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Hi everybody.

I just bought these drums to a friend of mine, who needed both room and money, and told me they were very rare (what I believe). They are Gon Bops ICL-3000, and the telescopic wooden tube is a resonator.
But he could'nt tell me what kind of wood it was, and just thought it was not mahogany, which I am not sure of. Does anyone know this model, and can tell if it is - or is not - mahogany ? And then, what kind of wood ?

I thank you in advance.

Nice ones! Yes those are pretty rare - not that many were made and most of the ones that were didn't last. I've seen a few but not many. Sound-wise they couldn't compete with full-size congas so they were never very popular. But they fold up small and were easy to transport. Yours look to be in exceptional condition. Early 70's.

Pretty sure that all were made from the same Philippine lauan mahogany as most of the congas from that time. There may have been a few sets made in oak.

Hi and thank you for your answer.

Except a few unimportant dents and a small crack that I will fix one of these days (but the sound is not affected), they're indeed in an excellent condition. No surprise, my friend is an excessive care taker, and all his instruments are in the same condition. They sure don't sound like "normal" congas, but I find them very practical, because of the size, the occupated room, ... and the weight (since I'm not so young any more as I used to be, I've got to spare my back...)... But I always have to pull the resonator out, or it sounds like a saucepan...

I now just need to find a fitting bag.

This model is so rare that it is the second one I've seen in my whole musician life. I could'nt even find it on the web after hours of research.

I supposed it was Philippine mahogany, but I wanted a confirmation.

Thanks again.

Have a nice day.

I discovered meanwhile that lauan (also called "meranti") is not a mahogany species at all, just like "Siam oak" isn't an oak at all...

Chtimulato wrote:I discovered meanwhile that lauan (also called "meranti") is not a mahogany species at all, just like "Siam oak" isn't an oak at all...

Yes, you are right, these are just sales promoting fantasy names...

Back to your Gon Bops congas (or gongas, as they were coined, if I recall correctly):

Guem, the famous percussionist has played them, and here is a pic in which you can see a model of those Gon ;


Anyway, have fun with yours, Chtimulato! (Interesting nickname by the way )

Hi and thanks for the pic !

I knew about Guem, my seller-friend told me that.
Guem is not very known outside of the drum sphere here in France, but he won his moment of glory some years ago, because one of his compositions was used as a « jingle » in a famous french TV-talkshow. I could'nt stand the show, but Guem deserved his recognition – and his royalties… I still own 3 LPs of him, which I bought… a long time ago…

About my profile name :
« chti » is the nickname given to people of my region (North, now pompously and ridiculously called « Heights of France » - you are allowed to laugh…), and I am a mulatto indeed (my mother was black and came from the French West Indies).

I can't wait till the next rehearsal to show the Gongas to my bandmates...

So I had guessed the origin of your nickname right after all

That is funny, last year I spent my summer holidays in your region Pas-de-Calais
and I found the Ch´tis very friendly. And the beer was delicious.

We're drifting a little from the original thread, but the friendliness of "northerners" has become legendary, especially after the release of this movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1064932/... and there is also a version "für unsere deutschsprachigen Leser" : http://www.ofdb.de/film/150994,Willkommen-bei-den-Sch'tis...

People use to say that you cry twice when you come to the North : when you arrive, and when you leave...

About the beers : the best ones are made by our Belgian neighbours. The best beers in the world (sorry folks, but I believe it).

Yes, of course I know the famous Schti-film.
And the people are friendly, but you have to dig a little under the rustic surface

Gongas were first introduced by Gon Bops and offered for sale in 1991. The 3000 series was the Super Series and the drums were made of mahogony wood. The full size Super Series congas had metal bands to help prevent the staves from separating. Available colors for Super Series congas were natural wood finish, walnut stain, and cherry red. Gon Bops made other series of congas made of mahogony wood, such as the 4141 Deluxe Series and the 3300 Mariano series. The differences were in the rims and hardware and the finishes on the wood shells.

ICL refers to the type of drum and its size. All congas began with the letter "I". The "CL" stands for"Conga Large" and means the head diameter was 11 inches. The diameters for the heads on Gon Bops quintos, congas and tumbas were:
IQ - 9 3/4"
IC - 10 3/4"
ICL - 11"
IT - 11 1/2"
ITL - 12 1/4"
ITXL - 13 1/4"
IT2XL - 14 1/4"

I considered purchasing a pair of Gongas when they were first introduced. While I was tuning up the quinto in the music store, one of the staves separated and popped out 1/2 inch. I became too nervous to buy a set. I always wanted a good set of Gongas and I congratulate you on your acquisition! I don't understand why other conga manufacturers never attempted to copy or license the design. Gon Bops was a very innovative company. For example, also in the early 1990s Gon Bops sold a set of 3 timbales (13", 14" 15") all mounted on a single stand. Another innovation I wish was offered today.

Enjoy your Gongas!!

Thank you for these informations.

I measured mine however, and the diameters are 10,5"" and 10 3/4". Maybe because they are "mini congas".

I saw the red model once on a second hand website, but it was not in such a good condition as the one I recently purchased, and the seller lived overseas, which meant expensive shipping costs and damage-risk.

Are you sure mine are "real" mahogany, rather than Philippine mahogany ?
The only mahogany I've seen "in real life" is red (I mean Caribean mahogany, the only one I know).

I don't understand why other conga manufacturers never attempted to copy or license the design.

Except for LP or Meinl "conguitas", a former famous french drum maker, Bernard Mauffret (the brand Baak, if some of you guys know it) built once a set of those mini congas for a french drummer who toured at the time with Johnny Clegg. I can't remember how they sounded, nor what the drummer meant about them (I met him once and chatted a while with him, but it's a long time ago), but "normal" Baak congas were top-of-the-line, as good as Delaporte. Bernard Mauffret has now given up drummaking and makes only furniture. Too bad...

Very nice set. Based on the Badge, they are definitely not early 70's but specifically from 1992. They are made of what is known as Philippine Mahogany, a wood typically used by Gon Bop.
Congratulations.
I invite you to visit and post them on my Facebook forum, "Vintage Conga Drums", where you can see others like it.
Cheers
K.C

This thread inspired me to dig out, and play, my Gon Bops mini congas, same era, same wood. Maybe Mike can come up with a pic of one of the greats playing a set of these.

They are 15 inches high, head size just a fraction under 8 & 9. I modified the side plates so I can mount them on a heavy-duty LP conga stand - the GB stand moved too much. Last time I really played them with a group I played them as big bongos - martillo patterns. They sounded great!!! As congas, not so great.

Regarding the wood, very true that rubberwood-plywood/siam oak has no relationship, look or sound, with real white or red oak from Europe or the US, But I believe that to be less true with the "Mahoganies." The beautiful red stuff from the Caribbean seems to be in a league of its own. But the other stuff, from around the world, that grows in a similar way, ain't too shabby either.

@ King Conga :
Even if it's not "real" mahogany, it's "Gon Bops wood" anyway, so it must be "good"...

I invite you to visit and post them on my Facebook forum, "Vintage Conga Drums"

Done. Thank you for the invitation - and the acceptance.

@ Psych1 : nice drums too. I like them. About the wood, as I said, it's Gon Bops wood anyhow...

And I read somewhere (certainly on this forum) that the construction year is included in the serial number. So, definitively 92.

Just to be clear, here is my Gon Bop after I restored it, made of Philippine Mahogany. This is one of the best Requintos I've heard to date, oh, and I love the wood.