Matador tribal bongos - - just as good as any Matador?

[Mike]

Hey, I´ve got a question: Is the Matador Tribal accents bongo in any way different to the "normal" Matador bongo?
And is it recommendable at all? (I´m thinking of a second set of bongos, maybe putting mule skin on it).

Matador congas have a good reputation, but how about the bongos? Can you crank them up high?

[vinnieL]

Mike,
I am no expert but the one observation I made was that the matadors are going to cost over $100US then the mule skin is going to cost you. Why not get a better set to begin with?

[Mike]

You´re right Vinnie about pricey upgrades to mule.
I thought of a second bongo set ´cause I saw those Matadors at ebay.
I just wondered if the Matadors are OK right out of the box, i.e. without changing skins? I guess not.

BTW I play old Afro Elite bongos with fiberskyn on macho and Nuskyn on Hembra (which I quite like!). So perhaps I should leave it at that. ???

[vinnieL]

My understanding is that the old Afro Elites are qite good. The Matadors have a smaller hembra Ithink it is 81/2 inches which is LP's thing. I think you have a better set now than Matadors. I'm sure others will chime in as there are way more knowledgeable people here than me. I think your Afro's have a 9 inch hembra which is nice.

[Mike]

Yep, you´re right, my Afro´s got a 9" hembra.
I guess it depends a bit on the tuning and tunability of the hembra which sound you want to have.
Well, I´ve just bought the Matador for 77€ at ebay and I will give it a try for the student of my percussion group.
Thanks for the input anyway, Vinnie!

[caballoballo]

People,there is an LP Bongó 70s vintage on e-bay for only $135 has mule skins on both shells and has been restore, item # 110160643150. I wish I could have room but with another 1 comming ,4 are too many.

[Mike]

Hey, as I understand it the shells of LP pre-generation II (generation I as it were) and Matador bongos are identical?!?

Same quality though?

[vinnieL]

I don't believe they are as the wood used now is mostly siam oak which is a cool name for rubber wood. The old lp's were made in NJ and i believe they were North American Oak. Nothing wrong with them though of the mid range stuff out there they are a favorite especially since they have traditional rims.



Edited By vinnieL on 1188047936

[Mike]

Thanks for the info, Vinnie!

out there they are a favorite especially since they have traditional rims

Well, traditional rims are surely better for seated playing and I think LP has a well-deserved reputation in general and particularly in the 1970s/80s era when they were somewhat the market leader (not that made them good, but Martin Cohen´s then quality products - you get that impression at least when U ask the now senior congueros about patato models or other wood and fiberglass congas)

Back to

LP Bongó 70s vintage

bongos at ebay: Well, I actually bought those, Caballoballo, and can´t wait to get them! They look beautiful indeed, and with muleskin it´s exactly the kind of bongo I´ve been looking for for a very long time...

[vinnieL]

nice purchase i saw those but couldn't do it because i just paid for my congas!

[Mike]

Hey everybody, the seller has got TWO bongos of the same kind, so there´s one pair of good 1970s left for 145$ the least :

[url=http://cgi.ebay.com/LATIN-PERCUSSION-BONGOS-PRE-GENERATION-II-LP-BONGO_W0QQitemZ110163139138QQihZ001QQcategory
Z38094QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem]http://cgi.ebay.com/LATIN-P....iewItem[/url]

[caballoballo]

Hey Mike, You have done the deal of the century,those are a collector item plus, they will sound right out of the box,enjoy. I am also waiting for my new El Piernas,hopefully they will be in the mail tomorrow. I use to have a set of those which my dad bought to me for a $100 in 1973 but I think they are made of mahogany not Oak,at least my were .Also I had a set from the 1980 era which I change for a generation II ,not too good of a deal.



Edited By caballoballo on 1188150239

[Mike]

Hey Caballoballo, thanks for your uplifting reply. Yeah, I´m really looking forward to getting and playing those beauties...

those are a collector item

The thing with vintage instruments is, if they don´t sound good or worse you are a collector only and don´t play them at all, buying them wouldn´t make much sense (at least to me).
All I really want is to lay my hands on a piece of mule and a thick cowhide and... pramprampram tik
If you know what I mean :laugh:
On the other hand I really do appreciate and respect the craftmanship of instruments before the "garbage outsourced far east" production period... :;): To be serious, those instruments have something like immortal value. BTW A couple of weeks ago I failed to bid on a pair of 1970s white LP fiberglass congas (the ones Ray Barreto used to play) - that would have been a great deal too...

I´ll let you know ´bout the bongos and their sound as soon as I got them (which could take some time).
Anyway, thanks a lot for your tip, without it I would have missed the chance of my life!



Edited By Mike on 1188280547

[Mike]

My understanding is that the old Afro Elites are qite good. I think your Afro's have a 9 inch hembra which is nice.

Well, just in case anyone´s interested, I have my Afro Elite Bongos for sale now at German ebay:
[url=http://cgi.ebay.de/AFRO-ELITE-BONGO-super-gepflegt-Topzustand-Gelegenheit_W0QQitemZ280149457767QQihZ018QQcate
goryZ39177QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem]http://cgi.ebay.de/AFRO-EL....iewItem[/url]

[caballoballo]

Mike,did you receive the Lps yet ? Why are you selling the afros ? I got 4 Bongos and play them all,every time I gig I use a different 1. Yesterday I got my new El piernas back from Timbas del Valle,there he installed a thick Cow skin on the Hembra to satisfy my sound taste.

Lately to cure the manteca de corojo on the skin (palm tree oil )I have taken a 60 watts spot light which is hanging about 8" (process control) above the skin to heat the manteca, you can see how the skin absorb the oil and it really works to make a brand new skin into a better one. I do that for about 2.5 hour and then let the skin cool down to his natural state. It is better than to lay the Bongo outside under the sun because the whole instrument does not get heat up. You may want to try that on the mule skin with the Lps.



Edited By caballoballo on 1189003331