Re: LP valje bongo
Originally Posted by
sean valdepenas
Thanks Leedy!
Just curious, do you include Siam oak/rubber as oak, or is that not on the list?
Also, I am pretty computer savvy enough to surf the web and have already found a 500. pair that look pretty sweet without the need to mention names. This particular brand uses oak and not walnut, and also cowhide not mule or horse. 500 bucks a pop (get it?)- will this be the last set I ever need to own?!
Hey, sean--
Seems that Siam Oak is not oak at all. In fact, I checked a botany website where just such a discussion was going on (among, of all things, a group of hand drummers!). Siam Oak is another name for rubberwood, which is grown in parts of Thailand (formerly known as Siam). It is a hardwood, but not as durable as actual oakwood; it is actually the wood of overmature rubber plants that are no longer economically productive. Thus it's much cheaper than actual oak, and many of the cheaper hand drum lines use Siam Oak extensively. It's a good wood for what it's used for, but that's about all you can say about it.
As regards those "500 bucks a pop" bongos (and yeah, I got it, bro'!) I know of no one who isn't looking for a better-sounding set of drums! Another factor among drumheads is that LP has used water buffalo hide for many years on the lower-priced hand drum lines, and, if I follow the gist of many of our brother skin-slappers, mule skins are supposed to be the top-of-the-line as far as skins go...
Then again, I would say there is a fourth factor here...the wood, the skins, the construction, and the skill of the guy or gal who's playin' the drums. BTW way, I picked up a pair of Meinl bongos sometime back from a pawn shop, and they play and sound every bit as good as my LP Generation II's. The Meinls were $49 and needed some cleaning and tuning-up, and my LPs were $235 in 1992...so go figure!
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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