Junior Tirado Bongos on Ebay.

[bongosnotbombs]

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-Junior-Tirado- ... dZViewItem

What do you guys think, are these authentic? I have my doubts.

[RitmoBoricua]

The center block throws me off. The set probably was refinished by Matthew Smith.

[Omelenko]

The first set of pictures are definitely Junior Tirado bongos, you can take that to the bank.
The second post by Ritmoboricua are Matthew Smith bongos.
You can't go wrong with either set, "la creme de la creme".

Suena tu bongo' !

Dario

[Coco]

They went for $690.....all due respect to the master drum maker, but that is a completely crazy price....

Apart from anything else, the vendor has only 4 items of feedback as a seller and none of them is newer than 90 days old so god knows what they're for...could be toothbrushes or old copies of Readers' Digest.

Good luck to the guy that won them....he obviously REALLY wants them.

[Isaac]

Thats really what they are worth...
Junior was the best.

Try to figure out the material expenses , - wood, steel,
welding time, wood working time and figure
how long you take to make them. What would be
you hourly wage if broken down. Plus these
are a rare piece in excellent condition.
These are a bargain at any price - and
I think can truly qualify for a Mastercard
TV commercial!

Do you know how much guitarists, bass players and violinists
spend on their top level instruments? When we merit better
instruments through years of playing, you begin to appreciate
the higher quality of sound.... that can be acheived
with less effort. All this adds up to less stress on the hands
and helps you play nicer ...It's a priceless realization.

Kudos to the lucky buyer !

ISAAC
TRADICION PERCUSSION / Rep. JCR Percussion Co.

[Coco]

If it's a dead cert that you are going to get what you're paying for then I would agree with you Isaac....but this is ebay and this seller has no feedback worth speaking about.....so you are taking a risk. I always think that anything that you buy on ebay from a seller without a long and unblemished history should be discounted to take account of this.

They do look beautiful though so if all works out as it should I'm sure the buyer will be happy.

[Omelenko]

Coco,

The seller has 86 positive feedback, his name is Nelson Sanchez, Michito Sanchez (one of the best congueros in the world) brother. What Isaac says is a fact, when you get a Junior, a JCR, a SOS, or a Matt Smith bongo', you are getting a quality handmade instrument that is going to last you a lifetime and one that will provide the best soound projection and make your playing easier.

Dario

[Coco]

Ahhh....I didn't know that you guys knew him. That's a different deal. I thought he was anonymous.

82 of those 86 feedbacks were as a buyer not as a seller. I wouldn't have had the confidence to spend that much with a seller with 4 feedbacks who I didn't know anything else about.

I'm well aware of the benefits of handmade drums over mass produced ones, having wasted plenty of money with the major manufacturers in the past...Still...the price is 150-175% of the cost of a new handmade set from many of the top living drummakers you name.

I can see how they could be worth that much to someone ...after all they are seen as benchmark and there aren't going to be any more made. That set also look to be in mint condition. Nonetheless I would be interested to know whether this auction sets a new high for price as regards Juniors' bongos. I suspect it might.

I suppose for a buyer in Euros that price is a bargain and ....that's me ! Damn, I missed it! (I'm not sure if I'm joking about that now that I think about it!)

[caballoballo]

Ask yourself first a question, are you going to use it daily ? Just by looking at the picture I can see that the wood is too thin. IMHO is not going to be able to take the require tension during tunning. Too fancy, may be for display (that set ), for giging I dout it.

I got a friend who has a mathew smith Bongó. The chrome from the macho bottom hoop started to peel off. After he cranked the macho to see what it takes, one of the bottom hoop welds startet to crack, if it wasn't for the ribet that hoop would have been broken. He have to re do the weld . Imagine if that happen during a gig.


I may be the bad guy from the movie but I have to tell the truth so my fellows bongoceros buy instruments that can withstand the rigor of daily use. I am a player in a Band, others are collecionist, other are rumberos, ect , ect.

This same topic is going on right now at The Bongogroup with the same pro & contra.

[RitmoBoricua]

Ask yourself first a question, are you going to use it daily ? Just by looking at the picture I can see that the wood is too thin. IMHO is not going to be able to take the require tension during tunning. Too fancy, may be for display (that set ), for giging I dout it.

I got a friend who has a mathew smith Bongó. The chrome from the macho bottom hoop started to peel off. After he cranked the macho to see what it takes, one of the bottom hoop welds startet to crack, if it wasn't for the ribet that hoop would have been broken. He have to re do the weld . Imagine if that happen during a gig.


I may be the bad guy from the movie but I have to tell the truth so my fellows bongoceros buy instruments that can withstand the rigor of daily use. I am a player in a Band, others are collecionist, other are rumberos, ect , ect.

This same topic is going on right now at The Bongogroup with the same pro & contra.

I think you have a point. I do not think after you expend probably over
$700.00 after shipping/handling, insurance and maybe tax on that nice
pair of Junior Bongos you want to be gigging with them in a regular basis. Drums that you play in regular basis at gigis are going to have wear and tear, no way around it. Specially bongos if you are playing them in a traditional way between your legs many times when you switch to the "cencerro" on many occassions you let the bongos drop to the floor. Then you have to deal with ever changing weather condtions like heat, humidity, rain,cold etc. When you are playing gigs specially with natural skins you are constantly checking your tuning, and usually cracking-up them lugs and putting tons of pressure on that hardware and shells for extended period of times. I do not care who made the bongos and
how well made they are all those elements I mentioned take a toll on a drum no doubt. I would not use them for regular gigging I probably would place them inside a curio or something for static display and play them every now and then under controlled conditions. But who knows whoever bought them probably is going to put them to the test. A Really Extra Nice Set Bongos Though, No Doubt!

[caballoballo]

Ritmo, que volá. Me and just me. No matter how much I pay for a set. It is going to be use for play. it does not do any good to me by having the set on display. All the time I schedule my sets for giging, I may have 4 gigs in a week or a month & each time I would take a different one. Also the one selected for the gig will be use to rehearse before the gig.


You are right, some people usually drop their Bongos to grab the campana for the montuno. Me, I dont, I always stop playing one or two compases before to place my Bongó on the floor and grab the Campana.


Two sundays ago during the national day of salsa I saw how a young Bongocero droped his Bongó to grab the campana & said to myself that bongó won't last long. Also I saw how Richi Bastar ( El gran combo Bongocero) stopped before the montuno to place his Bongó on the floor & grab his campana. It is just a way to take care.

If it cost 500,600,700, I don't care, I am going to cranked up until I am satisfy with sound. If it brakes, it brakes. Weldings on hardware are suppose to withstand thousands of pounds of preassure not to brake that easy.

[Mike]

Whew, 690$ as the winning bid!
I basically agree with those who estimate quality instruments and the price you pay for them may be OK,
but I also share Caballoballo´s doubts to a certain extent, although it´s a tad difficult for me to judge from
the picture only. Each bongó is different, perhaps some are into the "lightweight" drums ( by no means sound quality is meant here).
And yes, if played not too hard (maybe mounted on a stand) it might be alright.
Still, apart from the price, I would rather stay with (vintage) models that have thicker shells, also for better tone projection.
Just wanted to add these 2 cents - won´t cost you a penny

[bongosnotbombs]

Whenever I see a vintage bongo creeping to around the price of a new bongo
I quickly use interest.

There are collectors and there are players. I know a woman that can't play
all that well but she has one of Mongo Santameria's drums, she paid $3,000 for.
....and I'm glad she has it.

$690 for a used bongo, is very steep, especially for buying it sight unseen, but for some
people it's worth it.

[Thebreeze]

I agree that the wood appears to be on the thin side, but it appears that we are looking at the Hembra shell. Perhaps the Macho has thicker wood on it. I can't imagine that a person like Junior would not have taken this into account.

[Nelsons63]

Well Iam the seller of the Junior's Bongos. I also have several other kinds of Bongos, Congas etc. I sold them because I just dont use them. They were in a case in my closet for several years. so....to Bongosnotbombs: They are the real deal. Iam Cuban and I have a great admiration for the instrument. I have been playing bongos for the past 29+ years. My teacher was Rolando Soto "Papa Bongo" Its in my blood, I come from a family of players. Its part of my culture. I would never sell a "fake" !
To CoCo: perhaps you were the guy who lost the bid at $675. All my ebay purchases were either Percussion or Motrocycle / Ducati items, I have a passion for both. To Dario: Gracias mi hermano! and to the winner Paquicuba: You are getting a piece of history. Oh yes... and the guy/s who stated they are not strong: Give me a break, They are alot heavier than my Skin on Skins Bongos, better construction than my JCR's and we know people play those everyday!!!

This is a quality instrument that a true artisan made from his hands from designs that were passed down from another great instrument maker such as Raul Rodriguez. (Arsenio's Brother) He (Junior) made quality Congas and bongos that are played today all over the world that when they come up for sale they command TOP DOLLAR. My Junior congas I use often. I never, ever had a problem.

Junior Tirado was a respected maker of fine percussion instruments. He passed away in 2007 ater being in a coma for several months. He deserves more respect than that which has been written from some of you in this forum.