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Thread: Best New Congas you Ever Played

  1. #1

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    Hello everyone!
    There have been a lot of questions asked about what congas are good and maybe this thread can be of some assistants to anyone who is thinking about buying a new set including my self. Congas are expensive and there are some stores that won’t even tune the congas on display, maybe it would not be considered new if they did or something. Nothing worse than getting a new set home and finding out it’s not the sound you where looking for! So what are the best new congas you've played? Not necessarily owned. For me, out of the LP line I think the Patatos sound the best and as far as beginners congas the ever popular Aspires which are not bad for the price. Over all I once played a set of drums called Timba’s that sounded wonderful!
    Thanks again,
    L4C.

  2. #2

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    Best conga's I played in a store:
    1) Hands down...Volcano Percussion, Koa & Mango!! The only Volcano's I've had the pleasure of playing too.
    2) LP Galaxies...they were tuned and sounded amazing.

  3. #3

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    I've played the LP Giovanni Series, and their tuning was slightly off perfect, but they sounded killer! The oak shells seemed to sound warmer than any of the other wood congas I've played...

    I've been pleasantly surprised by the Synergy congas (see the review in the REVIEWS section), and the LP Aspires are still good starter congas...

    Te1985--I'm gonna have to stow away on a trip to Hawaii so I can get my hands on a set of Volcanos, bro'!
    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

  4. #4

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    I love my LP Matadors best I have ever used.

  5. #5

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    Factory produced I would go with LP Classics or Gon Bops Alex Acuna models

    If you have an unlimited bank account I would go with one of the handbuilt companies like Sol, Mathew Smith, Timba, or Volcano (these can be over a grand per drum)

    The question was best "new" congas, but there is no comparison to the sound of vintage handmade Gon Bops and Valje drums.

  6. #6

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    These are some of the nicest I have ever heard/played:
    Tycoon Master Hand-crafted


    They are hand carved and sound AMAZING! They make bongos like this too. I know they are a newer brand, but everything I have seen from them is very high quality...

  7. #7

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    peach, I have also heard really good things about Tycoon. I havn't had the chance to see or play a set, but I have heard nothing but good comments from people who have. Their timbales look very appealing to me as well.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gretschhead View Post
    Factory produced I would go with LP Classics or Gon Bops Alex Acuna models

    If you have an unlimited bank account I would go with one of the handbuilt companies like Sol, Mathew Smith, Timba, or Volcano (these can be over a grand per drum)

    The question was best "new" congas, but there is no comparison to the sound of vintage handmade Gon Bops and Valje drums.
    Just reading through the forum here and had to comment.

    I own some Valje drums and I really like the sound. I've played a few other brands, not owned, just played them, and like you're comment "no comparison" I would have to agree.....I'm no expert by any stretch though. But I have owned my Valje's for 32 years now and they still sound awesome!

    As far as new drums go......most of the high-end congas I've "boped" on over the last few years have sounded pretty nice. I would buy Gon Bops California Series in Mahogany Satin oil finish or maybe one of the Graphics. Sizes Super Quinto right up to Super Tumba with matching Bongos. I think they're about $1,000 per drum and $500 or so for the bongos. Everybody has a fourth mortage on the house....don't they? Hey, it's only money .....so, live your dream and drum on is what I say!

    Nostrovia!

    Kona
    Gary

  9. #9

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    You could spend the rest of your life playin' all these killer congas and never be bored! (At least I could! )

    Haven't seen the Tycoon congas, peach_tx, but I'm gonna look up their site...that pic you posted looks like a million (dollars?)...sweet, bro'!
    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

  10. #10

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    Check out the wood selection here on the Volcano Drums!

    I like the Premium Koa - and wouldn't you know it they're the priciest of the lot ($2399 per drum no matter what size) They come in sizes from superquinto to Boomba - 6 drums - (boomba being larger than the super tumba). Rough estimate is $15,143 before tax.....I guess I'll be ordering a set for Christmas.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Gary

  11. #11

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    Those are some really beautiful drums! I've never had the chance to play a set of Volcanos, but from everything I've heard they are the nuts! Its cool to see a company making drums out of non-traditional woods ie: mahogony, maple, oak etc. I'm interested in how these woods sound tonally and how they project. They sure do look great though, I love that monkeywood!

  12. #12

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    Make mine Koa and Curly Mango! Now to start saving $15,143.00...one, two, three, four, five, six (pennies!)...

    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

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by bongobro View Post
    Make mine Koa and Curly Mango! Now to start saving $15,143.00...one, two, three, four, five, six (pennies!)...

    Bongobro !
    The following is an email I received from Tom Alexander regarding the price of Premium Koa Tumbadoras (the quoted price is for EACH drum!):


    Aloha Kona,

    In gallery is $6,000.00 each. Of course more if you want 24kt. gold plated hardware. There all beautiful no matter what the price and the sound and quality is identical. The cost differential is in the value of these rare premium hardwoods price controlled by world market for fine furnishings. Attached is a photo of our most popular drums today. This is Hawaiian Monkeypod from Waipio Valley on the Big Island of Hawaii. Very rare.

    Aloha, Tom Alexander
    Production Manager
    Volcano Percussion
    "Where Every Drum Is An Original"
    P.O. Box 6280
    Ocean View, Hi. 96737
    808-929-9738

    Brongobro - how about splitting the cost with me and we'll order the full set: super quinto (most makers call this one a requinto) quinto, conga, tumba, supertumba and the 14" boomba (including the 7/9 bongos). This will set us back about $37,000 before tax and shipping! I'm in ! lol ! They are certainly beautiful looking drums! I'm going to talk to my wife to see if we can get a 3rd mortgage on the house........

  14. #14

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    Volcano's...YUM, made right here on the big island of Hawaii!!!

    Did I mention that the set I played to answer this post (at the top) was about $800./DRUM!!! hahah!! My how things change. And yes, I wish I bought them back then!!! Volcano drums...EAR CANDY!!!

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by kona View Post
    Bongobro !
    The following is an email I received from Tom Alexander regarding the price of Premium Koa Tumbadoras (the quoted price is for EACH drum!):


    Aloha Kona,

    In gallery is $6,000.00 each. Of course more if you want 24kt. gold plated hardware. There all beautiful no matter what the price and the sound and quality is identical. The cost differential is in the value of these rare premium hardwoods price controlled by world market for fine furnishings. Attached is a photo of our most popular drums today. This is Hawaiian Monkeypod from Waipio Valley on the Big Island of Hawaii. Very rare.

    Aloha, Tom Alexander
    Production Manager
    Volcano Percussion
    "Where Every Drum Is An Original"
    P.O. Box 6280
    Ocean View, Hi. 96737
    808-929-9738

    Brongobro - how about splitting the cost with me and we'll order the full set: super quinto (most makers call this one a requinto) quinto, conga, tumba, supertumba and the 14" boomba (including the 7/9 bongos). This will set us back about $37,000 before tax and shipping! I'm in ! lol ! They are certainly beautiful looking drums! I'm going to talk to my wife to see if we can get a 3rd mortgage on the house........
    I could purchase a matched set of Chevy HHRs for Mrs. bro' and me for that money! "brongobro?" Kinda like the aussie "drongo"--a drunken no-good so-and-so, which is what Mrs. bro' would call me if I even split on the drums (at least for now)...

    Quote Originally Posted by Te1985 View Post
    Volcano's...YUM, made right here on the big island of Hawaii!!!

    Did I mention that the set I played to answer this post (at the top) was about $800./DRUM!!! hahah!! My how things change. And yes, I wish I bought them back then!!! Volcano drums...EAR CANDY!!!
    And eye candy too, brada!
    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

  16. #16

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    Many swear by those Volcano Conga's! Johnny "JC" Conga in Seattle owns a set of four and can't say enough about them in his commentaries and video training.

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Te1985 View Post
    Best conga's I played in a store:
    1) Hands down...Volcano Percussion, Koa & Mango!! The only Volcano's I've had the pleasure of playing too.
    2) LP Galaxies...they were tuned and sounded amazing.
    VOLCANO DRUMS - KOA & MANGO (Monkeypod too!). They are some beautiful looking pieces of art! If they sound anywhere near as nice as they look....wow!
    Gary

  18. #18

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    Volcano is hands down the very best on the market today and yesterday. The prices start around $650 to $700 if you buy a set of 3 or 4 at a time. Stainless Steel Hardware, Exotic wood that is fitted like tounge and groove (biscuits between staves) and skins that are first rate. I own Volcano congas from 9 3/4" to 14" and they are by far the most melodic and comfortable congas I have ever played. The tones are easy to produce and the tone is exceptional.

  19. #19

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    Both the old LP fiberglass conga's (like them more then the new ones, so I found out last weekend at a jam) and the Sheila E. sig. conga's/bongo's.



    They sound like fiberglass but are wood. Best ever imo.

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Te1985 View Post
    Best conga's I played in a store:
    1) Hands down...Volcano Percussion, Koa & Mango!! The only Volcano's I've had the pleasure of playing too.
    2) LP Galaxies...they were tuned and sounded amazing.
    I find that Lp Galaxies & Paladium models are so thick, dense & heavy that there is little if any bass tone resonance, like playing a sewer pipe with a conga head mounted. Un nessesarily heavy side plates & hooks add non essential weight as well, this is all considered the ememy of drum resonance in drum set construction...and it's true of Latin drums as well.

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Bembe View Post
    Volcano is hands down the very best on the market today and yesterday. The prices start around $650 to $700 if you buy a set of 3 or 4 at a time. Stainless Steel Hardware, Exotic wood that is fitted like tongue and groove (biscuits between staves) and skins that are first rate. I own Volcano congas from 9 3/4" to 14" and they are by far the most melodic and comfortable congas I have ever played. The tones are easy to produce and the tone is exceptional.
    I agree Volcanos are one of the best current congas, for the lighter shells, great hard wares equal to Fat Congas or Remo brand ( depending the hard ware type of the drums depending the model ) and great heads as well. My only concern is that thinner wood stave drums are more flexible & may be more likely to take on damage in road work conditions ( not just being art objects in a home or studio. Since they are not banded, I wonder if the stave seams have any added features to protect the drum from flexing & cracking~ aside from biscuits. I guess only time will tell. But Volcanos are what other conga builders should use as a standard to match or exceed...or do us a favor and do not push more drums like what Asian companies are putting out or drums that look like old Cuban styles, when old Cuban hard wares were so mediocre ! Lets get back to musical beauty & road worthiness of drums as a tool of our trade, not just cosmetic beauty for fashion & marketing appeal and lets correct design flaws, not copy them ! ?
    Last edited by Ernesto Pediangco; 03-03-2011 at 09:07 AM.

  22. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by musiqman View Post
    Both the old LP fiberglass conga's (like them more then the new ones, so I found out last weekend at a jam) and the Sheila E. sig. conga's/bongo's.



    They sound like fiberglass but are wood. Best ever imo.
    The Sheila E. model of conga & bongo are actualy my favorite looking Tocas & I prefer Toca's w/ traditional crown instead of their style of comfort crown which is to much like the Gon Bop Tear Drop crown design which does not securely hold the skins onto skin wires. They are over sized & look out of proportion on the drums. I amways considered Toca's as a follow up copy of anything Lp has done, Toca's would create a similar product but not quite as refined, and when they copy, they do not enhance or innovate or improve on design flaws. They are accepable imports....like Tycoon or Pearl but they are seeming more like to much of the same, not of advanced design or quality, just 40 years of mediocre products that are not as good as many that did not make the sucess of Lp for example ...only because of marketing issues, not design or quality issues.

  23. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by bongobro View Post
    I could purchase a matched set of Chevy HHRs for Mrs. bro' and me for that money! "brongobro?" Kinda like the aussie "drongo"--a drunken no-good so-and-so, which is what Mrs. bro' would call me if I even split on the drums (at least for now)...



    And eye candy too, brada!
    At $6,000 per drum, is a sin ! NO conga is worth that as a drum...only as an art object ! ? ~ if even that is questionable in realistic terms. The drums, regardless of wood species are a musical drum which is a crude barrel w/ 1950 design & 1972 ( Fat Conga drum crown design ) They are unique only for the wood species ! Stainless steel hard wares are as valuable as same parts used in Marine hard wares...which is an expensive comparison, But these parts are just crude tensioning systems almost identical to chromed steel parts from Asia...the industry standard for decades & quite common. For a set of those drums( $$$$$$ ) you can finance a business and create superior hard wares on great woods and modernize them by correcting design flaws and make them more user friendly ! I love Toms workmanship & end product but there is no logical reason for making such expensive drums unless it is a status symbol for some customer with a mid life crisis issue. But....its nice to claim you built a drum from a rare species of wood, thats the only thing I can relate to. I wonder how a side by side sound test of those drums, against Remo's man made material shells would be...wearing the same identical heads ? A drum...is just a drum. Object Art is another class altogether.

  24. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by BongoCajon View Post
    Many swear by those Volcano Conga's! Johnny "JC" Conga in Seattle owns a set of four and can't say enough about them in his commentaries and video training.
    I played JC's set and thoroughly put them through a sound check & inspection of materials & workmanship ! The model JC has, uses Remo side plates & crowns, like Asian made drums in design features & look. The shells were light, beautiful & great tonal response in all tones...including Bass tones ! Bass tones are lacking in many heavy Asian made drums like Lp Galaxys, Gio's & Paladiums. Jc's 2 nd Tumba had a head slightly thicker and not as balanced to the set in acoustic settings, it was a bit fluffy so I had to play it harder so it would balance in tone & volume projection with the other drums which were as good as any drum I have ever played. But...My own 1998 Gon Bops sounded this good when my heads were fresh & new, before they mellowed after all the years. The heads are the KEY since that's the origin of the voice of the drum, the shell w/ hard wares are simply a resonator & a durable frame to support the tuning system. Volcanos are my favorite custom made American congas,for great traditional acoustic environment playing. I wonder how they sound w/ plastic heads ? I wonder if, with different head weights if they will be balanced & projective enough for Salsa bands & other bands w/ amplification etc ? I do know, that I would add a rubber boot to protect the bottom shell & provide resonance on when on floors & concrete etc, which sucks tone from drums in some cases. I prefer drums not to choke from being dampened from resting on solid surfaces like floors. Also, If Volcanos were my project, I would have had a top tuned version superior to Lp's recent attempt instead of side tuned old style system that is on Congas now...only because by default, every builder copies what they think is authentic, when in fact is just Upside / Down. You do not see drum sets tuned in this fashion because the drummer can not access it easily & if you ever see damaged shells on congas, from hard wares colliding w/ adjacent drums, that is a major design flaw ! So...as an advocate for improvement I offered my design innovations but Tom is content with the designs as they stand. That's cool to. Just not improved beyond the common offerings of Asian imports. The same goes w/ Volcano Bongos, great wood & nice hard wares...but...share the same limitations & flaws as other old designs. I have not seen the Volcano bongos up close to see how thick or thin walled the shells are or what shape the sound bearing edges have. But...again...many companies share the same design except only Gon Bops & Sol, have the same rim profile. Its just a rim ! I hope Volcanos continues to advance in design to be as high standard as the quality of the wood shells. For a third the price, I can get gorgeous wood drums with same qualities in sound, simply by tucking my own heads. Its a hard economy & what was once acceptable is not competitive once newer & better designs break out. Tom has an opportunity to lead the way or follow others. Its a matter of comfort zone I guess ? Custom shops & drum companies have different markets which do over lap. Would I up grade to Volcano's ? Yes, I would, as a second set. But I am still waiting for some one to build a shell which is the happy medium for Salsa & acoustic music settings, and open to improving flaws and offering options for practical applications for working musicians like me. ( I always add a carry handle & mounting hard wears to my drums because I have to pack them, I have to set them up as is fitting the stage & band requirements, not just sit down playing. Professional options & enhancements like a protective bottom of drum, bumper / vibration isolation rubber boot of some type. Bongos...have to endure more than congas at times & I wonder if I'd like these shells in a professional setting, more than my current ones. Bongos are the most produced and easiest available Latin drum & Volcanoes are very much more similar that different & do not come with improved practical features aside from nice woods & decent tuning like most others have. But...Tom would not even discuss the topics I wanted to put on the table. I can not buy a drum ( not to mention endorse or desire to sales rep them ) unless a repoir & exchange of critical information is available. So...ultimately...there is not any " BEST CONGA " yet ! But Volcano's are Best Looking conventional designed model.

  25. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Bembe View Post
    Volcano is hands down the very best on the market today and yesterday. The prices start around $650 to $700 if you buy a set of 3 or 4 at a time. Stainless Steel Hardware, Exotic wood that is fitted like tounge and groove (biscuits between staves) and skins that are first rate. I own Volcano congas from 9 3/4" to 14" and they are by far the most melodic and comfortable congas I have ever played. The tones are easy to produce and the tone is exceptional.
    There are 3 models of hard wares, one set is identical to Remo's side plates & comfort style crowns and are chromed metal. The Stainless Steel 1/2 round profile tradition crown & custom made Volcano side plates of conventional style, are of Stainless steel. All the hard wares have a sleek well aligned & elegant look. I do not know the $$$ differences between models even after seeing the web page...I never saw a dedicated price list as a starting point, probably since there are so many woods & hard ware differences. But basics are still needed ? How thick are the conga & bongo stave shells ? Inquiring minds want to know ?

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