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Can someone help me out with these? They kinda look Mexican but they look too nice and the hardware is not typical of the average Mexican congas? Thanks!

Hecho en Mexico, Senor, 100%.

Yeah, that's what I thought, but there were a few things that made me question it:
1. the slotted side plates
2. the valje style U-bend on the crown loops
3. the sonoc style, drilled, inserted and welded crown

Most Mexicans drums I have seen have:
1. full bent side plates with the turning lug on the bottom
2. straight triangular crown loops
3. over the top, not through

deerskins wrote:Yeah, that's what I thought, but there were a few things that made me question it:
1. the slotted side plates
2. the valje style U-bend on the crown loops
3. the sonoc style, drilled, inserted and welded crown

Most Mexicans drums I have seen have:
1. full bent side plates with the turning lug on the bottom
2. straight triangular crown loops
3. over the top, not through

you get a lot of mexican crowns like this, there is a variety of them. that is for sure a mexican style crown.
also the lug plates, very mexican.
The biggest give away is how the bands are inset in grooves like that.
Maybe a higher end mexican drum, but 100% mexico.

I must agree with BNB, for sure Mexican. They look very well made would you mind posting a picture taken from the inside surface? are these the ones that were up for grabs on ebay sometime last year? see attached.

Hey Deerskins theres all type of Mexican made drums some of the higher quality drums are really well made and sound very good, I'm including a photo of a drum which many tend to attribute to a Mexican maker. Tony S. on the west cost loves these drums and owns 2 himself. The hardware is very well made and the plate shows no pittig or flaking like its contempory rivals of higher cost. Its seven lugs with an 11 inch head for great even tuning something that the new boutique conga makers are doing now. The drum is about 30 years old and still solid I did refinsh it since rumbas in Puerto Rico tend to get rough with the copius flow ofrum. I might be wrong about the origins of the drum the hardware is uncommen for a Mexican drum but that has been my perception. My point is if it sounds good it doesn't matter where its from or who made it, love and repect the drum take care of it and it will take of you letting you express feelings not possible with words or any other actions but druming.

That drum is Tony's favorite, origins remain a mystery.
Does he know you have it? I expect an offer coming your way.

Your right about mexican drums, I have one myself a friend gave me. Sounds
pretty good. It's a nice drum to take to the park.

That drum is from Luis "El Chino" in Miami, they came around in the late 70's and were called Afro Sound, before those El Chino made fiberglass congas and those were called Latin Sound. The hardware was made by a welder in Hialeah, Fl and the wooden conga shells came from Mexico. They had 7 lugs and the congas sounded very good, but were not considered high end congas.

Dario