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I just picked up a set of Valje congas, and I think they were made in 1987 because of the date written in side. Theres also a sticker from the Memphis Drum Shop in each drum. The congas have a few cracks but they sound great and are simular in weight to the ones that were made in LA. They are 30" tall not like the 31" made in LA, and its a set with quinto and conga. The lugs and the rims all have the Valje imprint on them. From what I have read the Valje factory in San Fransico CA was burned down in 1986 and at some time the name was sold to LP. Can anyone tell me if these are LP Valjes or some of the last Valjes that may have been made independantly? Are they considered vintage and worth anything? or should I just try a restoration project and enjoy a great sounding pair of congas?

My take would be LP Valje, though I'm saying that based on how much they don't look like my old 1985 San Francisco Valjes (and the fact, of course, that 1987 is after the SF factory burnt down). See photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/taikonoatam ... sMid1980S#

Obvious Visual Differences

Wood: Akbar (SF Valjes, c. 1983 -1986) used really tight-grained quarter-sawn oak, typically with lots of dark flecks in the grain like you see in the photos below. Your drums look to have a very different looking oak, not cut the same way, from the same source, or finished the same.

Logo sticker: Yours doesn't have "Handmade in USA" on it like the SF vintage did.

Inside: Is that white glue between the staves? Akbar used a clearish/brownish glue. Also, Tom Flores and Akbar cut a series of grooves in the inside of the shells, about a halfway up that I don't think LP did - look at pics. Also, Tom or Akbar didn't write anything (like a date) inside the drums.

Oh, missed this .... When you say, "The lugs and the rims all have the Valje imprint on them" - do you mean the metal is actually stamped with "Valje"? If so, then clearly LP.

They could still be nice drums - enjoy them!

James

Hi there

I found that on ebay: http://cgi.cafr.ebay.ca/Valje-Conga-10- ... 3356cdb455

and that: http://images.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=h ... jAeQhaXBCw

I wanted to share it with you.

See ya

Thanks taikonoatama, my set is not as sweet as yours Yes when I said imprint its pressed on the rims and each lug. Your valjes are much darker and seem to be better put together than an earlier set I had that came out of LA. The ones I had that came out of LA were very close in color, sound and weight to the ones in my earlier posting. I hope to find out about were these could have been made and how they were made, and if they are thought of in the same since as the SF models. I'm going to keep an eye out for any more info that will come in on this post. I will soon be looking for info on how to restore the congas (fixing the cracks, finishings, and suggested heads)

Hey, you anyway have a sweet vintage pair of drums here.... So original valje or LP.... I do not think there is a huge diff. You can be proud of your find!
I'd love to have them

B

Thanks Akdom, I am proud of the find and I love the sound of the Valjes. I really hope I can do a good restoration on the congas. I'm currently playing on some Gon Bops Tumbao Pro with mule skins, and a set of Patao depending on the genre of music. The Valjes I'm hoping I can do some Rumba. I've never played Rumba.

Your drums early LP versions of Valjes. 100%. Nice drums, should be a great
project fixing them up.

Out of all the LP's for rumba, LP Valje is the best (IMO). The classics, etc etc just ain't got the tone.
The set you have appears to be rubber wood as I have also. They are nice. Replacing the skin should give you a better tone. You may consider replacing the lug plates/lugs if budget permits.
The rubber wood LP Valje's have a particular tuning you may need to experiment with, as they can be very resonant or choked-skin dependant of course. I've yet to replace the buffallo skin premanently ,with easy back up for changing on the fly for a preffered tone. I don't do this for a live situation, however. The Buffalo skin is good tuned down for R&B, and POP stuff, when tuned up for rumba they get choked and I prefer changing to cow hide-if time effort is warranted.


T