Gon Bops experts, please - need info on "old" Gon Bops congas

[BATZONG]

Hi everybody!

I would like to have some info on the "old" Gon Bops stuff... I mean the gear they manufactured BEFORE the company went belly-up in the 90's. For ex. how did they name their different lines of congas? What was top of the line, mid range, entry level stuff, etc? If memory serves me they offered congas in many different sizes and finishes, right? Does someone know some... details?

Any GP geeks, collectors, hisorians or experts that could enlighten me?

Thank you guys in advance!...

Daniel.





:p

[Doctorumba]

Mariano Bobadilla was the owner of Gon Bops.I had a set of the International series with the Cuban hardware,conga and tumba,they also had the Voodo series and a crown they called teardrop,wich was like the comfort curve of today.I have a cousin that has a set of fiberglass Gon Bops with the teardrop crown.My set never had the sound that I wanted so I sold them many years ago.
I presently own Skin on Skin and Junior Tirado,now these are the real Rolls Royce of congas. Saludos, Dario

[Doctorumba]

i have added a picture of my Junior congas and bongos for your viewing pleasure.I have an additional conga 11.5 " and an Iya (bata) not pictured. Alafia Cumaye'! Dario

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... C_013F.JPG

[OLSONGO]

Gon Bops of California 2302 E. 38th st. LA. Caligornia USA
They had the deluxe series w/ the tear drop crown made of Mahogany and Oak, reinforced with some fiberglass.The Mahogany was also stained a walnut, cherry red and ebony, they came in 9" 1/4 , 10" 1/4, 11",12" 1/4 " weird sizes"
This series only had one aluminum band at the bottom, also the cuban style hardware was reinforced.
The internacional series had 4 aluminum bands, same with the Super series, Voodoo and Mark II series. This last series were considered for the first time buyers and the hardware was not reinforced.They also made Batas, Djembes,Timbales, Tamboras, cuicas,and bongos.
Take a look at the pics. There is some misnomenclature in the printing. That's a Bata not a Caja or walking drum, and the Djembe is not a sm. bata.

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... nbops1.jpg

[OLSONGO]

the international series had a wood inlaid about 6" inches below the hardware.

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... nbops2.jpg

[OLSONGO]

voodoo and mark II series



Edited By OLSONGO on 1149226018

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... nbops3.jpg

[OLSONGO]

Batas



Edited By OLSONGO on 1149226138

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... nbops5.jpg

[OLSONGO]

more

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... nbops6.jpg

[OLSONGO]

Daniel, hopefully this pleases you

Olsongo



Edited By OLSONGO on 1149226388

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... nbops4.jpg

[Berimbau]

I saw where one of the "walking" drums had recently sold on E-bay. I assume that with the ksink ksinks rattle that this was some kind of a djembe design? Wonder what they sounded like with the thicker head and narrower bowl and stem shape. Anyone own one of these tubs?


Saludos,



Berimbau

[OLSONGO]

I have heard a djembe with the thicker raw hide head , it sounds like a conga.
Olsongo

[BATZONG]

OLSONGO,

That is more than I expected! :O Thanks for the info & the pictures!

I'm actualy a drumset player (love congas though!)and after posting my question on the forum yesterday I remembered that I still have an old catalogue from 1987. Not a GP catalogue, but from a big drumshop in Germany that offered GP percussion. Almost no pics in there, but quite some interesting info. After looking for a while I found it again.

One interesting thing is that they offered drums in 7(!) different sizes:

IQ-QUINTO 9 3/4"
IC-CONGA 10 3/4"
ICL-LARGE CONGA 11"
IT-TUMBADORA 11 1/2"
ITL-LARGE TUMBADORA 12 1/4"
ITXL-EXTRA LARGE TUMBADORA 13 1/4"
IT2XL DOUBLE EXTRA-LARGE TUMBADORA 14 1/4"

They offered 3 different series (at that time & in that place):

"Proffesional 3000 walnut congas"
"Natural oak series 4414"
"Deluxe 4114 mahagony congas"

They mention other series like the 3014, 3400, 3097, 4000, 3414, 4425, 4125, and 4125 and the Mariano series that could be ordered. I remember having seen some Marianos more or less at that time (late 80's) and I remember that they looked and sounded quite good, although they were entry-level if my memory serves me...

Thanks DOCTORUMBA for sharing the pics of your J Tirados... nice! :p

Later!

Daniel.

[tjaderized]

I had one of those walking drums about 15 years ago - got it cheap as none of the customers in the shop where I bought it knew what to do with it. As I see it, it was supposed to be played and sound like a Cuban Boku - the drums they use in carnival bands. It sounded pretty much like a conga, but had more bass. The one disadvantage was that it could oly be played standing up, suspended by a shoulder strap, like those Cuban drums. A friend took it in exchange for some money I owed him .....

Those many different series were not as sophisticated as it looks at first sight.
Mr. Bobadilla jr. once explained to me that they had two three types of wood (Californian oak, Phillipine mahogany and a third that escapes me at the moment for congas - for bongos the third was walnut), three types of hardware (teardrop, old Cuban style, and a simpler type) and two basic shapes, and combined these in as many different ways as possible and with different colors/varnishes.
I have three congas from the international 3014 series, and he assured me that the only difference to the 3000 series was the hardware (3014 had the sturdier Cuban style, 3000 the lighter type).
They even used the same body for their jenbe and the Iya drum! Add the second head to the jenbe and there you go - the shape is exactly the same!

[BATZONG]

Thanks tjaderized, for that additional info!

Saw a few days ago a set of 2 GB GONGAS (yes, GONgas) on e-bay USA.
Those were funny thingies as well...

I miss the old stuff they used to manufacture. For ex.the mahogany congas they offered. It was obviously Phillipine mahogany, but they had a much warmer sound IMHO...

Today everybody makes oak congas, even Timba and the resurrected Gon Bops company... (although Timba offered mahogany congas at the begining a few years ago under the name Cubop)

Take care!

Daniel.

[tjaderized]

A friend of mine had a pair of Gongas - half-length Congas with a tube you could push into the drum body like with a telescope to pack two drums into one bag, IIRC. They sounded pretty much like the congas except for the bass, which was a little too dominant for my taste.

A friend of mine, Jost Reiche (Reiche Trommelbau) made measurements of the resonance of different types of wood, and found that mahogany has the lowest rate of resonance loss. The wood vibrates considerably longer than any other! Oak almost swallows the resonance - I never liked oak congas, and now have a scientific explanation.
I think Jost Reiches Congas are the closest to Gon Bops (the best of them!) among all you can buy at the moment, he studied my Gon Bops drums carefully at a certain point in his researches. I recommend him.