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help making a decision

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:48 pm
by congabuff
i am replacing my old pearl fibreglass congas and i was looking for good solid set (1 congas and 2 tumba)
i am trying to choose between meinl woodcraft (red or black) and lp Richie Gajate Garcia.
3 ply ash vs 3 ply tilia plus fibreglass, classic hardware vs top tuning.
please help thanks

Re: help making a decision

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 3:17 pm
by Chtimulato
Hello.

Just my 2 cents : I personnally prefer wood because it's warmer. And ash has a good projection in my eyes (in my ears), either my Giovannis or my 3A bongó.
I never tried top-tunig congas, so I can't give you an advice about that.

Maybe some other members will suggest you something different. You should try both models out if it's possible.

Re: help making a decision

PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 1:46 pm
by p.a.dogs1
I recommand to try the Luis-Conte-Models from Meinl. In my eyes they are one of the most rationally concepted congas on the market - no gimmickry. And this for a comparatively advantageous price.

Re: help making a decision

PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 2020 2:56 am
by congabuff
thanks, it sounds amazing too, i am steering toward meinl more and more.
i just find this interesting that you see lots of “lp videos” with different artists playing the Richie Gajate Garcia but almost impossible to find some regular joe’s opinion about them beside good sound once thats about it.
is the lp Richie Gajate Garcia worthed or is this just some gimmic ?

Re: help making a decision

PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 2020 12:21 pm
by Chtimulato
No idea... I own a live album of a French singer (Véronique Sanson - ex-wife of Stephen Stills BTW) where he plays. I listened to it several times and... I must say I can't hear him playing distinctly. Assuming he's playing his signature model. As I said above, it would be better to try them out "in real life", if you can find a set. The only thing I know about tilia wood (aka "lime tree") is that it is a soft and lightweight wood, easy to work with. Though it can be used to build some music instruments, including percussion instruments, I don't know how it can sound. I personnally prefer heavier and denser wood species. Sorry I can't help you further.

Re: help making a decision

PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 2020 12:55 pm
by p.a.dogs1
I had never contact to these instruments. Do you think that the special needs of Richie Gajate Garcia changed the way we judge congas fundamentally? Or was there just the need to find something special belonging to a new (or merited) endorser? What impressed me about the Luis-Conte-instruments is the fact, that one of the most respected endorsers of Meinl helped reducing the instrument to it´s fundamental aspects. I own a single Luis-Conte-conga and I was surprised by the fact, that it´s handling gives me a feeling of all around value despite the economical details. - But what can I contribute to your question about the LP drums.

Wood: I am not sure if the american name of the wood is "basswood" (tilia romania should be a kind of linden tree). Such wood is - among many other things - mostly used for carving, pencils, charcoal ... maybe it suits for conga bodies as well, maybe the wood is not of special meaning because of the fiber interior - rills (where others have reinforcing metallic belts). Maybe the rills have just the function to detect the attention away from the unalluring surface/structure of basswood in general.

Skins: they call it "hand-selected" and we are used to understand this as a feature of guarantied high(er) quality. At the end it just means, that somebody decides about differentiations in (maybe) three(?) gradings.

Sound: Can we talk about sounds objectively? In my experience have all drums specific ranges where they sound fully and voluminous (is it a relation of material, body volume and thickness of the skin?). But this changes already by moving it inside a concrete room. Another question which I am concerned with is: do there exist kinds of psycho-haptic, psycho-visual, visio-haptic and fetishistic phenomenia which are very much more influential regarding what we decide at the end. Some neurologist say that our decisions are made within seconds - that means before we have arguments. Our consciousness has to sanctify what our subconsciousness already had decided. Did your subconsciousness decide already?

Re: help making a decision

PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 1:42 am
by Juaort
My LP Classic Models have been my go to for many years. When I was playing frequently those were the ones I counted on. Warm and crisp they have it all. I recently changed the original skins to Manito Steer skins and they sound and look like they can go for another 30yrs. Meinl puts good skins on their top of the line Congas and they’ve become Very popular. I’ve played them and they do sound great. I prefer wood Congas and Bongos as well. I just love the sound wood produces.