ISLA PERCUSSION - Discussion, Quality, Experience, etc

[pcastag]

What exactly is the difference between steer and cow?
PC

[Tonio]

From my understanding Steer is a castrated bull. Not sure if cow can be a female or male with testi.
Wonder if there is any mojo based on the steer , since it may be harder to get skin from a stud male??

Oddly google comes up with Sylvester Stallone try to hump some chick aas a steer image :laugh:

T

[blango]

Steer is a bit more thick, in general. and its the choice of players with serious chops.

Cow is good to, if you get right one. I think they are very similar in tone, etc.

Tony

[109-1176549166]

bnb, tonio & pcastag,

You guys got me outvoted on the Mopercs. Also, I can't argue against Michael Spiro. So, you guys win.

I'll forever disavow my comment that Mopercs don't belong to the "creme de la creme" of drums. This despite the fact that my impression re: Mopercs were based on something "totally scientific"--gut feel. :;): :laugh:

[yambu321]

.

[109-1176549166]

Charlie,

I don't see any message on your latest post. Am I the only one who doesn't. I wonder.

[Tonio]

I don't see anything either??

T

[109-1176549166]

Tonio,

At first it was Charlie who was having problems viewing my posts. Now, it's the other way around! Wierd! ???

[folkloricoSD]

Well guys I am now oficially an Isla drum owner :p I picked up my drums yesterday afternoon at Mario's shop in LA... Mario's shop is like walking into conga heaven!!!! As soon as he showed me my set, all I could do was laugh!!! They are so beautiful... he cranked the quinto up for me, and as soon as I hit an open tone I almost fell over hahaha!!! The quinto CUTS.... After taking a tour of the shop, and taking some pictures, I took off back to San Diego to beat the traffic... When I got home, I cranked them up for a session. Now this is the great part... It was kind of hard for me to find the "sweet spot" of the drum while tunning, because it sounded good no matter where I tuned it to!!! Mario said this is because of the wood he uses, it makes the drums sound sweet at almost all different tunnings!!! They don't go dead like other drums do if you tune them lower, and they don't ring if you tune them higher!! This means that if you wanted to, you could tune your quinto like a conga, your conga like a tumba, and your tumba like a super tumba, and they would all still sound perfect... After finding the tunning that I liked, I started practicing. Man these drums sound SWEET!!! I havn't even fully broken them in yet, and they already sound incredible... The tones are beautiful on every drum. I would go on telling you more, but I am going to go play some more right now hahaha I will be posting the pics soon. Some of my drums, and some of Mario's shop.

[ralph]

Ralph,

Thanks for your response.

I mostly agree with you re: the "Junior", except for the mahogany wood.

Even the owner of Isla Percussion himself, Mario Punchard, has nothing but the highest respect for Senor Natalio "Junior" Tirado Ruiz and considers his drums as still the current benchmark for making the best drums. Junior wasn't only a master craftsman; he was also an excellent conguero. That unbeatable combination enabled Junior to make drums with sounds that many discriminating congueros wanted to hear from their drums.

Unfortunately for the rest of us, Junior has already left this world. So, no new "Juniors" are being made anymore and they've become even more as collector pieces. Consequently, too, "Juniors" can probably no longer be made to sound even better.

There appears to be a growing consensus that the new keepers of the flame include names such as: Matthew Smith, maker of "Ritmo" drums, Mario Punchard, maker of "Isla" drums and Juan Cali Rivera, maker of "JCR" drums, to name 3. Did I overlook anyone?

I, myself, own a set of 3 "Isla" tumbadoras (quinto, conga and tumba) and I'm extremely happy with them . Like Junior, Mario (and his crew) is not only generally reputed as an excellent craftsman but also as an accomplished rumbero. In the quest for making the ultimate-sounding drums, this combination, as I've said earlier, is simply hard to equal, more so beat.

Due to my insufficient knowledge and expertise, I don't presume to categorically claim, yet, that "Isla" drums are definitely THE best, although my good friend and brother, Yambu321 (Charlie), who's owned other drums and has decades of rumba-playing experience behind him, among others swears by them.

To the best of my knowledge, Mario himself, in all modest honesty, claims that if his drums aren't up there yet with the "Juniors", they're very close. Personally, at the rate that Mario is turning out his drums and considering his ongoing research and development related to the evolution of his "Isla" drums, I'm confident in speculating that in a relatively short time, Isla drums will equal and may even eventually surpass "Juniors" in terms of sound, which is really the bottom line of any instrument.

I don't know the current market values of "Juniors" and I have a pretty good picture of how much both "Ritmo" and "JCR" are currently selling. But, I do know that "Islas", ranging in price from only $350 for a 9-inch canoe reguinto (or an onkolo bata) to $900 for a 15-inch cherry supertumba are probably the best priced top-of-the-line, boutique congas out there. Many "Islas" even match or beat the price of top-of-the-line, mass-produced congas.

As to the ONE best maker of congas, my personal position is that there isn't one best maker of congas. There are several. The quality of sound even the most discriminating conga player and/or owner deems the best, IMO, depends on more than just one factor. There are several. For example, it depends on what specific Latin musical genre one wants to hear and/or play.

Therefore, judging which make of congas is the one best, among several makes of congas already rated as best, is, IMO, simply a hairsplitting exercise and boils down ultimately to one's personal need(s) and preference(s).

I here what you are saying about who's the best...etc etc etc... Some can even go as far back to say that Vergara made the best congas, and they are probably right, I think it just stems from one's personal experience. I consider myself fortunate in probably being one of the last few people to get a drum from Junior. I was fortunate in that I got to visit him twice, got to chat with the man, talk drum and life and best of all, got a drum from the legend. I play this drum regularly, on gigs, and at home, sometimes I feel that it may be best to just get another drum and keep this drum at the home, safe and sound....in the end this drum was made to be played, and thats what i intend to do, i think Junior would have wanted it that way...but yeah those ISLA bata's look nice!!!!!!!!!!!

[109-1176549166]

folkloricoSD,

Big congratulations, bro!!!

Believe me, I know the feeling! You're very fortunate in having the privilege of being able to tour Mario's shop. I wish that I live closer. Anyway, thanks for indirectly affirming my decision to buy ONE of the best-sounding and best-priced congas in the world!

Please extend my warmest regards to bro Mario when you can! Thanks in advance!

[109-1176549166]

ralph,

I completely agree with you on the Vergara and I should really have included it, too, on my list of the world's best congas. But, I debated if I should or shouldn't include it and decided not to include it. (My brief explanation is found below.) In fact, the Vergara was THE original benchmark for the Junior, Matthew Smith, JCR, Gon Bops, Timba, SOS, Isla (indirectly) and many others.

My list of the best congas in the world actually meant the best AVAILABLE (not "all-time") congas in the world. To me, Vergaras are like Stradivarius violins. They're extremely rare and hardly any owner is willing to part with even one. (I certainly wouldn't mind having a 1 or 2 myself.) But, Juniors, (another ones that I certainly won't mind owning) although there are no longer new ones being built (since the passing away of Senor Junior Tirado), can definitely be more easily had than the Vergaras.



Edited By mjtuazon on 1187905643

[Tonio]

Well guys I am now oficially an Isla drum owner :p I picked up my drums yesterday afternoon at Mario's shop in LA... Mario's shop is like walking into conga heaven!!!! As soon as he showed me my set, all I could do was laugh!!! They are so beautiful... he cranked the quinto up for me, and as soon as I hit an open tone I almost fell over hahaha!!! The quinto CUTS.... After taking a tour of the shop, and taking some pictures, I took off back to San Diego to beat the traffic... When I got home, I cranked them up for a session. Now this is the great part... It was kind of hard for me to find the "sweet spot" of the drum while tunning, because it sounded good no matter where I tuned it to!!! Mario said this is because of the wood he uses, it makes the drums sound sweet at almost all different tunnings!!! They don't go dead like other drums do if you tune them lower, and they don't ring if you tune them higher!! This means that if you wanted to, you could tune your quinto like a conga, your conga like a tumba, and your tumba like a super tumba, and they would all still sound perfect... After finding the tunning that I liked, I started practicing. Man these drums sound SWEET!!! I havn't even fully broken them in yet, and they already sound incredible... The tones are beautiful on every drum. I would go on telling you more, but I am going to go play some more right now hahaha I will be posting the pics soon. Some of my drums, and some of Mario's shop.

folkloricoSD,

Congrats !! Bring on them pics!!

T

[congalero]

mario just shot a new video last night where he, pele and others were playing at his shop. this should be a great opportunity to see his drums in action, again. he has been holding my drums hostage to use as a prop. i had a ticket to L A yesterday to visit for the occasion, but had to cancel the trip due to a small emergency/work related issue. i spoke to mario today and he is quite pleased with the end result of the session and hopes all will have the opportunity to view it soon. he was also quite wiped out from the ordeal and wishes all members here the best.



Edited By congalero on 1188228658

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... congas.JPG

[Congadelica]

I Look forward to more of this then ???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQWHf0UIqVM