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Posted: **Thu Mar 02, 2006 10:04 pm**

Hi all,

I am a beginner and up to now have been playing on some bongos that my daughter received as a Christmas present...plastic with plastic heads. they sound fairly awful.

I am looking to buy a good set of bongos and have 4 possible options all at similar prices. These are LP Aspire, Pearl Primero, Stagg Deluxe and Meinl Headliner.

Are there any great differences between them? What would you recommend?

Posted: **Thu Mar 02, 2006 11:41 pm**

Pearl Primero Pro...They come with the same hardware as the top of the line Pearl Elite...the heads are much better than the rest..and they come in pro sizes, 7 and 8 1/2.... (Make sure is the Pro...Pearl Primero Pro. With the regular Pearl Primero you get about the same standard in hardware as the Aspire. Nevertheless, the heads are the same as the Pro and the sizes are still professional sizes.

Saludos!

Posted: **Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:56 am**

I can second Raymond on buying Pearl Primero Pro. I bought a set and have been very happy. I did, however get new skins at JCR...

Posted: **Fri Mar 03, 2006 11:10 am**

Greetings andymac & welcome to the forum.. I can't speak for the other brands but would strongly advise you not to go with the Stagg's.. I have played on them and they are dull..

You can't go far wrong with any LP or Pearl products, I still have my Matadors which I'm chuffed with for now..

Posted: **Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:13 pm**

Thanks for the replies.

I have found an online shop selling Pearl Primero's for £75 and Primero Pros for £99. I'm not sure exactly what the difference is between them.

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2006 1:46 pm**

Andymac,

Like I said before, the difference is the hardware...the "Primero Pro" has the same hardware as the Pearl Elites, that are the top of the line...Also, with the "Pro" you get more options in the designs...

I hope this helps!

Saludos!

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2006 3:54 pm**

Andymac,

Depending on your experience with drums and drum manufacturers, it may not be immediately obvious how important the hardware actually is. Pearl has a reputation for making some of the best hardware in the drum industry and it is one of the big reasons I like their congas, timbales and bongos so much (as well as drum kits...). For a few quid you'll get a much better hardware package on the Prim Pros, (as per Raymond) the exact same hardware used on Pearl's top of the line bongos at a significantly reduced cost.

Good luck!

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2006 4:18 pm**

Andymac, hello!

I am using Meinl's free ride bongos (FWB400) and I am more than satisfied!
As an advice I would agree also with Raymond and Richard about Pearl Primero Pro Bongos!

For a beginning i think it's imporatant that you get a good instrument and you just check the prices and go for a best buy. Any of those will be good also when you will be more skilled!

My two Bongos!

Primozz

Posted: **Sat Mar 04, 2006 5:59 pm**

guys;
another great bongo for beginners are the '' matador'' is great for the money and durables. like others in the forum i don't agree with their skins, but like anything else you can change or upgrade them. they sound great with rawhide or synthetic skins. my humble opinion. good luck on your search for those first bongos, my best, franc

Posted: **Sun Mar 05, 2006 11:42 pm**

Thanks for all the advice.

I think I might go for the Pearl Primero Pros. At the moment I can only find 1 online store in the UK selling them (DrumWright at £95) Is this a reasonable price?

Am I missing something or are Pearl Bongos a rarity in UK shops?

Posted: **Mon Mar 06, 2006 12:04 pm**

Hola Andymac,welcome to the forum. Take your time to look for information on those Bongos before buying any of them, for example the bongo group web page or bongomania.com have a lot of info on what to look for and what to avoid. There are the many mass produce brands out there,I am not saying in any way that they are not good but there are better ones,hand made in the USA and Canada which will sound better from start. Sometimes we buy (including me) the first one we see because it looks nice but then you find it does not sound as good as it look and you have to buy better heads,hardware ect (natural or synthetic) looking for that elusive perfect tone and that cost. In the end you have invested or wasted a lot of money on a set which with time is not going to please you. Like I always said,it is better to invest in a good set from start than to try to make a beginner set sound like a pro one. If you can afforded and are serious about becoming a good player,go for a good set.

Edited By caballoballo on 1141662656

Posted: **Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:54 pm**

Caballoballo!

I couldn't agree more!

Primozz

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