LP Giovany Palladium VS Moperc

[caballoballo]

Bongoceros, many time this type of topic appears on this forum. Yesterday as I was talking to a friend about different skins & different Bongos he went to his place to get & show me his Giovanny Palladium ,what a joke. It Happens that I have my Moperc in the car. Just no contest,his Bongó look like a toy or cheap entry level. Even though they are made of the same wood, the craftmanship did not came close to what Michel does. The palladium cost about $290 ,maybe less, with $100 more ($390) which is the cost of the Moperc you can have a top of the line percussion instrument instead of an entry level Lp giovanny.

That Lp Thailand Company have produce most of the bongos in a conical shape which is not the way U.S LP from New Jersey use to made them. The only 1 which resemble the original Lp Bongó is the Matador. A conical shape is like when you have a ported speaker enclousure in which the frequency is dictated by the tunning port diameter and lenght.

Giging tomorrow night. BTW I sold the Lp Valje after 21 years,that 1 was made in N.J. A new El Piernas is in his way from Colombia,should be here next week. A friend was in Colombia & had to wait a week for them to built 1 because El Piernas did not have any in hand at the time of the purchase.



Edited By caballoballo on 1187698396

[109-1176549166]

caballoballo,

How did you like your LP Valje? But, I've always been curious about them and how they sound, although I really don't plan to buy them. IMO, they look like they should be the true top-of-the-line LPs and not the Giovanni Hidalgos.

BTW, as you may very well know already, LP doesn't market the LP Giovanni Hidalgo as being just entry level. On the contrary, they market them as their top-of-the-line bongos.



Edited By mjtuazon on 1187733415

[Tonio]

I should be able to give a direct comparison between LP Valje and Mopercs-as soon as the Mopercs come in.

Caballo, how do you tell the difference between the LP Valje's -I know later they made Armando Peraza (cherrie)signature line, the previous suposedly made with "beechwood"?

I have the earlier model LP Valje's, are these made in NJ? Or is there another "original LP Valje " with a logo of NJ?


T



Edited By Tonio on 1187734473

[Isaac]

The LP Valjes are very good bongos.

There were probably no NJ LP Valjes, as they
had already moved production to Thailand by then.
Good wood is good wood, no matter where
mother nature grows it.

Even with the stock heads they really are
an easy pair of bongos to play.

I put some mule skins on my LP Valjes, and I love them even more.
The skins give them their dryer old school sound with more volume also.
They are very alive. I used to have them in Cherry Wood
from when LP first made them. That set was stolen from me, and
eventually I replaced them with the newer Beech wood LP Valjes -
which is light yet has a perfect density for music.
I've seen Johnny Rodriguez plays the same model and of
course he can make anything sound good...but that's when I went out
and got them in 2000.
The thing to be careful with is that the bottom cuban style
rims are a good tight fit...I had to return one set.
Overall for a mass produced bongo
they are very nice indeed.

ISAAC

[Tonio]

hmm, I thought the cherries were w/ the Armando model, made after the beechwood?

I just did a search, and they are some LP Valje Armando Peraza series bongos available. The description is in beechwood. The originals seems to be cherries.

Now the congas are reversed, AP series in cherry, the original in beechwood.

How odd is that?

Good to know I have the cherry bongos. Sorry , but I did not start the OT


T



Edited By Tonio on 1187750920

[Whopbamboom]

I was unaware that there was an LP "Palladium" series bongo. Is this true?

I personally have the LP Giovanni Galaxy ash-wood bongos, and I like the sound very much. But I must say, I have not yet had the opportunity to compare their sound to high-end hand-made bongos in person. That being said, I can't wait for the day that I acquire even better bongos!

[caballoballo]

Humm,May be I got the wrong name. How does cherry wood looks like ? I ask so I may be able to identify the wood . Yes the Lp Valje IMHO is better than many of the other Lp Models. IAW Olsongo ,Kaman took over Lp in 2002,I bought the Valje in 1986 so I don't know if they were made in N.J or Thailand. I sold it but got it back yesterday,the guy who wanted could not pay me on time. That Bongó has every part different from the other Models. Once during a gig I got the macho really high and one of the lugs broke cutting me on the side of my leg,still have the scarf. One Thing I really like is the weight in comparison with the other Bongos I have.

If anybody is interested on ordering a hand made Bongó ,Timbas del Valle can do it for $285 plus shipping. Mahogany,Oak,Cedar, your choice, stainless steel hardware crown and bottom hoop ,Cuban style ,cilindrical shape & top quality Cow skins. He also make Congas looking like the traditionals Cuban style. Believe me he does a great job. I seen how he takes an old beatup conga which I would rather throw in the trash an restore it to be like brand new.



Edited By caballoballo on 1187797390

[maelopr]

Hola Caballo...que esta pasando? Do you have Papo del Valle's # and address? I've been thinking about calling him to make the s/s hardware for a handmade bongo I had made for me by Jorge Miranda, in Ponce. I've been using the hardware from an old original LP bongo I have, and I want to put that one back together...you can PM me if you want.

Saludos!

-Ismael

[korman]

Wow, caballoballo, that Timbas del Valle bongo sounds interesting! Stainless steel, that's built to last! Do you have any pictures of it, maybe?