Bongos identification - Cuban - Do these look familiar to anyone?

[taikonoatama]

I got these from a guy who personally picked them up in Havana about 10 years ago. One-piece shells. Very heavy. 7" and 8".

Can anyone tell me anything about them?

Thanks,

~Taiko

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... ban_x2.jpg

[blango]

Can you show a closeup of the bottom ring. no rivits?

[korman]

Ouch! Those rims are so close to the playing surface ... but otherwise they look great!

[Omelenko]

They are not Vergara for sure, Vergara made solid one piece bongos out of Cahoba wood (Cuban mahogany), the wood on those looks like Cahoba,but the desing is definitely not Vergara. The harware looks SONOC, but SONOC makes staves bongos not solid and they use Cedro not Cahoba. Requena made bongos in Cuba in the 50's and early 60's but those are not Requena either. They look nice,specially the wood, I dont like the top crowns,they look like hand killers.
Enclosed find a picture of Mongo's Vergara 1954.
Saludos, Dario

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... _Mongo.jpg

[Omelenko]

Here is a picture of a Cuban Requena bongos 50's. These were sold at Solis music store in La Habana.
Saludos, Dario

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... equena.jpg

[taikonoatama]

I dont like the top crowns,they look like hand killers.

No kidding. I took them to a session last night to try out, even knowing it could be an issue and let me assure you it was: ouch. That's not going to work.

I've already ordered some new mule skins from Isaac.

But let me ask you, Dario (or anybody), why would someone have mounted rims this high? The rims on your Requenas look about the same as mine, though the hembra might be even higher - I have to believe that you have them mounted this high on purpose, and not by accident, so what's the deal? Seems like I see it a lot, and on bongos more often than congas (though your Matt Smith congas, of which you've previously posted pics, look to have their rims unusually high).

I've heard it mentioned that drums sound better with the rims higher, but is this really true? And if so, in what way does mounting the rim higher affect the sound? Or is just something people repeat because they heard it but no one really knows? I'm not saying they should be mounted way down the shell, of course, but a bit more than this would not be a bad thing for my hands. And I understand that skins stretch over time and the rim will get lower, but if it hurts too much to play them for the first 6 months or whatever, it doesn't seem worth it.

~Taiko



Edited By taikonoatama on 1180369712

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... 1piece.jpg

[blango]

Looks like Cahoba to me. I agree with Dario, the hardware looks Sonoc. the center post and the turning looks like those ive seen from Santiago de Cuba.

But the way these are made, it looks like a large production house, as opposed to a one man op. The chrome is top notch. I bet Sonoc made some solid shell bongo, but ive never seen a set.

As far as i can tell, Vargara, and Requena are out, they used rivited crowns and a thinner center post.

I have a set of staved cedar with similar center post. They look like the set somone elce posted as from Santiago de cuba. But the chorme and the welds are not as clean. Ill post pics of the cedar set soon.

Tony

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... 1b_1_b.jpg

[Omelenko]

Taiko,

Those Cuban bongos look really nice, they look like they are Cahoba, I love the bottom hoops and looks like top notch chrome job. Since you are in SF why don't you have Octavio fromerly with Valje now with DW Gon Bops make two crowns for them. The bongos blango shows are SONOC and they sound awesome. I had a pair like them. Your's look superb but you can replace the crowns with Octavio or with Timba in LA.
I always mount bongo heads high, the macho will come down eventually, where it will feel confortable and the sound is better. Enclosed find photo of my "Skin on Skin".
Saludos, Dario

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... n_Skin.jpg

[zaragenca]

It is not that the player wanted to mount the Bongos high, it is the design in relation of how you cut the skin before placing it in the rims,and those Requena's and Vergara's Bongos were still in the' do and try process' since they were the first generation of Bongos made in Cuba and the desing was taken from the Timbales, (which were the first one having Rod Tuning System),and with some modification adapted to the Bongos and the Tumbadoras,the first modification was in the top rim which has to be lowered in order to be able to play the Bongos and the tumbadoras with the hands.Dr. Zaragemca

[caballoballo]

I Agree with the DR. That is the way I mount my skins. Taiko, I hope you have order a thick skin for the Hembra so you can achive a low pitch sound.