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Vintage Meinl - Fibercraft ID

PostPosted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 7:39 pm
by Mike
Here is an old Meinl fiberglass 11.5" conga,
standing 29" tall, which I have recently purchased
for a student who wanted a durable, but affordable instrument.
So I made this deal for him.
Well, equipped with an L&H cow skin I still had flying around
it sounds pretty decent - the original skin was totally worn out.
Unfortunately there is no foot ring and the hardware is
pitted with rust, but on the whole it is ready to rumba...
P1080186.JPG
P1080187.JPG

There is nothing spectacular with this red´n´white conga, it is somewhat similar to LP´s earlier
fiberglass models. The badge says "Meinl Fibercraft - Germany"
I just wonder if it was really made in Germany and how old this drum might be - any ideas?
It weighs quite a lot, but I am surprised how thin the shell
is towards the bottom - only about 5mm.
P1080188.JPG

Re: Vintage Meinl - Fibercraft ID

PostPosted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 10:27 pm
by ABAKUA
Mike, Meinl was originally made in Germany, the original drums they fabricated are far superior to todays ones.
You have a very nice, rare beauty there. 8)

Re: Vintage Meinl - Fibercraft ID

PostPosted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 5:49 am
by Mike
Oh, thanks, Abakua.
I guess is from the early 1980s then,
when Meinl just started manufacturing
fiberglass instruments.
So my student is a lucky one - he got
a unique conga at a fair, if not modest price.

Re: Vintage Meinl - Fibercraft ID

PostPosted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 2:50 pm
by roberthelpus
I want a pic of the
L&H cow skin I still had flying around

:D

Re: Vintage Meinl - Fibercraft ID

PostPosted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 3:45 pm
by Mike
roberthelpus wrote:I want a pic of the
L&H cow skin I still had flying around

:D

Cheers, here it is, still alive:
FlyingCow.jpg

And Abakua might have seen this one also:
flying_cow + dolphin.jpg
flying_cow + dolphin.jpg (10.35 KiB) Viewed 2484 times
:wink:

Couldn´t resist...
Well, seriously, as could be expected, the L&H cow skin is really awesome
on that fiberglass conga, the original skin was way too thin, hence ringing like hell.

Re: Vintage Meinl - Fibercraft ID

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:59 pm
by roberthelpus
Perfect. Made my morning glad I didn't have a mouthful of coffee. :D :) :lol: