Cool traditional Afro cuban - rope tuned congas

[Bataboom]

They look so great and are so cool with an old african rope tuned style, but man who would want the task of tuning these things up all the time?



The tuning system is the "Mali Weave" I can see but even still, pulling diamonds on this thing all the time to tune would be a very daunting task.



Edited By Bataboom on 1147007609

[ABAKUA]

Cool find there, however to the best of my knowledge this system is not traditional afro cuban for congas.
Heads were tacked or nailed on in early years, fire/heat was used for tuning of the head, not rope/tension methods as seen on djembe.

[Bataboom]

ok I added the cuban word because they are conga style shells if you get right down to it its African style really, looking at the rope tuning. But I think this is a mixture between african and cuban drum because if it were totally african it would have spikes sticking out the sides making it a kpanlogo, the conga shell's shape shows its a modern mixture between african rope tune and latin shelled drums.



Edited By Bataboom on 1147064595

[onile]

Alafia Abures Bataboom and Abakua!
I hope that you are both extremely well my brothers!

I like the look of the drums, the shell is definitely fat enough for the look of a Cuban drum.
I would imagine however that the skins are either goat or deer, since cow or water buffalo would be almost impossible to tune with rope, right?

Nice find Abure Bataboom!

Onile!

[zaragemca]

Well in reality the first drums which were setup in the Cabildos,(in Cuba),were tuned with a rope system, (but different than the one showed in the picture),then at one point the Bantus and Arara started using the tacked and neiled system and the Yorubas continued to keep their traditional rope/system,..then in 1950's the Rod Tuning System which was used for the Timbales since 1800's were incorporated in the Congas and Bongos with some modifications.I had the opportunity to see some pictures of some of the Bantus and Carabalies drums with the rope system brought it from Africa,(when I was in Cuba).Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1147206069

[JohnnyConga]

Where are these drums from? Who makes them? How much are they? they look good and I love the skins on them...."JC" Johnny Conga...

[Bataboom]

Hi JC,
These drums are from RBI drums I bought a few djembe accessories from him.

They are cow skin heads with african Mali weave tuning. Oak Shells.
Here is his site http://www.rbidrums.com you'll have to contact him for cost.

[bongoron]

I suppose they are intended to be a bass heavy drum...that would make the tuning tension lower, maybe even less frequent. I'd hate to try tuning them high. Who knos, though...maybe there's some kind of mechanical advantage thing going on with the curve of the shell and the tuning way down at the bottom..maybe you get alot of tension for a little work. Very interesting...and gorgeous. Definitely art at the very least.

God bless!

-Ron

[Bataboom]

Naa dont think they are bass drums, with that tuning you can get some pretty high tensions on them heads, no different then a bot tuning because once you start cranking on them ropes weather at top or bottom doesnt really matter the tension is still the same at the bottom as the top. They could have put a ring half way down the drum and tunned from there, I think its just a design to run the ropes all the way to the bottom because of the shells design. A djembe has the goblet shape so the tuning can stop half way down same difference different pew!