by MichaelC » Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:39 pm
OK, I just found this thread... I confess, I paid for those Birdseye Maple Fat Congas. They are absolutely Beautiful!!! They sound fine, not as loud as Skin On Skin, or Matt Smith. I own sets from both makers and have picked up my drums from them both personally, a real treat for me. I think they sound more like Valje, and I have sets of those too. I prefer thicker skins. I'll get new skins sometime, but they sound fine now.
I've already fixed the bottom rings on all three drums, since they are stainless steel, as is all the hardware, I think maybe the drums contracted over the years just enough to loosen them as they were only glued on. I used silicon sealant and that has worked perfectly. These drums are all as well made as any drums I've ever seen, each drum has 6 lugs, even the 10", and each lug is centered on a stave. Inside the drums are even, but no alma, and since the wood grain has the 'bird eye' feature the drums were not turned on a lathe but rather hand finished, something that is felt rather than seen. I'm very happy with them.