Toca Traditional congas - Often ignored and underrated

Manufacturers, brands, skins, maintenance, stands, sticks, michrophones and other accessories for congueros can be discussed into this forum ...... leave your experience or express your doubts!

Postby congamyk » Tue Aug 21, 2001 9:22 pm

This is why I recommend different brands on different drums....

The synthetic heads like Evans and Remo have different qualities..

I own both brands and have found the Evans 'Quinto' to work best on LP quinto congas. They produce a superior slap on quinto compared to the Remo. The Remo 'conga' & 'Tumba' heads produce a superior open tone and bass tone so I recommend Remo heads on conga and Tumba LP drums. I paid about the same $$ on both ุ-โ US.. These heads never need tuning and last for years..
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Postby Johnny Conga » Tue Aug 21, 2001 9:48 pm

OK guys here goes How many have you heard of Pearl Elite Congas formally known as Afro? I endorse Pearl Elite Congas and have for over 4 years now. They are acoustically designed and designed after cuban congas from the early 1900's. Before I played these drums I was a fiberglass player,Pearl has them in fiberglass too. Yes Meinl are nice,and so are the new TIMBA congas,very nice. As you go through life you will fall in love with many drums ....so ENJOY!!! J.C. JOHNNY CONGA...
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Postby Bongo Boy » Fri Feb 01, 2002 3:28 pm

Well, there's sound due to the drum, and there's sound due to the player, true? I'm certain that if ANY good player pulled up next to a set of piece-of-junk congas, that player could make those drums sound wonderful. Give many of us the best drums to be found, and they'll probably sound just 'okay'--in my case, they won't sound THAT good.

I agree that each player may have his/her preferred drum due to sound. But there are other reasons for drum selection! In my area there is little to choose from, it's either buy Tocas, or special order LPs (in most cases). Plus, in my area, I have not yet found any live music that includes the conga--I have seen ONE live performance IN MY LIFE that used a conga.

So, I selected the LP Galaxy Giovanni based on what I know of the hardware, its aesthetic appearance, and the reputation of LP and Giovanni himself. If it turns out I just can't play, they make realtively inexpensive end tables or decorator items in the home :) My ability to resell them was also a factor--I'm pretty sure I can get the bulk of my money back should I, god forbid, give up. And, I picked what I felt were the 'best' drums I could afford, thinking I would NEVER be able to blame the drum for crappy playing.

I wouldn't pretend in a million years to have selected these drums based on sound--I never heard them except to hear Giovanni play them via MP3.
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Postby timo » Fri Feb 01, 2002 6:36 pm

i just wanted to inform people interested in buying congas that if you buy MOPERC'S straight from Michel youll get a 25% discount on all items.
but i have to agree with JC, i think Pearl Elites sound better than LP's.(though i havent played the Giovanni series)

hand made all the way, timo :D
AXÉ

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Postby Bongo Boy » Sat Feb 02, 2002 12:02 am

Did JC actually say the Pearls sound 'better' than LPs? He certainly might say that, but I'm not sure he did.

In any case, when saying "LP", we're talking about a pretty broad line of drums (even just in the LP brand, not including Aspire and Matador). I'm sure this isn't news to anyone here, but both LP (especially) and Toca have attempted to be everything to everyone, it seems.

Oh my goodness...I just went to the Moperc web site for the first time. Don't know how they sound, but these are GORGEOUS instruments--what absolutely beautiful work.



Edited By Bongo Boy on Feb. 01 2002 at 01:09
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Postby benbaboon » Sat Feb 02, 2002 5:26 am

Good choice for a beginning student- lp giovanni...this way you can always be sure the rattle sounds you hear really comes from your fingers.

I played the toca traditional series in a local store a year ago and really liked them..solid wood construction...nice medium thickness unbleached skins that were pulled down enough to where a comfort rim would have added zilch, anyway.
really liked their sound too....sounded as good any other top notch drum.... or maybe I've been playing so much I'm just going deaf ;)
-bb
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