What kind of stands for congas? Basket stands or other?

[pavloconga]

Hi fellow congueros and congueras,
I usually play congas seated, but I am in a band that wants me playing standing up with a full percussion set up for a tour coming up mainly in bigger theatre type venues etc.
Before I go ahead and buy a good stand(s), I'd be very interested to hear people's experiences and recommendations: basket stands or conventional type?
LP stands, Meinl etc?
For these shows I'll be playing 2 or sometimes 3 x LP Giovanni Palladiums.

cheers guys
I look forward to hearing from you!
Pavlo

[ABAKUA]

Hola Pablo,

I can give first hand experience as I endoresed the Palladiums for over a year before trading in for a new set.
Palladiums are one of, if not the heaviest drums I have ever encountered.

There is only 1 stand I can reccomend for them and Ive tried several. Im a heavy handed player and there is only one stand which is strong enough to support them and will not move around. The LP Collapsible Cradles. Yes they are heavy, I carry 3 of them in a large suitcase which has wheels to assist transportation. But they are the absolute best and you will never need stands again for the rest of your life. Very strong. Ive now had these stands for close to 5 years and they are in as good condition as when i first got them. My congas do not move, tilt or change from the position/angle I place them at, no matter how much I play or how heavy the playing gets!


Advice: You will need to cut approx 10 cm or so (depending on your height) off the 3 legs which will support the super tumba. Due to its extra wide belly/base, it will sit far higher than you other drums. I cut mine and worked fine as seen here: (try and see the stand height difference on the super tumba to my left)



I have since traded up and upgraded back to some Classics and a Gio Galaxy with Mule skin, the stand which had the cut down legs is not affected height wise as I simply adjust the height to suit the holes in the legs and it all suits perfect. If you ever change drums or use different dums, this cutting down of the leg stands wont affect your playing height with other drums. See below, same stands, different congas.


Let me know how you go.

Marcelo.

[ABAKUA]

I just found 2 old pics which shows the stands (click on picture to enlarge), I think the height of the stand which supports the super tumba is a bit clearer and you can see how it sits lower after cutting so the congas all sit at the same height, no modification will be required with the stands supporting the quinto, conga etc..
Before I cut the legs (I have no before pics) the Super Tumba sat about 10 cm higher than the other congas, and this was on the lowest height setting for the legs!
Once cut, they sat equally.

[Mike]

Meinl Steely II Stands are also fine, even for heavy congas.

[Whopbamboom]

Gibraltar makes a very sturdy "cradle" in a couple different sizes. Biggest drawback is that they don't collapse down for compact transport. But they work very well when playing.

[bongosnotbombs]

I used to have a set of stands like what Abakua is posting about, they work very well,
heavy though, a little complicated to set up, but a good set of stands.

I think what Gibraltar has is pretty cool too, maybe a bit overboard, but I've seen
them used by Sandy Perez to good effect. Of course it's a big piece of hardware.

It works with brackets on Lp congas as well as GB.

[congamyk]

I DO NOT recommend Meinl's "Professional Conga Stand".
The rubber tips tear eventually as you play.
When that happens (unknowingly) you finish your gig scratching your drum up against the metal end.
I replaced a few and then gave up.

JUST SAY NO.....

[ABAKUA]

I would not reccomend using that type of stand (gibraltar one with the 3 congas in pic above) on wood congas, no good to place that kind of stress on the drums, will eventually warp them. Same with the LP double stand which hook on etc, no good for wooden congas.
Thats why baskets are best, you simply drop the conga into them and they are supported from the bottom.
The Meinl & Gibralter models while being ok for other drums (Ive used them on tours and travelling gigs Ive had and they still aint all that) will not take the weight of the Palladiums. If you want a stand that will not move/wobble or creep away from you as you play etc there is none other that the one I suggested.
You guys need to remember he is using Palladiums. The great whale of congas!
Ive used just about every stand on the market and there is no comparison to the collapsible cradles.
Far from being awkward to set up, I can have my 3 set up and in place in no time.

And dont even get me started about that Meinl stand above!! I thought I was going to break while I was playing, One of the most wobbliest unsturdy stands ever!!!

[congamyk]

^ I prefer basket stands also - quicker set up and the congas move around less.
Basket stands are far more sturdy - just get the right stands.

Has anyone tried these? They are pricey ($209 each musicians friend)
Latin Percussion FutureLite Conga Stand

[ABAKUA]

Those aint the future lights model bro, the one in the pic is the same model as my ones (Collapsable Cradle)

The future lights are below, I am unable to vouch for them as Ive not used them before, from the pic however, I dont see any rubber bottoms or brake method, so whats to stop them sliding around all gig? Perhaps the image is incomplete but is directly off LP's site.

http://lpmusic.com/Product_Showcase/Stands/futurelite-cnga-stnd.html




Judging from the pic only, I cant see it being any better or more solid than the collapsable cradles.

http://lpmusic.com/Product_Showcase/Stands/lp_collapsible_cradl.html

[umannyt]

I think what Gibraltar has is pretty cool too, maybe a bit overboard, but I've seen
them used by Sandy Perez to good effect. Of course it's a big piece of hardware.

It works with brackets on Lp congas as well as GB.

The triple conga rack pictured above is actually made by DW which, as you may already know, now owns Gon Bops. In fact, you can clearly see the DW badge on top rack (middle). And, yes, Sandy Perez does use it. I've seen still pictures and a video (on YouTube) of him using it.

I seriously considered buying one before (complete with optional caster wheels) for my 3 Gon Bops CA congas. But, in line with what BNB said, I think it's overkill--both in terms of physical size and cost (around $600). And I had the same concern as Abakua. My using it would have meant drilling holes (ouch!!!) on my congas in order to install the mounting brackets and imposing "undue" stress on the side (involving 1 or 2 staves) of each drum.

For my Gon Bops, I use black Meinl Steely II basket stands (with some slight modification involving bending the legs to ensure equal height among the 3 drums).

For my Islas, I use the chrome-plated Gibraltar GCS basket stands.

Personally, as far as your LP Palladiums are concerned, it's a toss-up between the Gibraltar GCS and the LP Collapsible Cradles (like Abakua's).

[nickpilarski]

I love love love the dw/gonbops rack stand. Simple-quick and built to withstand a nuclear winter

[umannyt]

I love love love the dw/gonbops rack stand. Simple-quick and built to withstand a nuclear winter

No doubt about it, the DW/Gon Bops conga rack system makes setting up one's dual or triple congas a breeze, fast and consistent--the main selling point of drum racks in general. With caster wheels, it makes movement around the stage and transport really convenient. I can live with the looks; it looks quite novel and contemporary.

It probably doesn't "hurt" as much if one's congas already have pre-drilled holes and mounting brackets installed--such as with LPs, Pearls, Tocas, etc.--unlike with the Gon Bops CAs.

If one is a multi-percussionist, one can even expand the rack system by adding side racks for mounting timbales, bongos and other hand percussion instruments, as well as cymbal arms.

The downside, however, is that the rack system takes up a lot of lateral space which can make it unusable if the stage area is tight.

[umannyt]

I DO NOT recommend Meinl's "Professional Conga Stand".
The rubber tips tear eventually as you play.
When that happens (unknowingly) you finish your gig scratching your drum up against the metal end.
I replaced a few and then gave up.

JUST SAY NO.....

I also seriously considered buying this at first. I was attracted to its rather simple but sleek design, apparent light weight and portability (foldable). I'm glad that I didn't end up going for 3 of them.

[pavloconga]

Hola Pablo,

I can give first hand experience as I endoresed the Palladiums for over a year before trading in for a new set.
Palladiums are one of, if not the heaviest drums I have ever encountered.

Hey Abakua,
Many thanks for the excellent information and the cool photos! Great stuff, it's certainly given me a good idea of what's out there.
You're right – the Palladiums are good but they are heavy mofos! I've had to grow more muscle just to cart those things around...

By the way how much did you pay in $AUD for those LP Collapsible cradle stands?
How do you find the LP Classics now? Are you happy with them?

Also a huge thanks to everyone else who responded and your wealth of information and experience – this is what makes Congaplace a great place!

Muchas Gracias!
Pavlo