Lp matador
Hey, timbalero! BTW, welcome aboard, bro'...
I used to consider myself one of the hand drum experts in DrumChat, but compared to leedy2, I'm still a noobie even though I've played for over 20 years! (No self-bashing intended, 'cause leedy2 is a veteran tumbadero and he's got the chops to prove it.)
By "new," are these bongos new to you or brand-new altogether? The original Matador line was introduced in the mid 1980s as the lowest-priced congas and bongos in the Latin Percussion line, but by the early 1990s they became the middle-priced line when LP introduced the CP (Cosmic Percussion) series. Then came the Aspire line, which essentially replaced the Matador range, in the late '90s.
I have played Aspires, CPs, Matadors and LPs through those 20-some-odd years in lessons and in performances, and they are all good drums. If I could compare them to cars, CPs would be Chevies, Matadors would be Buicks, and LPs would be Cadillacs. That is, the quality of the materials and workmanship would be higher in the Matadors than the CPs, and higher in the CPs than the Matadors. So, of course, are the prices.
I have to assume these are used bongos since you've replaced the heads, but I'll cover that in a moment. If they weren't abused or damaged, the shells and hardware should be in good shape. Properly tuned, and assuming you're a good drummer, only the most discriminating ear would find any difference among the three brands. I would play any of these older drums with confidence. (Since Fender has just bought Kaman, who owns LP, the jury is out on any of the newer stuff, IMHO).
I've played NuSkyns on Remo bongos and I have a FiberSkyn II on my Remo tumba, and I like the way they feel and sound. I can get killer finger "pops" on the bongos and a good deep sound on my tumba. There were some early problems with delamination, but I have never had any problems with them. In fact, the tumba was used when I bought it, and there was a scuff on the head that looks like the percussive equivalent of a skinned knee, but it has NEVER given me any trouble in over four years of use!
Keep us posted on your experiences, man!
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
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