Fiberglassed Mahogany Gon Bops

[roberthelpus]

Has anybody heard of such things? I haven't seen these drums for maybe 12 years, but recently saw their owner and asked about them. He's an excellent flautist, that I've know since elementary school, and doesn't play them any more and described the three of them as fiberglassed with the comfort curve type rims. I remember that they were mahogany.

So has anybody seen such a thing? Were the mahogany drums known to split like the oaks?

[Victorius]

I guess you mean something like that:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5745

ask the owner

[roberthelpus]

D'oh. Reading is fundamental. I just assumed that those were oak. Still want to know if the mahogany Gon Bops had the same rep for cracking as the oak.

[Psych1]

In my experience, the mahogany crack more than the oak but they are easier to repair. Also, sometimes the fiber coating holds them together and when someone decides to refinish them and remove the gel coat they split. Repairing one crack often leads to another. But, I think it is worth the work - the old mahogany Gon Bops are terrific.

[Mike]

What would you guys say about fiberglassing a mahogany shell in general- is it really necessary?
Or would waxing or oiling it do ?
I am asking because I have got a vintage Reiche-Conga at hand, handcrafted in Germany
made of REAL mahogany, not the somewhat flimsy Luan aka Phillipine mahogany of the Gon Bops.

I am considering sanding it anyway as the shell has obviously received some heavy
scratches in the past.
To be honest, just applying a layer of floorboard wax would be the more natural
finish I would opt for.
So what is your tip- will waxing/oiling withstand the European climate?

EDIT: I fiberglassed my old Gon Bops, but applied just a very light layer.

[windhorse]

I guess you remember my post?
http://www.mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5658&hilit=+gon+bops&start=0#p57617

They scream like a banshee, and the tones are very sweet! Much nicer than any plastic or fiberglass drums I've heard.
The volume is unbelievable!

[Mike]

I guess you remember my post?
http://www.mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5658&hilit=+gon+bops&start=0#p57617

They scream like a banshee, and the tones are very sweet! Much nicer than any plastic or fiberglass drums I've heard.
The volume is unbelievable!

But imho that cannot be due to fiberglass outside,
those drums you mention must have a fiberglass coat inside
to enhance sound projection.
At least my mahogany Gon Bops are rather low-projection drums - very fine though, I love them!

[Omelenko1]

I have a pair of mahogany Gon Bops with fiberglass coating on top. They are mid 70's teardrop model and sound very melodic. Flaco Padron recorded the percussion for the "Saturday Night Fever" Bee Gees platinum winning album with these Gon Bops. They don't split or separate because the fiberglass outer covering. Years ago I had a quinto like these and I decided to remove the fiberglass coating with heavy sanding, after that a couple of the staves began to split. Gon Bops placed the fiberglass coating for a reason. These two don't have any splits and they sound very warm, the 13 1/4" super tumba is incredible.
Flaco left for Spain and called me to see if I still wanted them, as I always did for many years, so I picked them up. Here they are.

Dario

[windhorse]

I guess you remember my post?
http://www.mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5658&hilit=+gon+bops&start=0#p57617

They scream like a banshee, and the tones are very sweet! Much nicer than any plastic or fiberglass drums I've heard.
The volume is unbelievable!

But imho that cannot be due to fiberglass outside,
those drums you mention must have a fiberglass coat inside
to enhance sound projection.
At least my mahogany Gon Bops are rather low-projection drums - very fine though, I love them!

No, the ones I'm talking about are fiberglassed on the OUTSIDE. They're black.

[Psych1]

What would you guys say about fiberglassing a mahogany shell in general- is it really necessary?
Or would waxing or oiling it do ?
I am asking because I have got a vintage Reiche-Conga at hand, handcrafted in Germany
made of REAL mahogany, not the somewhat flimsy Luan aka Phillipine mahogany of the Gon Bops.

I am considering sanding it anyway as the shell has obviously received some heavy
scratches in the past.
To be honest, just applying a layer of floorboard wax would be the more natural
finish I would opt for.
So what is your tip- will waxing/oiling withstand the European climate?

EDIT: I fiberglassed my old Gon Bops, but applied just a very light layer.

The mahogany used in the Gon Bops reacts a lot to the weather but they always seem to split at the staves. The problem is the glue drying out after 30-40 years and the glue that was used. A good repair with TB3 should be stronger than the wood and last at least another 40 years.

I don't think "flimsy" is the right word! Maybe "delicate" or "sensitive." There was a good reason to have used that Luan for all those congas. Curious about the "real mahogany" on your conga. Any idea where it is from? Africa? I'm asking because - not to go too far off-topic - I have a big old mahogany table, seats 18, that might make a great set of congas. I got it in Germany years ago but the wood must have been imported from somewhere more tropical than Germany. The wood is much more heavy and dense than the Luan. I've been thinking about that for years - I'd rather have new congas than that old table.

[JohnnyConga]

In 1979 I went to the Gon Bop factory in east L.A. and had Mariano(Senior) make me a set of 3 Gon Bops Fiberglass over Philippine Mahogany...I was going to Europe for a tour with Cerrone, and i wanted something new and different, and I wanted them in white..so here they are....

[Mike]

The mahogany used in the Gon Bops reacts a lot to the weather but they always seem to split at the staves. [...]

I don't think "flimsy" is the right word! Maybe "delicate" or "sensitive." There was a good reason to have used that Luan for all those congas.

You are right, "brittle, "frail", "delicate"" or sensitive indeed would be more appropiate for the Gon Bops´ Luan shells.
And Omelenko is right too, they did not apply a fiberglass layer at Gon Bops for no reason. Plus I am also a GOn Bops aficionado,
just chose the wrong word. Still, without any doubt: There was and still is better mahogany around than the Luan as far as
durability is concerned.

Curious about the "real mahogany" on your conga. Any idea where it is from? Africa?

As to my mahogany shell: According to the manufacturer , it is African mahogany, medium-heavy.
http://www.reiche-trommelbau.de/
But I am seriously considering epoxing this shell soon, because some hairline cracks are likely to
develop

.

[roberthelpus]

So the consensus is that the mahogany drums split even worse than the oaks. Right?

[Omelenko1]

I think is the opposite. I've seen oak Gon Bops split much worse than mahogany Gon Bops.

Dario

[Mike]

In my experience, the mahogany crack more than the oak but they are easier to repair.

I would also subscribe to that point of view. Oak must be strapped really tightly to close cracks I reckon.

Anyway, here is a pic of the finished mahogany shell of my Reiche conga, two layers of epoxy for outside protection,
and 3 layers of matte polyurethane lacquer. This has brought out the wood color and will hopefully
protect the conga against all evil. It was really a fun project.

Some scars remain though, but the important thing for me was to stabilize the outside shell.

All in all, that has been pretty much the Gon Bops way of protecting the mahogany wood I guess.
On a bottom line, the shape of Reiche congas is an emulation of the old-skool Gon Bops design anyway, as you can also see
in this autumnal "finito!"-pic:

Hence this 29" drum is a sweet-sounding little sister to my GB-bunch

BTW the drum must be around 20 years old, the original skin is still rocking tremendously.
Done!