congaplace.com

I am looking for a 4 th drum and don't know if a requinto or a super tumba is more practical. What would you get and why?

What are going to do with your 'four'?

If you like to play rumba or would like to learn to play rumba the requinto is a must as it is the clear accent drum, as for the super tumba it would perty much go with almost all other style of music. Hope that helps

nickpilarski,

I'd say that, generally (without knowing specifically what type of music you play), the super tumba would be more practical.

I'm assuming that you already have a quinto, along with a conga and a tumba. If so, then you already have your quinto for soloing. IMO, you don't an even smaller drum (requinto) for the same purpose.

Best of luck,

If it's rumba a requinto is more practical. Another alternative is to get a second conga
and tune it differently from you other conga, lots of 4 drum players do that.

Economically a requinto is more practical, probably being s couple hundred dollars cheaper,
not to mention smaller and lighter to carry around.

It depend on how you're gonna tune your four drums. Perhaps you won't need requinto or super tumba but second conga or tumba.

Although the original question is restricted to choosing between a requinto or a super tumba, I agree that getting a 2nd conga instead is a valid option. Personally, that would be my preference--assuming that there's already a quinto, conga and a tumba--and is actually what I have.

Thank you so much for your responses. I am going to buy a new set and sell my other. I am going to get ISLA's before mario relocates. I play every style under the moon (but am far from mastering any) and want a drum that could be played in any application (or more than the other). Im sure when mario movies he will not be able to get canoe wood so I will have have to buy all the drums i want for this set in one shot. Thus I am thinking of a 4th or maybe a 5th. Is it worth getting 5? or will 4 do? Will i want a 5th? I love to play melodic lines and a 5th voice might be great but i live in an apartment in chicago so space is something to conceder when one gets a 14" monster and a matching beautiful requinto baby. What do you think? Im at that point of a purchase where i have weighed every possible thing and still cant make up my mind.

thanks again

also thank you for the 2 conga idea. I am going to have to check that out with some friends drums.

We also need to consider the sizes you have now. The diameters of congas have changed over the years, and it differs a bit from maker to maker over time. If you have a classic set of Gon Bops from the 70's, for example, the standard quinto was 9.75 inches. Conga was 10.5, and Tumba was 11.25. If you have a set of LPs then the quinto is likely 11 inches, conga 11.75, and tumba 12.5 inches. Today we might call that old GB quinto a requinto, but back in the day that was more the standard quinto size.

And so much of your decision should hinge around the type of music you play. Take rumba, for example. The quinto is typically really cranked up these days - there's almost no way an 11 inch drum is going to sound good cranked as high as you might want for rumba quinto. It's just pushing it too far beyond its purpose and it'll get horribly pingy real fast. You can do it, and people do, I'm just saying it's not the best option given a choice. Better to play a drum designed for the purpose. A great rumbero in the SF Bay Area scene, Cecil, has a 10.25 inch Isla quinto that just screams - it's great. He bought it that big because he has such big hands. You don't see a lot of people playing anything bigger than that, though, given the choice.

Oh, and remember that different people/companies measure the head diameter differently, with the most common way being the diameter of the outside of the top of the shell (as measured before the bearing edge is cut in).

James

Edit: Ah, I spaced on the fact that you're getting a whole set of Islas. I played a 13.75 Isla (beechwood!) last night. Just a monster of a drum. I can see why you're tempted to go that direction. Tough decision. Also played a 10 inch quinto/requinto that sounds awesome, though it did have an issue with crown warpage and splits - it was one of their earlier models, from about 4 years ago. I've seen another newer Isla quinto with a split issue - don't know if these 2 drums were just poorly made (I know the owners and know they were well cared for), or if Isla still has some R&D to do to make a requinto that can handle the strain of being cranked way up. Sorry to dump on Isla here, but I'm just saying what I've seen. The drums do sound awesome, though.

I really like the sounds that my Isla Requinto screams, it has a Cuban requinto sound, and that is what i reaally like, because the sound is very ditinguish (distingido),
from other requinto makers. There is not much requinto makers this days. The Gon Bops requintossound good, but is my personal experience that the Isla requinto sounds more authentic.

I do not have a Isla SuperTumba, i cant let you know how it sounds. But i am shure is a beast in sound.
The Isla Requinto is a must to anyone who has an Isla drum and enjoys it.
I think the guys that own the Isla Requinto always, get positive comments when people hear their requinto.

nickpilarski wrote:Thank you so much for your responses. I am going to buy a new set and sell my other. I am going to get ISLA's before mario relocates. I play every style under the moon (but am far from mastering any) and want a drum that could be played in any application (or more than the other). Im sure when mario movies he will not be able to get canoe wood so I will have have to buy all the drums i want for this set in one shot. Thus I am thinking of a 4th or maybe a 5th. Is it worth getting 5? or will 4 do? Will i want a 5th? I love to play melodic lines and a 5th voice might be great but i live in an apartment in chicago so space is something to conceder when one gets a 14" monster and a matching beautiful requinto baby. What do you think? Im at that point of a purchase where i have weighed every possible thing and still cant make up my mind.

thanks again

rickpilarski,

You're quite welcome!

Ah, now you're talking. Isla's super tumba measures 15" in head diameter! Do you really want to be regularly lugging around a monster of that size? Besides, you'll be hard-pressed to find a ready-made bag or case that can accommodate it.

I have a set of 3 Islas (quinto, conga and tumba) and the tumba already measures 13" in head diameter. Compared to many other brands, that would be considered already a super tumba. (The Gon Bops CA super tumba, which I don't have, is 13.25".) My Gon Bops CA tumba is "only" 12.25".

On the other hand, the Isla quinto measures "only" 10.25". That's smaller than my Gon Bops CA quinto, which measures 10.75". And, it's even smaller than, say the LP quinto, which measures 11".

About getting a 4th or even a 5th drum, personally, 4 drums are my max: a quinto, 2 congas and a tumba (all Gon Bops CA). And, fyi, I don't always bring all 4 to my gigs. Depending on the type of musical genre, budget, size of the venue, etc., I'll bring 2, 3 or 4. If I know that I'll be playing congas only, then I can bring all 4. But, if I'm also bringing my pair of bongos, timbales and various hand percussion instruments, then I'll bring only 2 or, at most, 3 congas.

Ultimately the decision is entirely up to you and would depend on your own personal preferences and circumstances. Speaking only for myself, here are my preferences: If 4 drums, a quinto, 2 congas and a tumba; if (hypothetical) 5 drums, a quinto, 2 congas and 2 tumbas.

Re: Mario Punchard moving, that's news to me. Thanks for the info, though. Did he tell you where he's moving to? Why? And, how do you know that he won't be able to get Canoe wood anymore from where he's moving to? I haven't talked to him in a while.

umannyt, and others...

As for mario.

He mentioned to me that he was moving to central america (british honduras). He stated he was moving for various reasons but from the sound of it, he was going to create more authentic drums due to wood selection there. Also he got some HUGE endorsements from the living greats in cuba and i assume he wants to be closer to the action (ill let him explain with a post but it is BIG). Also, he will have a better standard of life for his family. It will still be him and his brother making the drums, that wont change. I am not 100% sure about the canoe wood but i do know that that that wood will be hard to get in central america because that tree is not native to that aria of the world, and would be ridiculous to ship because he will have the real deal, BUT THIS IS JUST MY speculation. He is making one last lot of drums and then he will be relocating and it will be months before his next batch comes up.

as for the drums,
i dont think im going to get the super tumba, im going requinto! or 2 congas! ha

so now cherry or canoe?

nickpilarski wrote:umannyt, and others...

As for mario....

so now cherry or canoe?

nickpilarski,

Thanks for the info on Mario. That's a big move indeed! At first, I thought that he was just moving within California or, at most, to another State.

I'm very much surprised! But, I'm sure that Mario knows what's best for him, his business and his family. Now, I can understand why you said that you have doubts about Mario continuing to be able to procure Canoe wood.

Re: Cherry or Canoe, knowing what I know now, I'd personally pick Cherry. I know that I've mentioned that my Islas are made of Canoe. Otherwise known as Yellow Poplar, Canoe is light and soft. It's not as dense and noticeably heavy as, say North American Red Oak (of which my Gon Bops CA are made). My Islas have a very warm (nice) sound and are very convenient to transport around. The downside is that I noticed that my Islas tend to get dinged or dented rather easily.

Cherry is harder, more dense, heavier and more expensive than Canoe--but only slightly, I think. It should have a brighter sound. For me, Cherry has a more uniform (beautiful) grain than Canoe. My Islas have a Rosewood-colored stain (my preference) and signicantly hides the variations (like birthmarks) of the Canoe grain. But, if I were to order Islas now, particularly in natural color or light stain, I'd pick Cherry.

Ahhhh!!! Did Mario indicate that he would still be able to supply Cherry after the move???

I'm also wondering if the new location is going to cause a great increase in cost due to shipping, or even if Customs rules could make it hard to get Isla's drums (or certain woods)

Plus, I wonder what woods Isla's will become available in?

Anyone have any more info on Isla?