by MACHO123 » Fri Feb 06, 2015 2:59 pm
HI EVERYONE, OR AT THIS POINT, ANYONE WHO STILL READS THIS FORUM. IVE BEEN A MEMBER FOR OVER A YEAR, ALTHOUGH BEFORE THAT I ALWAYS READ IT WITHOUT REGISTERING. I FINALLY DID REGISTER LAST YEAR MADE A COUPLE OF POSTS THEN STOPPED. WELL I HAD TO RE-REGISTER BECAUSE I FORGOT MY PASSWORD. THE OLD USERNAME WAS MACHITO AND AS YOU CAN SEE THE NEW ONE DOESNT DIFFER MUCH AS MACHO123. JUST LETTING YOU GUYS KNOW ITS THE SAME PERSON. THE REASON IS THAT IVE READ HOW SOME MEMBERS FEEL ABOUT NEWBIES POSTING THINGS FOR SALE BEFORE MAKING ANY POSTS OR CONTRIBUTING TO THE FORUM. I DID POST SOMETHING IN THE INSTR. FOR SALE SECTION BUT IM NOT SELLING ANYTHING, I WANT TO BUY SOMETHING. I DONT KNOW IF THE SAME CRITERIA APPLIES FOR BUYING.
I WANT TO BUY AN AFROSOUND TUMBA MADE BY "EL CHINO" FROM MIAMI FLORIDA. I ONLY KNOW ABOUT THIS CONGA BECAUSE I READ ABOUT IT ON THIS FORUM SOME TIME AGO. AGAIN, I HAVE TO THANK PEOPLE LIKE JOHNNY CONGA, BURKE, KING CONGA, OMELENKO ESPECIALLY FOR HIS GRAND KNOWLEDGE OF "OUR" WORLD OF TUMBADORAS, AND MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS FORUM FOR NEWBIES LIKE ME TO LEARN NEW THINGS. I REMEMBER READING THE POSTS ABOUT THE AFROSOUND CONGA AND HOW ONE THOUGHT IT WAS CUBAN AND THE OTHER THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE MEXICAN. THEN OMELENKO SCHOOLED US ALL ON THE FACT THAT IT WAS AN AFROSOUND PERCUSSION CONGA MADE IN MIAMI BY "EL CHINO" WHO'S FROM CUBA. AND HOW MANY HE MADE (LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED SETS). WELL TO SHORTEN THE STORY, I WAS ON CRAIGSLIST ONE DAY LOOKING FOR CONGAS TO BUY AND REFINISH. BY THE WAY, I DID REFINISH THAT CUBAN TUMBADORA I HAD THROWN IN THE BASEMENT A FEW YEARS AGO. IT TURNS OUT THAT IT WAS CUBAN. AN OLD CUBAN TACK DRUM (STILL HAS THE TACK MARKS ON IT) WITH THE SHOULDER STRAP MARKS STILL ON IT. I ONLY KNOW THIS BECAUSE I READ ABOUT THE OLD CUBAN TACK DRUMS ON THIS FORUM, KOOL RIGHT? I THINK SO. ILL ONLY POST PICS IF SOMEONE REQUESTS IT. ANYWAY, I PUT SOME LP HARDWARE I HAD LAYING AROUND AND CALLED MANITO FOR A SKIN. MAN DID THAT BADBOY SING. AND IT SANG SO MUCH NICER WHEN I RECENTLY REDID THE BEARING EDGE. THE EDGE WAS FLAT. I MEAN LIKE A PANCAKE. SO OF COURSE, AFTER READING ABOUT BEARING EDGES ON THIS FORUM, AND HOW THEY SHOULD BE 45 DEGREES FOR MAXIMUM SOUND QUALITY, I DECIDED TO SHAVE THE EDGE ON THIS CONGA. AFTER I DID, I AGAIN CALLED MANITO FOR A NEW SKIN AND ASKED FOR HIS OPINION ON THE BEARING EDGE JOB I DID. I SENT HIM A PIC OF THE CONGA. HE SAID IT WAS SPOT ON AND SENT ME A NEW SKIN. WELL DO I HAVE TO REALLY SAY THAT THE RESULT WAS EXTRAORDINARY. I COULDNT BELIEVE IT WAS THE SAME CONGA. NOW GEETING BACK TO CRAIGSLIST. I WAS IN THE CHICAGO LISTINGS AND I CAME ACROSS A CONGA THAT I KNOW I HAD SEEN SOMEWHERE ELSE BUT COULDNT PINPOINT IT. AFTER REPEATINGLY LOOKING AT THE SIDEPLATES FOR DAYS, I WENT TO TONY STERNAD'S WEBSITE AND IT HIT ME. I COULDNT BELIEVE THAT I WAS STARING A VERY RARE AFROSOUND CONGA. AND FOR A 40 YEAR OLD TUB, IT WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. IT STILL HAD THE STICKER AFROSOUND ON IT!!! AND ITS NOT THE ONE OMELENKO POSTED. ITS ALL BLACK WITH WHITE BLOCK LETTERING. ANYWAY, I BOUGHT AND REFINISHED IT. I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE CAOBA WOODGRAIN IS BY FAR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF ALL WOODS. OF COURSE I REDID THE BEARING EDGE, CALLED MANITO FOR ONE OF HIS SKINS AND WHEN I PLAYED IT, I ALMOST CRIED. HONESTLY, I THINK I WAS FEELING WHAT THE CONGA WAS FEELING. IT APPRECIATED THAT I BROUGHT IT BACK TO LIFE AND IT WAS LETTING ME KNOW. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THERES A BOND THATS CREATED BETWEEN THE INSTRAMENT AND THE PLAYER. I TALK TO MY CONGAS WHEN I REFINISH THEM. I RUB THEM THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS AND REASSURE THEM THAT EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE JUST FINE. THAT EVERYTHING THATS BROKEN WILL BE FIXED. AND WHEN IT TIME FOR THEM TO SING, MAN DO THEY SING FOR YOU, AND THEY DO BECAUSE THEY LOVE AND APPRECIATE WHAT YOUVE DONE. ITS A SPIRITUAL THING AND I BELIEVE IT. I KNOW OMELENKO SAID IT WASNT A SUPERIOR DRUM LIKE A JR TIRADO OR SOS ETC., BUT I BEG TO DIFFER. WHEN YOU HAVE A CONGA THAT GIVES YOU A FULL RANGE OF WOODY, NUTTY, BUTTERY TONES WITH MIND BLOWING SLAPS, ITS DISPUTABLE. I HAVE 27 CONGAS AT HOME TO COMPARE THAT TO. IN MY OPINION, ITS SOUND, BUT NOT CONSTRUCTION, IS UP THERE WITH THE LIKES OF SOS, VALJE, TIMBA, HR. AND SURPASS THE SOUND OF GB SUPER SERIES, DEL CIELO, AND LP. IF I DIDNT MENTION IT, I DONT OWN IT SO I CANT COMPARE IT. I ONLY HAVE A JR TIRADO 13" TUMBA SO I CANT COMPARE THAT BUT IM SURE JR's ARE WAY BETTER FROM WHAT I'VE READ. I ALSO HAVE A FEW NO NAME DRUMS FROM CUBA THAT SOUND AMAZING BUT DONT COMPARE.
SO THIS IS WHY IM LOOKING FOR THE AFROSOUND TUMBA. SO I CAN HAVE A MATCH. HOPEFULLY ONE OF MY FORUM BROTHERS HAS ONE THEY WONT MIND PARTING WITH OR ARE WILLING TO TRADE FOR. I DONT KNOW HOW TO PM. IN FACT I DONT KNOW IF I POSTED THIS IN THE RIGHT PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO READ, BUT FOR THE RECORD;
MY NAME IS ANGEL ROLDAN, IM MARRIED TO MY EXCEPTIONAL WIFE JENNIFER.
IM PUERTO RICAN, 46 YEARS OLD AND LIVE IN BROOKLYN, NY.
IM AND XRAY TECHNOLOGIST BY PROFESSION AND THE REST OF MY TIME I DEDICATE TO THE ART OF CONGA PLAYING, COLLECTING AND REFINISHING. I EFFING LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LASTLY MY NUMBER IS 917 207-2710. MUCH LOVE AND HAPPINESS TO ALL AND "QUE SIGA LA RUMBA"