Rumba Claves - where to buy?

[taikonoatama]

I play a lot of folkloric music, esp. rumba, and the big-brand claves (LP, etc.) just don't cut it - the tone is too high, loud and piercing. I want to get some proper claves for rumba. I've got a pair of Meinl African claves - the style with one clave having a hole drilled through lengthwise and a cutaway resonating chamber and the other clave used as a striker. They're real nice but just too big too carry around in my pocket. What I'm talking about are claves that are basically the same size and shape as son claves but have a deeper tone because of the wood used. They may not be made especially for rumba, but whatever - the tone is right. I've seen/heard them played by Cuban guys here in the SF Bay Area, but when I ask them where to get some they just laugh and say "Go to Cuba."

Any ideas?

~Taiko

[bongosnotbombs]

Taiko,
yeah go check out Simon Reinhardt's claves,
he has several pairs of different woods, thicknesses and
lenghts, I bought a large pair of cuban one's, such an awesome sound, I treid out 6 or 7 pairs and these were the magic ones...
for $5-$15 for claves you can't go wrong.....G!

[Mike]

My idea might be a bit "off", but a friend of mine has just returned from Australia where she spent her holidays and she gave me some Aboriginal clap stick, i.e. massive rhythm sticks with an awesome sound - and the closest I´ve come so far to the sound of ´real rumberos´ I´ve been listening to. When you record them, the sound is both cutting and warmly resonant, and not as hollow as many other claves you can buy are...
THe way you hold them is quite different from those of a cuban clave because you don´t need the resonating space in your palm; you just hit the sticks together as you would so with drumsticks. It´s a hot sound!

But as I said - this is just an "off"-remark by someone from remote and cold spring places....
There may be lots of other and better rumba claves around...

[Charangaman]

If you know anyone going to Cuba ask them to bring you some back??

Best set I have I bought in Havana for about 2 euros..

[CongaTick]

Shovel handle. Ash, I think. Cut to the right lengths. Dead on.

[bongosnotbombs]

If you know anyone going to Cuba ask them to bring you some back??

Best set I have I bought in Havana for about 2 euros..

yeah, my set is also from cuba, they blow people away, I was
playing with a group the other day and the leader says to me

"Those are the most authentic sounding claves I have ever heard"

These claves are magic man! I bring them to Golden Gate Park to the drum circle and BAM everyone is on, when I get tired and stop, the whole cirlce loses it and stops!! No kidding man!

[ozrivera]

[yeah, my set is also from cuba, they blow people away, I was
playing with a group the other day and the leader says to me

"Those are the most authentic sounding claves I have ever heard"

These claves are magic man! I bring them to Golden Gate Park to the drum circle and BAM everyone is on, when I get tired and stop, the whole cirlce loses it and stops!! No kidding man! ]

post a pic, ld like to see what they look like

thanks

oz

[ozrivera]

yeah, my set is also from cuba, they blow people away, I was
playing with a group the other day and the leader says to me

"Those are the most authentic sounding claves I have ever heard"

These claves are magic man! I bring them to Golden Gate Park to the drum circle and BAM everyone is on, when I get tired and stop, the whole cirlce loses it and stops!! No kidding man!

post a few pic of them...

i think i got the quote right this time.

thanks

oz