Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:16 pmFinally, they are here. Back in August of last year I ordered a set of three Hare wood congas. These were hand carved in Mali and then headed at Drumskull Drums in Santa Cruz CA, where they also added the rubber bottoms. These are amazing drums and have completely exceeded all of my expectations. The dimensions are 10, 11, 12 and they are 30" tall. The heads are thick guinea cowhide and as expertly headed as anything I've ever seen. They play beautifully and I hope to have a decent sounding video up here in the next week or so. I was originally a little concerned with the rope tuning, but they have held so far without any perceptible change in pitch and I've been playing them pretty much non stop for the last two days. I was confident in the craftsmanship as well since I've only ever seen the highest quality instruments come from the guys at Drumskull.
They are indeed quite heavy, but I expected that and actually prefer a heavier drum since I tend to hit hard and knock em' around a little. As far as the rims go, they are comfortable and extremely forgiving. I have played other African congas and absolutely destroyed my hands, but these guys really know what they are doing. The heads feel and look great and sound incredible. You can really see the pride these guys take in their work. The 7 month wait was well worth it. I would enthusiastically recommend doing business with these guys. Here are some pictures.
Edited By Garvin on 1203270695
They are indeed quite heavy, but I expected that and actually prefer a heavier drum since I tend to hit hard and knock em' around a little. As far as the rims go, they are comfortable and extremely forgiving. I have played other African congas and absolutely destroyed my hands, but these guys really know what they are doing. The heads feel and look great and sound incredible. You can really see the pride these guys take in their work. The 7 month wait was well worth it. I would enthusiastically recommend doing business with these guys. Here are some pictures.
Edited By Garvin on 1203270695
