Help me decide please

[antsjack]

Hi guys.

I have narrowed down my choice of new bongos to LP Valje, LP Johnny Rodriquez, LP Generation 3, or LP Matador Custom.

[Mrs_Smith]

Hi guys.

I have narrowed down my choice of new bongos to LP Valje, LP Johnny Rodriquez, LP Generation 3, or LP Matador Custom.

Hi there

Found this site for you, not sure if you know about it:

http://www.rhythmweb.com/bongo/

Do more online searching, I'm sure you will find more bongo drummers who could answer your question

[Pearl MCX Man]

BongoBro should be able to help you with that. I think I'm just going by his name here on the forum. He's a Moderator.

[LudwigLifer]

I dont know about these drums except what I have learned here.Sometimes the "Siam Oak" is nothing more than pressboard.I think the Valje line was mentioned as were some Gon Bops.I have the LP Matador circled,so I am thinking this is a high end drum.Also it was said to take off any buffalo hide and replace with Remo Fiberskyn,Nuskyn or Skyndeep heads.This was all about Requintos,Quintos,Congas and Tumbas.To me Bongos are just a smaller version of the same.I hope this helps.Jerry Bembe is a good source of info. also.Im sure if you seek either of these guys they can easily fill you in.

[bongobro]

Welcone aboard, antsjack! Haven't been in for a couple of days so I missed ya the first time out. As my nickname implies, I dig playing bongos (and other hand drums), so I hope I can help ya out.

The four models you mention are all LP bongos in various price ranges. I have played a Generation II set since 1992, and it's been my workhorse pair of bongos. They've taken quite a pounding, no pun intended, and they still sound awesome after nearly 20 years.

Valje was a handmade line of bongos until it became part of the LP lineup in the 1990's. Some guys swear by their older Valjes, but under LP it's like comparing a Cadillac to a Buick; there seems to be little difference between the current Valje and the Gen III except the price tags. The Johnny Rodriquez model may be slightly different, but I have not played them, so I can't really say.

The Matador Custom line is a lower-priced line up. Using the car analogy, it's the Chevrolet of the LP lineup. They're NOT bad bongos at all, and if you're getting a first pair and your budget's a little tight, they'll do a good job. If I were to buy my first set of pro bongos today, however, I'd again go with the Gen II (now the Gen III). They're the best value of the four you mention, IMHO...

Happy hunting, and rock them bongos, bro'!

[Ernesto Pediangco]

Be sure you will like the larger head on Lp Dandy models. I do prefer the Lp Valje crown rims to any other Lp designs but Dandy's do not have ideal alignments between top & bottom & the hooks may wear out against the threads. Lp Valje model do not allow much stretching of the head before it bottoms out on the separator block but the steel bottom rings are preferred to aluminum which cracks or the chrome peels off. Check the sound edger of any bongo you buy / play. Is it a sharp edge that hurts fingers & causes premature stretching & tearing of heads...or rounded which is friendly to fingers & to skins ( allowing ease of skin stretching while being tuned ?