congaplace.com

Some links for those that like artisan made conga drums:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matthew-Smith-c ... 2570d68120

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matthew-Smith-R ... 41660e1250

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gon-Bops-9-5-Co ... 3a74b63b80

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Latin-Jazz-Lege ... 20c5b0d640

http://www.ebay.com/itm/pair-of-gon-bop ... 3a74a6b481

These caught my eye.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Slingerland-Rad ... 27c703ef3d
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Pair-CP-cosmi ... 2ebe6e5217
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Colombo ... 35bc64c38c
http://www.ebay.com/itm/a-pair-of-vinat ... 35bc4ecbfe

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matthew-Smith-c ... 2570d68120

Begging to be bought!!

ABAKUA wrote:http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matthew-Smith-congas-/160806895904?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2570d68120

Begging to be bought!!

$1825 today! Any guesses on what they'll go for or thoughts on their market value? I'd probably pay more than 1800 for them and I expect they'll go higher yet. From the pictures they look to have a mat finish on them - does anyone know if this is a finish Mathew used in the past. Perhaps it's just an illusion from the camera.

I just read the seller's description in ebay and I am quoting him here...." i choose to go with the satin finish which gives them a rich pure look making them more natural to the eye ,".
I guess you can order satin from Matthew if you want. I took a close look at the pictures and it does look like his drums have been sitting like he said in his bedroom with very little use since they are somewhat dusty. I guess the best thing in getting a beautiful set of Matthews like these is that you do not have to deal with a " Waiting Period " from Matthew. I am not sure what his waiting period is these days but a friend of mine told me that he actually waited almost 2 years for a set of drums some time ago. So just to avoid a long waiting period should be worth at least 100 dollars per drum in my opinion. I have seen this seller before on ebay and he always seems to have nice drums always in excellent condition. Congrats on whoever gets them.

Well, the Matthews did not sell, but I think you have to blame the economy more than anything else.

Interestingly enough, the drums were located in Elizabethtown, PA, a neighbor of Matts maybe, either way the cost of the drums remain a secret. The drums ARE beautiful, but who can afford to buy them with today's economic situation shared by most. I STILL have my set of two JCRs that he is supposed to refinish for me, but that's been more than 3yrs. now, and no contact, nor way to contact. Ouch!

Good luck to whoever has the $ to make such a purchase......

They have been relisted (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matthew-Smith-c ... 25711b77f8).
I guess nobody came close to the reserved price. Sometimes is better to list them as a "buy now" so buyers have an idea how much the seller wants for them. When I looked last nite just before the auction ended the highest bidder was just shy of $2000.00. The reserve of these drums could be upwards of $2500.00. He/She could be asking $800, $900 per drum and that is not including shipping, handling and insurance. I guess the economy is working against these drums because normally SOS congas are grabbed right away.

onile wrote..

I STILL have my set of two JCRs that he is supposed to refinish for me, but that's been more than 3yrs. now, and no contact, nor way to contact. Ouch!

onile.....You must be one of the most patient people on the planet. I just wanted to say that maybe Matthew needs to come down to earth a little and at the very least start communicating with people that he has commitments to. I myself emailed him several times about doing some hardware for me and no replies whatsoever. This is to his email that is on his website as his contact info. What's up??? Some might say he is very busy because he works alone. is that an excuse?? To me this guy is not only disrespectful, but maybe thinks that the world revolves around him??? Come on man... show some respect to people that are giving you business!!
There is another thread on this forum that has blasted Isla Percussion to no end. Well, maybe it's time we start blasting someone that does not have the decency to return emails and keeps his contact a secret?? Sorry but I have no respect for someone that thinks he is so high and mighty that he can keep someone like onile on the back shelf for 3 years and doesn't have the decency to contact him. How many others have not heard from him lately???? Did you already pay him up front??

By the way.... I recently spoke to michel at Moperc because of some interest in some congas and he informed me his waiting time is about 4 or 5 weeks, and he answers his emails super quick.
I am not trying to endorse Moperc or anything like that, but just want to show the forum what a person that values his customer service should be like. We all have our favorites when it comes to drums etc, but I would rather deal with someone that values you as a customer anytime. That is one good thing that I value about EL GRECO with his mule skins. He is all the way in Greece and he had the time to communicate with you and was a true proffesional.

onile wrote:Interestingly enough, the drums were located in Elizabethtown, PA, a neighbor of Matts maybe, either way the cost of the drums remain a secret. The drums ARE beautiful, but who can afford to buy them with today's economic situation shared by most. I STILL have my set of two JCRs that he is supposed to refinish for me, but that's been more than 3yrs. now, and no contact, nor way to contact. Ouch!

Good luck to whoever has the $ to make such a purchase......

He's had a set of gon bops bongos of mine for OVER three years now. I basically gave up on them. Maybe five years down the road they'll end up on my doorstep! Love his work but I would not reccomend him to anybody right now unless they don't mind the unkown wait.
PC

I had a problem with Matthew and put up a post about it on this board. He had some drums of mine for way too long. My post was critical of his service, not the quality of his work. The Mod deleted it because he was protecting a friend going through a hard time. When I wrote back saying he was doing a disservice to board members by covering this up he answered by reminding me he could delete whatever he wanted to.

Good work - bad business.

I remember that whole conversation. Regardless nobody's going to question his work. I always ask people before they do something, can you do this? What's the turnaround? All they have to say is too busy but let me refer you to somebody who can. I don't know, he did a freakin awesome job on my sonocs, they look fabulous and will probably last another 50-60 years now, I wanted the gonbops ( mahogany) to go along with them, I really pretty much forgot about them now, 100 bucks plus shipping to Matt down the drain!
PC

That's strange - I just googled Ritmo Percussion and couldn't find his site. It was up just a couple days ago when I looked, but had some formatting problems. It would be a total shame if he isn't making drums anymore - hopefully he trained an apprentice!

Yes, I had a friend wait nearly 3 years for his set of Ritmos. Fantastic drums, I prefer SOS a bit more though.