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Posted: **Fri Mar 31, 2006 4:41 am**

hey again,

i read up on the bobby allende signature pearls including the post on this forum about them.

i noticed at least one pearl endorser talking them up, but can anyone give me a straight crit on these? will they sound good on stage in a 5 piece amplified band? and should i go for quinto and conga, or quinto and tumba?

because of the fat bottoms do they fit in your regular stands or should i mount them with the brackets provided?

i really appreciate any help as i'm bloody keen to get my hands on a new set of skins real soon!

thanks again lads,

~gus~

Posted: **Fri Mar 31, 2006 5:04 am**

You mean those 'cafe con leche' ones? The coffee coloured ones right?

Artificial congas. I dont know how Bobby allowed his name to be put to them, there is no way I would have endorsed them.
I was sadly dissapointed with this model of congas and gave them a fairly bad review recently when asked to demo them and test them out for review.

My advice, stay away from them.

Posted: **Fri Mar 31, 2006 5:29 am**

that's interesting?

can you clarify why? i've just heard and read good things, and not only from people who want to sell them...
what are the serious downsides? apart from being fibreglass, because i think i'm gonna need the extra cut.

are you simply not a fibreglass fan? or is there something in the make of these drums that you don't like?

~gus~

Posted: **Fri Mar 31, 2006 5:44 am**

Well for starters Im not a fibreglass fan, I love the warmth and projection and body of sound from wood congas.

Over the last 15 years or so, Ive only used wood (before that I had fibreglass) I got tired of the 'plastic' like sound from them.
Too much ringing and overtones.
I play in mostly afro cuban and latin settings.

Ive never had a problem with projection for when I play with funk], reggae, ska, rock or pop bands or DJ's. So that arguement of projection/volume is a waste of time, thats what microphones are for.

The Bobby series, well, I hate synthetic skins, for the above mentioned reasons also.
I just found them of poor quality and construction. Also their sound is dull, fake like and too plastic like. I am not a fan of those drums at all.
They do however look very very nice, and are lightweight.

Edited By ABAKUA on 1143784012

Posted: **Fri Mar 31, 2006 5:54 am**

Gusto, Hello!

Welcome to this great forum!

I got my Bobby Allende congas (Quinto and Conga) this week and tonight I'm gonna test them at a gig in four members amplified band; i'm talking loud band here, without compromises, loud and screaming guitar with Animal behind the drum set, really!

My impression till now, playing in my small appartment, with a carpeted floor...

Nevertheless the people say, these congas have all the qualities of good fiberglass congas, especially if you want something Extra! I'm saying that, cause I'm using in my Djembe with cow skin instead of Conga in my usual set up, so I like my Congas to be loud, sharp and attacky.
Just before you take Bobbys home try them and tuned them, i got my lugs rusty, so I'm ordering new ones (not all though).
''...Some call it CANS, some call it congas...''

People have different taste, some play traditional some play crazy!
Your ears, your sound, your congas!
LP,Meinl, Pearl, TOCA, Volcano...
Celebrating diversities!

Groove ON

Primozz

Posted: **Sun Apr 02, 2006 5:52 am**

Review of the Pearl Cafe Con Lech - Allende Model Congas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abakua, I have some similar tastes in that I'm also
really a fan of wood, ( I work in Sales for
JCR Percussion and play the JCR Congas)
so you could say I'm biased....
but I also owned the Pearl
Cafe Con Leche Allende model Quinto for
a while... and I do like them also.
You have to get used to them.
They're shorter height for sitting and wider opening at
the bottom gives them good volume. They're
really were designed for classic New York Salsa Dura,
( Hear Bobby with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, I can't
recall which CD )
They're great if you want to save your back
moving equipment, and are really more strongly
built than first appearance, inspite of it being light. The lugs and hardware are very heavy duty.

I'm also not a fan of synthetic heads, but understand their need for the touring pro, or for outdoor concerts in
humid environments. One doesn't always have time for
re-tuning in between songs during a heated performance.
I tried putting on a really good quality thick natural
skin on instead, and the Pearl then actually sounded worse.
They were made with the Remo heads in mind,
and sound better with them, so I put that back on.
I would have needed to play that plastic head a long time
before getting used to it...if ever.

If I had a set of two I would have probably kept them, because normally I want the warm sound of wood, but for the really loud/electric bands I somtimes play in, I prefer fiberglass. I also have intermittent lower back issues, so that's was my main reason for checking them out.
I still have a great old LP fibergalss 12" conga (Palisades, NJ)from the 70s, and I'll find an old used LP Tumba for it. (anyone selling one let me know) They were built like tanks.

I ended up selling the Pearl at a low price to a friend with more serious back problems, who enjoys their light weight.
I've heard some great players make them sound
wonderful at the NAMM show ... like Bobby Allende, Luis Conte, Marc Quinones, and a few other Pros.
...and who knows I may end up with
some again one day. They are a very easy and
consistently reliable drum to play,
if you can get used to the synthetic concept.

~ ISAAC ~
Percussionist / Rep. JCR Percussion Co.

Posted: **Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:08 am**

Congas are like that ice cream store that has 31 flavors....You have your favorite flavors and you have some like by others and some that are not liked by others...

All fiberglass congas are a matter of getting used to their sound. (Specially if you are used to wood)...

Not because I am an endorser, I think the Pearl Bobby Allendes are among the best fiberglass congas in the market...Can't compare them to wood in regards to sound...

The best thing about the Bobby Allendes are that are not the "standard" congas from a company with the same features as the rest of their lineup...(Everybody has that fault even LP)

If you are looking for a fiberglass congas that "cuts" in live situations, like to have the feature of 28 inches to play them seated, and like to avoid the investment in synthetic heads because you will need them, these are the congas to get, like a distintictive look different for a fiberglass congas...Go for these...If not, go somewhere else and get what you feel comfortable with and you could get the sound you want....

Your choice....

Saludos!

Posted: **Tue Apr 04, 2006 10:22 am**

Raymond wrote:Congas are like that ice cream store that has 31 flavors....You have your favorite flavors and you have some like by others and some that are not liked by others...

All fiberglass congas are a matter of getting used to their sound. (Specially if you are used to wood)...

Well said Raymond.

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