Pearl Travel Congas

[svinohryak]

Hello.
Is there anybody who played the Pearl Travel Congas? Would you kindly tell me few words about your experience? I'm going to buy the instrument but I don't have possibility to test it before purchasing.
P.S. I'm not a native English speaker so feel free to correct my mistakes, I would be glad to improve my English too.

[niallgregory]

Hi , i purchased a pearl travel conga about a year ago and it was a great investment .Much better than the giovanni compact congas .I used it as part of a drum set or multi perc set up just for the easiness of transport etc .A great sound and seriously convenient .It never replaces the real thing though

[Cat]

Surprisingly, they don't sound bad at all. The first few seconds you play, your ears don't believe your eyes.
For a travel set, they are probably perfect.

[burke]

Quite a few fans (of which I'm one) on this site. I have the conga and quinto and some ok snare stands to go with. If someone was to ask me about first congas to buy as an absolute novice on a budget. This is what I'd suggest. Unlike cheapo congas which will make you unhappy and will be hard to unload - these are useful after you've decided to purchase higher end drums.

[vinnieL]

Onile has quite the set up using Pearl travel congas. I have played them in the store and they do sound quite nice really surprising actually. I'm sure someone while chime in and say they don't sound right and just get a real conga etc. they are not marketed as a replacement just another alternative for traveling with a light load etc. I am very impressed by them and I know there are people that gig with them. If i didn't have such a long list of things I want first I would have at least 2 of them to take to the park by myself and mess around with etc.

[onile]

Alafia Abure Vinnie!
Espero que todo este bien contigo Papa!

Alafia Abures!
I hope that you are all well and abundantly blessed!

I personally own a set of 4 Pearl Travel Congas (two - 11 3/4", two 12 1/2") and they actually drive some folks crazy. The tuning of them is very crucial to the sound produced, mainly due to the "enclosed sonic chamber" (the sound just resonates over itself, which seems to distort the tone). I actually find myself tuning them as one would an actual tom, tapping each spot directly in front of the tension rod to get them to sound as close to one another as possible (very frustrating at times). Having said that, I will say this; the majority of my gigs now a days are with corporate groups (trios, quartets and the like), so these drums are perfect for the type of venue. In corporate set-ups, we are just background, it doesn't matter what type of conga/drum you're playing, they just want a particular number of people on stage and continuous sound at a low volume.

I bring 3, and sometimes all four to a gig and use my special made stand (this is intended to minimize the number of stands needed for all 4 or 3 PTCs). It is the most convenient set up I have ever used, especially with the great sound, almost like that of a real full-sized conga, no one complains in that arena.

In anycase, I posted this video some time ago, but here is a sample of what they sound like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXquHyj8 ... re=related

Many blessings!

Onile!

[svinohryak]

Thanks a lot for your answers.

[debbie]

i also have the conga and quinto set and am very happy with them. they are great for those impromptu moments and for travelling with. i had several good bits of advice from onile (thanks again!) with regards to tuning which can be tricky but is good for educating the ear.
all the best!

[svinohryak]

Hello.
I've already bought Travel Congas and now I need your help again.
I would like to know which of the stands are better and more useful - snare drum stands or Pearl Travel Conga stands or something else. I use both sitting and standing positions when playing.
Thank you in advance!

[onile]

Alafia Abure!
I hope that you are well and abundantly blessed!

I presently have 4 Pearl Travel Congas (PTCs), and I've actually tried the snare drum stands, the lp giovanni stand, the PTC stands and finally designed my own. I must say that all of them served the purpose very well. Of all of them however, you might be better off going with the snare stands when considering a cheaper cost. As of last year, Pearl's prices have been on the rise, I bought my stands from them and they cost me around $114. ea., now however they are around $130 or so. For that price you might be able to get yourself at least 2 snare stands. I actually only wanted to order the "Y" bracket that applies to the PTC, but they don't sell it separate.

Hope this helps

Pearl Snare Stand
http://www.zzounds.com/item--PEAS900

Pearl Travel Conga Stand
http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--PEAPCTC

Giovanni compact conga mounting system
http://www.musicianshut.com/product/LP- ... =426674648


Suave!

Onile

[dabesa]

Hi all,
actually I started with LP Compact congas for 2 reasons:
1. I could bring them anywhere I go to practice - they have been with me in Morocco and Egypt
2. they are less loud than real congas, good if you're in an apartment!

I also think that they are expensive but easier to trade in than cheap but crap "real" congas... but I do agree looking at the video posted that the Pearl sound much better!

Ciao

[debbie]

i started off with 2 cheap snare stands which were really crap, too wobbly. then i borrowed a good stand from a friend which was better but then finally invested in the special pearl travel conga stands which are expensive but much more stable and easily adjustable. if i had known all that i would have got them in the first place instead of buying the cheapo stands. also if you play standing up then these ones are perfect for that.

[burke]

I found cheap snare stands that seem to do the job for me : Yamaha SS-650 about $60 each in store. I find that the surface you play on has a lot to do with it. They jump a bit on a hard floor, but a small bungee cord attaching the stands together helps this, also a bit of foam on one of the rims keeps them from banging together. Obviously this only works for playing seated.

[svinohryak]

Many thanks for your response.