congaplace.com

Hey folks! I'd like to share some exciting news with you. I remember in a previous post I was asking all you'all out there what you thought would be the best conga for a budget price. I know that Matadors are highly rated here, but I have another brand now. Two weeks ago I went to Rhythm Traders and saw about a billion different sizes and brands of congas. One caught my attention after only playing it for a minute or two. It was a used, but perfect condition Mambo series 10" requinto. So after getting a tuning key and fooling around with it for a bit, the person who took me offered to help me pay for it. I'd brought my wallet as I was originally planning on looking at the Jcr bell section. But I accepted her offer, and now I am a happy conguero with one conga to start with. This baby has less overtone than the Meinl Marathon series congas, and that I can say after playing two or three different sets at different places. Now compared to the set of Cp congas in the band room, well, I can summarize it. I hate those drums more than ever before. The heads are terible, and the overtone stands out much more than what I had gotten used to. But I love my Mambo series conga. It has just enough overtone to compliment the sound, the bass tones are warm and full, most of my slaps can pop better on this drum, and the open tones ring just as I'd expect them to. I'd post photos, but I am not so sure you want to see a blind man in control of the camera. haha I can get help though. Right now here is a recording. I am not the best yet, and plan on taking lessons soon. I am quite disappointed with the mics in the Ls7, because they didn't pick my good slaps up very well. So, I am going to post two different files. I am sorry for the first one. I forgot to turn mic levels down, but my mics being cranked as high as they could go picked up some of my tones better. First, here is the undistorted version.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8449597/LS_701 ... badora.MP3
And the worse one.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8449597/LS_70183.MP3
I promise you no artificial reverb was added. I recorded these in the back of a shop that a former sub teacher and very good friend of ours opened. Please let me know what you think.

Congratulations on your drum! I remember how happy I was when I purchased my first LP Matador Wood Tumbadora back in 1998.

Stick with it, they enthusiasm may wax and wain - but always try to stay connected to the drum.

Also, for an up and coming conguero - here is an important video to study: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI6ggigfQa8

drum sounds pretty good and the recording ain't that bad either. I think a bit more bottom end would be good for the depth but I don't know what mics you are using.I always check Rhythm traders but being in UK can never benefit from their good deals. They seem passionate about" The drum" happy chappy I reckon

Thank you guys.. I'll check that video out. The only way I learned to play the congas was searching on Youtube for somebody that would describe the basic tumbao rhythm, as I'd heard it before, but not being able to see didn't understand how it was played. Well, I found an excerpt from Poncho Sanchez's introduction to Latin music, and bang I learned it. Most of my soloing style comes from my huge collection of music from Poncho and Mongo. I quickly learned how to tune the congas using another video, from which I cannot remember. Towards the end of my eighth grade year, I fell in love with the sounds of Orquesta Aragon de Cuba with listening to only one song. I now have lots of their music, and recently went to see the modern version perform at Jazz Alley in Seattle. So I can see myself in a charanga in the future, as I have found that charanga is my passion. There is something undescribable about Aragon that makes them stand out from all other charangas.
So, other than that, are there any other congueros that you guys can recommend me check out, so I can further expand my style of playing?

Check out Bobby Sanabria's videos. Great teacher and player.