Mass produced bongos vs "boutique" bongos
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2022 1:12 pm
By mass produced bongos I mean such brands as Latin Percussions, Meinl, etc...
By "boutique" bongos I mean those that are made by little, artisan-like, independent manufacturers, presently active or who ceased activities.
Occasionally I encounter a similar situation with acoustic guitars players, some are content with an instrument made by large brands (Taylor, Martin, Epiphone, Takamine, etc.), some won't play anything other than made by a small producer or a devoted luthier
So I am wondering: generally speaking, are boutique bongos better sounding and more durable than mass produced bongos ?
As for myself, I never had "boutique" bongos. Only LP bongos. Those are easier to get, and truth is, affordable.
The only ones I have now ( LP Gen III) are imo great: sturdy, sound just fine and are good looking.
However, by using mass produced bongos, am I limiting my bongocero progress or "career", and missing some superlative instruments made by small manufacturers, with distinctively superior sound, exceptional finish, a fine/rare wood barrel, etc... ?
I know it is a difficult question, and hard to reply to in general terms.. so I can rephrase the question:
usually, what do the professional bongoceros use as far as "workhorse" bongos, in the studio or on the road, days in days out: mass produced bongos or "boutique" bongos ?
Thanks !!!
By "boutique" bongos I mean those that are made by little, artisan-like, independent manufacturers, presently active or who ceased activities.
Occasionally I encounter a similar situation with acoustic guitars players, some are content with an instrument made by large brands (Taylor, Martin, Epiphone, Takamine, etc.), some won't play anything other than made by a small producer or a devoted luthier
So I am wondering: generally speaking, are boutique bongos better sounding and more durable than mass produced bongos ?
As for myself, I never had "boutique" bongos. Only LP bongos. Those are easier to get, and truth is, affordable.
The only ones I have now ( LP Gen III) are imo great: sturdy, sound just fine and are good looking.
However, by using mass produced bongos, am I limiting my bongocero progress or "career", and missing some superlative instruments made by small manufacturers, with distinctively superior sound, exceptional finish, a fine/rare wood barrel, etc... ?
I know it is a difficult question, and hard to reply to in general terms.. so I can rephrase the question:
usually, what do the professional bongoceros use as far as "workhorse" bongos, in the studio or on the road, days in days out: mass produced bongos or "boutique" bongos ?
Thanks !!!