congaplace.com

Driving up the price of drums? Recently saw a auction for two SOS drums by Jay madde while he was still in Brooklyn in the late 70's as the discription read. The appeared to me made of ASH, beautiful finish brought out the lovely grain of the wood. I kept my eye on them and altough I'm not in the market fo more drums if they would gone at a reasonable price I would have bid on them. Which brings me to my point, Jay and his assistant sell drums for about $1500. a set of two sometime you can get a better deal if you know and bargin with him. These sold for $2000.00 Plus shipping, I understand the vintage market well and the collector market ( I sell guitars and vintage music instruments). With all due respect to the buyer and seller also to Jay Whom I knew before he started building drums back in Brooklyn wasn't that a bit high when you could get a fresh set for less. I understand Vergara, Juniors, Requena, and FATS because they are rare and unatainable. I have always stated that I belive old aged wood improves tonality too. But SOS, and Matthew Smith drums are still available and are great drums I LOVE THEM but when guys start pushing up the prices what do you think the makers are going to due? Manufactures price according to what the market dictates and will tolerate when we drive up prices we as buyers are cutting our own throats. Once again beautiful drums and I'm sure they sound great, congratulations to the buyer and seller but what do you think about the price ? I have a Requena and will gladly take $1000.00 for her and she is much rarer than a SOS and comes with a Vergara crown. Heres a photo of the Requena next to a FAT and the very nice SOS drums in question.

I just sold a set of matts mahoganies for 1800, they cost about 2000 new, some people don't want to wait ( especially for a set of ritmos which seem to take years now) or maybe that guy wanted the vintage set, who knows, when I sold my set of jays someone offered me 1500 so I took it and bought some ritmos, in oak for 1100, e-bay prices fluctuate quite a bit and sometimes a couple of people will get into a bidding war that's very beneficail to the seller! I don't think that a set of vintage jays would go for that every time.

I had an $1100 snipe bid on those SOS so $2000 was more than I was willing to pay. Still I think it was a good price for both buyer and seller. No reason why a vintage set of SOS in mint condition should be worth less than a new set. Many reasons why it should be worth more. And - that is a beautiful set of tumbas!!

A student of mine just bought on Ebay 2 new Matador LP congas for 325 bucks for both of them with free shipping...325 bucks for them both and they are almost brand new, not a scratch on them..so there are some good deals out there now...unless you can afford a top of the line set a la SOS MS Volcano etc...then this would be the wy to go...chek your local Craigs list under musical instruments put congas in search and see whats for sale, u could be surprised...

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Are y'all ever thankful you chose congas as your instrument in view of prices across the music landscape? What does a custom guitar cost from one of the world's best luthiers? Ever priced professional marimbas? Pianos? Forget about it! We get to buy the best in the world of our chosen instrument and prices seldom exceed $1000. We're doing good boys!
Now I know pianos and guitars have many more parts than congas, especially when you consider the staves in a conga are all the same ... essentially one part from the standpoint of fabricating and maintaining jigs and tools.
But I think there is a point to make here nonetheless.
We can buy the best and we can do it cheaply compared to other musicians.
I didn't choose congas because they're cheap, but the bottom line is ... they are cheap ... even the best ones ... when you compare to other instruments.
Am I the only one feeling that?
Cheers!
BMac

I'm pricing a new Yamaha professional sax... $4000.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/woodwinds/yamaha-yts-875ex-custom-tenor-saxophone

BMac wrote:I didn't choose congas because they're cheap, but the bottom line is ... they are cheap ... even the best ones ... when you compare to other instruments.
Am I the only one feeling that?

Basically you are right, BMac, but it is all relative. Many of us here do not play one set of congas only,
but bongó, timbales and so on. Collector´s craze is another matter too.
Moreover there are scarce chances of earning really much money if you play professionally - this applies to many congueros, at least
that is the impression I have gotten here. THere is "just" the olymp of a happy few who have really made it.
So that is what I mean by relativity, you have to consider how much money most congaplace members here actually can spare for congas,
given their financial situation. So 1000$ for a really decent set of congas IS a lot of dough.

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leedy2 wrote:Guys please not that this is based on vintage conga drum's the older they are the more valuable they become depending on manufacture and condition. Yes it is among the lease expensive instruments but in time it appreciates in Value

Yep, vintage congas is what I meant. Personally I do not own a single conga younger than 15 years old,
it is vintage congas I draw satisfaction from, a learning process that actually started here
at congaplace. BTW I remember I paid as much money for one single new LP Classic conga in 1998 as I paid
for my set of two vintage mahogany Gon Bops, including their restoration and decent skins. And having sold the
LP conga a while ago, I would never let go of those vintage Gon Bops.

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leedy2 wrote:In the contrary I owned Gombop, Valje and a few other brands and sold them all, I only kept the vintage 68 LP's in fiberglass simply because they are what is called a work horse, you can beat them to a tread and the continue to strive.

Well, I have as workhorses a set of 1980s Garfield LP wooden congas, they are fantastic.

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leedy2 wrote:
LP make's a good drum for the working musician. I perfer the fiber glass because they get thrown around and do not crack.

Cuco, I take great care that nobody throws my congas around... --- including myself