congaplace.com

Posted: **Wed Aug 23, 2006 12:00 pm**

Rumberos ,Saludos,

The Conguero in my Band bought a new set of Remo Jimmy Morales model Congas,12.5" and 13". The sound projection is very loud, deep and strong ,they came with the new tucket fyberskin so there is no need to invest on another set of skin to replace the factory ones. The shell material is made of a composite of wood and resin and about 5/8" thick or more,very strong.The shell thickness is twice as thick from the lug attachment to the top making the shell very,very strong. You can take a look of them on the web at lidrum.com or at Long Island Drum Center.The cost on that web page is $308.95 for the 12.5" and $320.95 for the 13",not too expensive. They are made in the USA in accordance with Remo so quality should be better than the mass produce thailand stuff. It is not fiberglass or wood,it is a mix of both but not too many overtones as with fiberglass. Let see how that material behave as times goes by. Right now,they are doing fine.

Edited By caballoballo on 1156334990

Posted: **Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:16 pm**

Hey Caballoballo,
I quess it's a nice thought that theses Remos might be better quality than the "massed produced Thailand stuff," but they're clearly not. They are also massed produced, made out of recycled paper and NOT wood, so this rumbero "wooden" like them as much as his LP classics!

Saludos,

Berimbau

Posted: **Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:32 pm**

Berimbau,que pasa. I got this info from Remo.com

ADVANCED ACOUSTICON
The new state-of-the-art Advanced Acousticon™ material, developed over four years, utilizes high technology in its construction perhaps more than any previous drum shell. It takes the best qualities of wood and betters them for incredible consistency allowing unparalleled pitch, timbre, and projection.A unique, wood-based shell material that reflects wood’s best qualities, but is more consistent and easier to work with. The end result? Richer, more durable, better sounding drums. The continuous, one-piece wrap of the Advanced Acousticon makes for a denser, better sounding drum. Because of its "uni-body" construction, there are no mismatched plies of wood, and all shells are constructed to exacting thicknesses, resulting in a sound with focus and articulation.

Edited By caballoballo on 1156340723

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:31 am**

I don't think, that Remo could say their material is wood based if it were made from paper. Of course paper is, indirectly, made from wood, but I work in a plywood company, and in the industry the term "wood based materials" is for the following things:
* Glue laminated wood (wooden staves glued together)
* Plywood (thin wooden sheets called veneers glued together)
* Oriented strandboard (relatively large wooden strands glued in organised layers and directions)
* Medium density fiberboard (smaller wooden chips glued chaotically)
* Particle board (basically wooden dust and lots of glue)

From what Remo describe their material, it seems to me that it is some kind of plywood. I searched the internet for more details, but was not able to find anything more about this material.

Posted: **Sat Aug 26, 2006 8:37 am**

Korman is correct.

And I agree with Berimbau about the remo drums. I shudder at the thought of fiberskins also.

These are the drums I believe:

Posted: **Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:03 pm**

Abakua you shouldn't shudder at the fiberskyns, they're actually pretty #### good, but the acousticon shells are still the hamburger helper of the conga world......or more like vegamite down under?

Saludos,

Berimbau

Posted: **Sat Aug 26, 2006 6:28 pm**

Vegemite sucks sweaty salty balls, slightly more so than fiberskins.
YUK!!!! hate em.
Gimme real skin, none of this pussy assed bitch hands fiberskin nonscense!
Marcha cara! :cool:

Posted: **Mon Aug 28, 2006 4:46 pm**

So,in accordance with you guys,the remo congas sucks. Ok,the same conguero also has a set of Lp Accents and he alternate those 2 sets between the gigs. I play right beside him and I hear no difference in sound between the 2 brands,he really has a heavy hand. So if sound is the comparable charasteristic to judge,then Lp is also Junk because been a higher price product the sound is not better than the lower cost remo. .

Posted: **Mon Aug 28, 2006 4:52 pm**

Korman,this is what a composite is. Composite material

Composite materials (or composites for short) are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different mechanical properties and which remain separate and distinct within the finished structure.
Contents·

Types
There are two categories of constituent materials: matrix and reinforcement. At least one portion (fraction) of each type is required. The matrix material surrounds and supports the reinforcement materials by maintaining their relative positions. The reinforcements impart special physical (mechanical and electrical) properties to enhance the matrix properties. A synergism produces material properties unavailable from naturally occurring materials. Due to the wide variety of matrix and reinforcement materials available, the design potential is incredible. This great variety has resulted in an enormous lexicon that confounds both new and experienced students. Names and descriptors arise from the respective experiences of different perspectives. While different industries use different terms to describe the same things, the same term can be applied in vastly different contexts.
There are the so-called natural composites like bone and wood. Both of these are constructed by the processes of nature and are beyond the scope of this text. The emerging field of tissue engineering has several enabling technologies, one of them is composite materials. Much success has been achieved with a composite comprising a bioactive reinforcement material such as hydroxyapatite and a biodegradable matrix such as polylactic acid.

Modern composites
The most advanced examples are used on spacecraft in demanding environments. The most visible applications pave roadways in the form of either steel and portland cement concrete or asphalt concrete.
Engineered composite materials must be formed to shape. This involves strategically placing the reinforcements while manipulating the matrix properties to achieve a melding event at or near the beginning of the component life cycle. A variety of methods are used according to the end item design requirements. These fabrication methods are commonly named moulding or casting processes, as appropriate, and both have numerous variations. The principle factors impacting the methodology are the natures of the chosen matrix and reinforcement materials. Another important factor is the gross quantity of material to be produced. Large quantities can be used to justify high capital expenditures for rapid and automated manufacturing technology. Small production quantities are accommodated with lower capital expenditures but higher labour costs at a correspondingly slower rate.

Mechanics
Many commercially produced composites use a polymer matrix material often called a resin or resin solution. There are many different polymers available depending upon the starting raw ingredients. There are several broad categories, each with numerous variations. The most common categories are known as polyester, vinyl ester, epoxy, phenolic, polyimide, polyamide, and others. The reinforcement materials are often fibers but also commonly ground minerals. Fibers are often transformed into a textile material such as a felt, fabric, knit or stitched construction.
Advanced composite materials constitute a category comprising carbon fiber reinforcement and epoxy or polyimide matrix materials. These are the aerospace grade composites and typically involve laminate molding at high temperature and pressure to achieve high reinforcement volume fractions. These advanced composite materials feature high stiffness and/or strength to weight ratios.
One component is often a strong fibre such as fiberglass, quartz, kevlar, Dyneema or carbon fiber that gives the material its tensile strength, while another component (called a matrix) is often a resin such as polyester, or epoxy that binds the fibres together, transferring load from broken fibers to unbroken ones and between fibers that are not oriented along lines of tension. Also, unless the matrix chosen is especially flexible, it prevents the fibers from buckling in compression. Some composites use an aggregate instead of, or in addition to, fibers.
In terms of stress, any fibers serve to resist tension, the matrix serves to resist shear, and all materials present serve to resist compression, including any aggregate.
Composite materials can be divided into two main categories normally referred to as short fiber reinforced materials and continuous fiber reinforced materials. Continuous reinforced materials will often constitute a layered or laminated structure.
Shocks, impact, loadings or repeated cyclic stresses can cause the laminate to separate at the interface between two layers, a condition known as delamination. Individual fibers can separate from the matrix e.g. fiber pull-out.

Posted: **Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:55 pm**

Yep LP Accents tend to be junk/mediocre drums also.
But if its all you can afford, then Remo is the way to go.
Why not?
I just dont do 'fake congas'. Each to their own. What was stated was my opinion, everyone has one and is entitled to one, thats what makes this a great thing, diversity.
If you are happy with the sound, then that is all that matters.
Some poeple dont even have drums.
All the best.

Posted: **Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:19 pm**

ABAKUA wrote:Some poeple dont even have drums.

And that is the biggest shame of all.

God bless!

-Ron

Posted: **Wed Sep 06, 2006 12:51 am**

I've been there...with no drums that is...on a side note, (this is totally a tangent) Sometimes I think playing crappy congas is helpful. When i was in Ghana for 5 months, some of those kpanlogo drums sounded like i was beating a shoe box but i played them every day. When i came back to the states and played my congas it was like my sound had jumped 10 levels. But i think it works the opposite with remo drums (do get me wrong-i'll play anything and have a good time making music-which is the most important thing) but remo drums are so perfect that its almost too easy to get a sound from them. I wonder if it would actually hurt your technique when switching to other drums...just a thought. But hey if your conga player likes em and it's not effecting the music. More power to him.

Posted: **Wed Sep 06, 2006 11:26 am**

Sakuntu,yes indeed,you don't need too much effort to get a good sounding punch out of them. The last time we gig (august 25) we did some recording and those Congas really have a good projection,specially the 13" Tumba.One thing good about them is that you don't need to change the skins because they come with the new Fyberskin,so you are ready to go from start. This next Saturday we have another gig, I'll try to do some recording,this time he will use his Lp accents so we can compare the sound.

Edited By caballoballo on 1157542452

Posted: **Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:54 pm**

HI all. I currently own all four size Remo Drumms (Poncho Sanchez Siganature Series Tuff e Nuff), they have not been my only drumms, I have played LP Giovanni series, LP Classic series and many others, I can not say that one drumm sounds better than the other although they do sound different, each with it's unique sound and projection. What I must say is that (honestly) I Love my Remo drumms, the way they are constructed, the awsome hardware they come with, the awsome Fiberskin 3 heads, and finally, the sound they project.

If you don't believe me just listen to the latest Latin Gramy award winner Poncho Sanches CD or go to his web site to hear him play these exact drumms.

ABAKUA put it all into perspective, it's all about our own personal choice, what sound's good to me might not sound good to you.
God bless <><

Edited By KING CONGA on 1165435305

Posted: **Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:03 pm**

I AGREE ..... I HATE VEGIMITE

congaplace.com

Remo Congas as an alternative