congaplace.com

Posted: **Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:00 am**

Waw, Omelenko, you are an eye-conga-opener with these tumbadoras. I hope i would have the honour to hear those fiberglass.

Lovesupreme: how do you like your del cielo congas? where did you bought them? Any pics? Thanks.

Primoz

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 2:42 am**

GuruPimpi - Sorry for the delay. Here are some pics of my Del Cielo drums.

I bought them directly from Sky Whaley who made these drums. The wood is Santa Clara Walnut.

What is unique about these drums is that they are carved out of the same tree and because of this they are naturally in the same key. His hardware is one of a kind. There is an incredible amount of blood, sweat and tears put into these drums and I do appreciate them.

They have a great/warm sound but do not project like my Kings. Pound for Pound I will put my Kings up against any other out there...except for maybe Dario's Echo Tones

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... 0149_1.JPG

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:02 pm**

Hey Lovesupreme,

Those Del Cielos look incredible, the wood is beautiful.You have a very rare set and they look awesome. I'm glad you think so higly of youe Kings.
Saludos, Dario

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2007 8:34 pm**

Wow. What a great description of Sky's process. I spoke with Sky when I bought these drums but had no idea about all of these details. Thanks for the information Taiko!

Posted: **Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:59 am**

Hello all!

Waw, what a great trio of tumbadoras and what a description... Thank you Lovesupreme and Taikonoatama! I got so much info about Del Cielos... These tumbadoras must have a great projection and beautiful tone...

Keep the Groove!

Primoz

Posted: **Fri Mar 23, 2007 5:07 pm**

taikonoatama wrote:Sky Whaley and Del Cielo Congas

I went up to visit Sky Whaley (founder of Del Cielo Congas) a couple of years ago at his workshop in the redwoods - way up in the mountains of far Northern California. Spent an afternoon with him and got the full tour of the place and operation, and an explanation of how his drums are made and what makes them so special. He's an amazing guy - master craftsman/inventor/mad scientist/machinist/mountain man/drummer - and very, very, very smart.

I too have visited Sky and tested his drums. Thank you for the discription, you saved me a lot of words.

For all his theories on the physics of sound, I was disappointed in the sound of his drums. They were dead sounding, without the crisp slaps and hollow open tones I expect from a high end drum.

True I only heard the few drums he had at that point in time, but he seemed pleased with their sound and didn't seem to know there was something wrong.

Since then I met a fellow in S.F. that had his set of Del Cielo for sale, and he felt the same way. He hated the sound and used an expletive to discribe them. Obviously he knew I wasn't a potential buyer.

I am sorry to say negative things about any one or any drum. It may have just been the drums I heard and others are really good, I do not know. I am sorry for saying negative things, but believe it is something that needs to be said if there is a problem.

No doubt these drums are very beautiful, and that Sky put his heart into everyone of them, that in itself is something wonderful.

Posted: **Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:00 am**

getting darker, yeah.

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

Posted: **Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:18 am**

About the King Congas, I have had about 10 of them in my time and I have never had one that did not sound great. I take that back, I bought a set from a guy that had new skins just put on and they were much too thin for the Kings and had a very ringy tone. I put some nice thick skins on them and they came alive. King Congas were made in Fremont California. Not San Francisco, Not Hayward. It's funny about Kings. They were made with excellent hardware, but the shells were made a little on the thin side and somewhat delicate. If the maker had made a thicker shell the Kings would have had the complete package. One day as I was helping my brother move, I noticed his Kings in front of the garage and started playing them with my leather workgloves still on and those drums were sounding dynamite, even with those gloves on.

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:37 am**

ironman
What kind of heads are those they almost look black. Very nice.

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:41 pm**

Gallichio wrote:ironman
What kind of heads are those they almost look black. Very nice.

These are not my drums but I have the same heads on my drums that Matt put on for me. The skins are cowhide. I've played both his African mahoganies and Honduran mahoganies that belong to friends. The heads on the mahoganies and mine are thin, about the thickness of a nickel, which is my preference. They sound fantastic and are very easy on the hands. The skins have a very high oil content which makes then very dark.

Facundo

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:29 pm**

Mike,
They look black, but thats probably due to the angle and lighting in which the shot was taken, Matthews skins are more a dark brown color, which you can tell by peeping the rim of those Ritmo drums....and like Facundo said, his skins are pretty thin, almost too thin for my liking, but man the response is amazing...really easy on the hands, and tremendous sound...

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:22 pm**

Very nice
Thanks.

Posted: **Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:24 am**

Thanks Ralph and Facundo
The heads and tubs look great!

Edited By Gallichio on 1201587913

Posted: **Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:59 pm**

Hi all

I just wanted to share a link I found.

You'll like it if you like vintage congas: http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl ... verspurr53

Enjoy

D

Posted: **Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:37 am**

Berimbau wrote:I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this thread!!! It would be nice to hear about some of the oldtimers who were crafting tumbas in the 1940's and 1950's, when the Cuban conga revolution really went international. Many questions still remain unanswered, so let me toss them to the wind in hopes of an answer.
1.) What happened to the initial popularity of the conical shaped conga drum from Santiago?
2.) Why did the barrel shape win out?
3.) Who really did create the first "tunable" conga?
4.) How were the tumbadoras first exported and marketed internationally?
5.) Does anyone in this forum know anything about guys like the Vagara brothers or Echotone's Frank Mesa? I do know that while it was still legal, Mongo bought some Vagara tubs back from one of his final Cuban trips. I've heard that was the model for the original Gon Bops.
6.) In the wake of the export of Cuban music and instruments there seems to have come a number of local reinterpretations throughout Latin-America. When did such local drum traditions as Puerto Rican bomba or Brasilian atabaques get displaced by Cuban tumbadoras?

Saludos,
Berimbau

Greetings Berimbau.
re: question #1 "What happened to the initial popularity of the conical shaped conga drum from Santiago?"

The "conical shaped Conga drum from Santiago" you are referencing is not a "Conga" nor is it a "Tumbadora".. it is called a "Bokú" (plural = "Bokúses", some people say Bokú's).
Before the so called Mambo and Cha cha chá "craze" of the 1950's, or the early to mid 1940's "Rhumba/Rumba" craze, there was the "Conga" craze that swept into the U.S. from Cuba in the 1930's and quickly became popularly inserted into American movies, often seen as a "Conga line" (a long snaking line with the hands on the hips of the person in front). You can see it in many 'Three Stooges' movies.. particularly the ones done in the 1930's, through the early 1940's.

The "Conga" is the rhythm (and dance movement) that the "Comparsa" plays. ("Conga de Comparsa")
The "Comparsa" is not a rhythm, but it is the collective ensemble/group that performs in the parades in the streets throughout Cuba, particularly in Santiago and in Havana.
(despite what we have all seen for years on the back of records calling the rhythm of a song a "Comparsa")
The percussion "section" of the Comparsas can be often referred to as "Tumbas".
To make a long story short... it became common to call the drums "Conga" drums using the derivative word "Conga" from the dance of the same name. (particullarly by Americans)
It's common to think of Desi Arnaz playing his "Conga", when he was really playing his "Bokú" (and he couldn't really play).
I'm not going into the origin of the word "Conga", but stating what I have come to know as how the "drum" came to be called a "Conga" drum. "Tumbadora" is the Spanish derived word for it.

Here are some photos of "Bokú" drums.
The first two photos I have scanned from Vol.III of Fernando Ortiz' five volumes:
"Los Instumentos De La Musica Afrocubana" (1952)
The third photo are modern tunable Cuban "Bokúses" most likely made in the late '70's, early '80's.
The fourth photo is Hollywoods darling, *Desi Arnaz.
(*from a wealthy and socially prominent "gallego" familly, son of the Mayor of the town he grew up in).
And the last photo... a simply beautiful trio of tumbadoras... with a "classic" Cuban shape, most likely made in the late '40's or very early 1950's.
There is a member of this board "taikonoatama" ('James'?), who is the proud owner of a Cuban tumbadora made by 'Candido Requena'.. look at that drum, then at the drum in the center of the trio photo below... this is the "Classic Cuban" shape.

congaplace.com

Conga history and makers - Need your input on ideas

Re: Conga history and makers - Need your input on ideas

Re: What happened to the conical shape conga drum from Santiago?