What is the value of Congas and Bongos?

[congamyk]

I'm enjoying this thread.
As a sax player, I've spent perhaps $20K on saxes and accessories during my lifetime.
I've owned my share of new professional saxes and vintage horns. I've bought and sold and bought and sold.
Then there's reeds you must buy every month and sax mouthpieces -don't get me started!
Sax mouthpieces are very expensive & some players will fill a shoebox during their lifetime searching for that one-of-a-kind-sound!

My daughter plays flute and I've researched high-end flute prices ($10-30K each!)

I'm glad that the conga is a simple instrument that doesn't have many meticulously intertwined detailed pieces.
I'm glad that 95% of our instrument is wood - which makes the cost low.
The simplicity of our rugged, earthy instrument is also it's beauty.
And it is one of only 3 instruments that perfectly complement the human voice singing (Piano,Guitar, Conga).

I describe my Isla requinto as "the earth singing".
Wood, steel and flesh..... the Earth.

[yambu321]

AKDOM,

VERY WELL SAID. I AGREE WITH YOU TIL ONE POINT. IT'S REALLY NOT ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF THE DRUM, THOUGH NEGLECT AND SO ON WOULD EASILY SHOW. MY CASE IN POINT IS MY MATADORS IV'E HAD THEM SINCE 1996. THEY HAVE BEEN IN MANY SOCIAL TYPE RUMBAS WHICH OF COURSE WITH AN IDIOT HERE AND AN IDOIT THERE THEY HAVE HAVE GOTTEN A FEW FALLS, AND SUCH. THEY HAVE ALWAYS BENN BABY'D BY ME. BUT, STUFF HAPPENS. ONE OF THEM HAD A 8" CRACK AND THE OTHER AN 18" CRACK. BUT, I HAVE PROPERLY REPAIRED THEM AND REFINISHED THEM. YOU CAN SEE HOW NICE THEY LOOK IN THE OLD SCHOOL CONGA THREAD. I REFINISHED THEM WITH AN OLD SCHOOL THEME. THEY ARE STILL WONDERFUL WITH MULE SKINS FROM MICHAEL OF L&H PERCUSSION. HE HAS GREAT SKINS WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT'S SECOND TO NONE. YOU KNOW, IT'S TRULY ABOUT HOW WE TREAT OUR DRUMS, UGLY OR NOT.

AKDOM,
I FEEL FROM WHAT YOU HAVE ALREADY STATED, THAT YOU ARE AT LEAST TRYING TO MAINTAIN YOUR OLD DRUMS. BUT, NOW THAT YOU HAVE A SWEET PAIR OF BAUERS COMING YOUR WAY, I'M SURE THAT YOU WILL BE THE PROUD OWNER. PLEASE POST THE PICS ONCE YOU'LL GET THEM.


CONGAMYK,

THAT IS A VERY BEAUTIFUL ISLA REQUINTO THAT YOU HAVE. MARIO PUCHARDS ISLA'S, HAVE THAT VERY ILLUSIVE BEAUTIFUL SOUND. CONGRATS!!!


CHARLIE.

[thomas newton]

1. ANY drum is a luxury.
2. All that matters is whether a drum can fulfill it's function in the ensemble of which it is part.

The rest is frills and silence, imo.

[bongosnotbombs]

1. ANY drum is a luxury.
2. All that matters is whether a drum can fulfill it's function in the ensemble of which it is part.

The rest is frills and silence, imo.

The Arara would disagree with you. To some drums are a necessity, not a luxury.
And to the Arara the appearance of their drums is highly symbolic and full of meaning an integral part of the music being played.

I would further add from my own experience that the feel of a drum is very important as well, a drum should feel good to the hands as well as the ears and be a pleasure to play, so that the music becomes a joy to the body as well as the ears of the musican.

Furthermore, just because a drum looks like a bata, feels like a bata and sounds like a bata, does not mean it is a bata.

[Bongobilly]

That's why i brought some beater conga's and there look good too but whoever had them before must have just throne them in the back of a pick up. Busted lug's from overtunning them. I like my equipment to be in top notch condition be it new skins lugs e.t.c. And clean conga skins cause i sometimes touch other things (Food) Man i see some of those park drummers congas with some nasty dirt buildup on those skins. Its true drummer don't get respect like other musicians but even some drummers dont respect your equipment by clanging your congas around and dropping your bongos like there on fire.I think the venue also makes the difference like playing in a latin jazz setup as opposed to a salsa band thing. My congas from the 80's look great and sound great also. I played some rumbas with Junior congas made of ash wood and you see how much respect the drummers have by not leaving drinks on them and how they handle the drum unlike park drummers drum circle thing.