ISLA PERCUSSION - Discussion, Quality, Experience, etc

[109-1176549166]

About the cherry being more sharp is hard for me to grasp. I always felt that they were more warm/full open tones, and the slaps were more flat and subdued or has a "splat" instead of a crack in the slaps strokes..

How is the squarish lug brackets? do they they bother you? They seem to really protrude. Bet they would last a lfietime. The lug bracket is where alot of congas have problems if missed aligned. Too much of an angle vs. the crown ears creates a mis aligned torque on the lug threads, and weakens the tunability, thus ending in a short lug life.

I definately need to talk to Mario !!

Thanks again mjtuazon.

T

Hi Tonio,

You're more than welcome!

Re: cherry wood, to tell you frankly, I wasn't really sure about my own use of the word "sharp" to describe its sound. Your use of the word "subdued" is more like how Mario Punchard described it to me. I just couldn't remember the exact adjective that he used.

Re: "squarish" (more like rectangular to me) brackets, they don't bother me at all. On the contrary, I think they're even unique. I told Mario that those lugs seem to be his signature or trademark. You can easily tell his congas from other makes just by those lugs.

Also, when I was reviewing one of my earliest instructional conga video, L.A. Cubano Rolando Soto's "Advanced Conga", I gladly noticed that the Gon Bops congas that he and the guy playing the role of his student had similarly-designed rectangular lug brackets. That assured me that Mario's design isn't too "avant garde" after all. In fact, Mario said that that design isn't really new and that there are old Cuban congas that have a similar design. So, they don't detract at all from having an authentic Cuban design.

Lastly, rest assured that those rectangular lug brackets are really heavy-duty and are more than up to the task of holding the tightest tunes without ever bending or breaking. First of all, they're made of hard, pure stainless steel. Secondly, Mario has an engineering/architecture background. So, that should give anyone assurance that he has adequate theoretical and practical knowledge about the "strength of materials". Thirdly, it took Mario 2 years to "perfect" his prototype before he started making copies of his final prototype for others.

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that talking to Mario is essential in coming up with the best Isla wood, model and color for your specific playing needs. From my and others' experience, he is very warm and accommodating. He makes you feel that he always has time for you and you can even engage him in a lengthy chat. He never makes you feel that you're taking him away from his busy schedule.

Mario is very sincere and passionate about his craft. His main motivation is to make the best possible sounding drums at reasonable prices. He's a musician making drums for other musicians. It's almost like a religious mission for him. The money is secondary.

I believe him and I won't hesitate to give credit where credit is due.

Best of luck,



Edited By mjtuazon on 1183266657

[109-1176549166]

Man guys I can't wait, I'm ordering mine on Monday!!! Let me just say that Mario is one of the best guys to deal with. Isla drums has some really outstanding customer service.

Hi folkloricoSD,

I know the feeling! You won't be sorry. You're right about Mario and his customer service.

All the best,

[109-1176549166]

You're gonna beat me to the punch, possibly the 1st to have Isla's in SD?

Which model are you getting? I'm guessing Matanzas?
T

Tonio, you might be relieved--or otherwise become even more jealous--to know that someone, in fact, has beaten folkricoSD to the punch. Ha, ha, ha!

Sorry, folkricoSD, if the reality somewhat let's you down.

There's a Latino cat in San Diego who's a customer and good friend of Mario, named Charlie V. (I'm keeping the rest of his last name anonymous for now prior to his permission for me to post it in public.) Mario referred me to him and gave me his phone number. Charlie has since become a good friend of mine, too. I occasionally call him up to chat about our mutual passion: congas and bongos.

Charlie owns a pair, I believe, of Islas (conga and tumba). They're Matanzas model in natural stain color. I'm not sure if they're canoe or cherry. But, I'd guess that they're canoe.

Charlie bought his Islas before I did. Not surprisingly, he is very, very happy with his Islas and doesn't hesitate recommending them to others. He also has nothing but good words about Mario.

Charlie told me that he tried recently to sign up to our CongaBoard Forum, but he encountered some technical problems that caused his application to keep bouncing back. I don't know if he's since been able to fix this problem.

If you ask Mario, he might just give both of you Charlie's phone no.

Best of luck on your Isla purchase,



Edited By mjtuazon on 1183266560

[Changuiri]

Alafia Changuiri!

Chacho! That is a sweet Iya!
I can imagine that the sound that it produces is incredible, as the rest of Isla's drums.

Suave Papa!

Onile!

OH MAN YOU AIN'T TELLING NO LIE, PAPA.

I LAYED DOWN A TOQUE OR TWO OVER THE PHONE PARA UN PANITA MIO Y ME PREGUNTO SI ESE TAMBOR ESTABA BAUTIZADO

SUAVE HERMANO

[Changuiri]

Alafia Changuiri!

Chacho! That is a sweet Iya!
I can imagine that the sound that it produces is incredible, as the rest of Isla's drums.

Suave Papa!

Onile!

GRACIAS PAPA, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU TYPING!!!

MY KIDS SEEN THE IYA AND THEY WERE LIKE "WOW, TWO HEADS!" MY LITTLE GIRL CAME OVER AND STARTED PLAYING HER TOQUE TALKING ABOUT " SEE, I'M WATCHING YOU"

TREMENDO!

[Changuiri]

Charlie told me that he tried recently to sign up to our CongaBoard Forum, but he encountered some technical problems that caused his application to keep bouncing back. I don't know if he's since been able to fix this problem.

JUST TELL HIM TO SIGN UP ALL OVER AGAIN WITH A DIFFERENT NAME, THAT'S HOW I ENDED UP BEING CHANGUIRI INSTEAD OF SKINDEEP, IT HAPPENS NOW AND THEN.

CONCERNING MARIO, HE KNOWS HIS **** AND HE HAS A PASSIN FOR IT, THAT'S WHAT MAKES HIS PRODUCT QUALITY!

[109-1176549166]

Hi Changuiri,

First of all, big congratulations on your Iya! I'm sure you're having (and continue to have) lots of fun with it.

Isla drums are gorgeous, have authentic folkloric sound and are still very much roadworthy. They're like supermodels with brains and yet are still very down-to-earth!

Re: Charlie V., I'll let him know. Thanks for the tip.

Re: Mario, we're both in total agreement.

All the best to you, Bro,



Edited By mjtuazon on 1183271584

[folkloricoSD]

ok guys, I just ordered my quinto, conga, and tumba from Mario!!! After a long conversation about drums, I got some info that I think I should share with you guys. First of all from what I got out of the conversation, Canoe wood is just as good if not better then the cherry wood. Don't be fooled by the price. Mario charges more for the cherry wood because it costs more to obtain. If you want a real folkloric/rumba type of sound, then the canoe wood is for you. If you need to cut through a whole horn section, like in a salsa band, then you should probably choose the cherry wood. So don't think that the canoe wood is not as good as the cherry wood because it is cheaper, Its not true!!!
The second thing I got out of the conversation is that Mario really loves Junior drums. He said that Juniors and timbas Ismael are his favorite drums. He reminded me that JUNIOR USED TO CARVE HIS STAVES AS WELL!!!! NOT STEAM BEND!!!! So keep that in mind Mario really loves what he does, and he is a drummer himself so he knows what we want.
I now play the waiting game About a month and a half. When I get pics from Mario I will post them. And when they are ready I am driving up to LA to get them, so I will take some pics of Mario's shop and post them.

[Tonio]

Congrats folkloricoSD!! you dog Month and a half? Mario is pumping them out!!

So Canoe wood is warmer than Cherry? Now I'm more confused
T

[ironman]

ahora si la timba se pone wapa...
mario , muchacho ahora si se va a formar la rumba buena con mucho sentimiento....


isla percussion is doing it real hard body, mario i see you aint playing around, all i can say is "oh my god".

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... isla_2.JPG

[109-1176549166]

Hi folkloricoSD,

Big congratulations on your finally ordering your set of Islas!

I have to finally confess a secret that I've held for a while: Based on my conversations with Mario, I've always known that Canoe wood is as you've said, "just as good, if not better", than Cherry wood. That's why I opted for Canoe wood for my Islas.

I always knew that this secret was eventually going to come out. I just didn't want to be the harbinger of this fact on this forum.

I'd like to assume that Cherry-wood Isla owners have their own personal reason(s) for ordering them. Besides, given the prestige of Cherry-wood congas, the $100 per drum additional price of Cherry-wood Islas, are a bargain, in my opinion!

As I've said before, another main reason why I opted for Canoe wood with my Islas is because Canoe wood supposedly has the same, if not better, sonic properties as the more traditional and well-known North American Oak while, at the same time, being noticeably lighter in weight than the latter.

Before, I found out about Isla Percussion (from our CongaBoard Forum), I frankly knew nothing about Canoe wood and, actually, was initially reluctant about using them for my congas.

Yes, Mario considered Junior Tirado drums to be the "best of the best". He mentioned it to me a few times. I wasn't aware that the Junior Tirado drums also have carved solid staves, rather steam bent. (I also didn't know that Mario likes Timbas Ismael that much.)

I wonder if Mario is really trying to emulate the sound and some of the construction of Junior drums, if not improve upon them. If so, then, to me, that's an excellent direction that he's taking!

I'm aware that Natalio "Junior" Tirado, Jr. (R.I.P.) has gone ahead of us in this world and, sadly, no more new Junior congas are being made. Despite their rarity nowadays, I'd be ecstatic to own a set of 2 or 3 as my 2nd set.

A big factor for the superiority of Junior's drums is because Junior himself was a very competent conga player. So, Junior knew firsthand what he and other serious congueros wanted and needed in their drums in terms of sound (which is first and foremost) and materials (which is secondary). He was another "musician making instruments for other musicians".

Here's an excerpt from an article found in "DrumsOnTheWeb.Com" (http://www.drumsontheweb.com/DOTWpages/ ... /news.html - 178k -), posted in July 10, 2006, announcing the passing away of Junior:

"A master drum maker, Junior was known the world over for his meticulous work with African drums including congas, bongos, hand drums (panderos) as well as bomba (barilles) and bata drums. The late percussionist and bandleader Mongo Santamaria had Junior make him eight drums while vocalist Ruben Blades commissioned Junior to make bongos for him. Jerry Gonzalez had a pair of Junior congas and as of late, the orchestra from Japan, Orquesta La Luz commissioned congas from the master artisan. He also refurbished traditional African drums.

"Born in Alto Rey, Puerto Rico on August 23, 1938 Junior was a singer and a dancer on television. He would also make bomba drums for local bands before he arrived in New York in 1962 as a singer with the Arsenio Rodriguez orchestra. He then played bongos and congas with the Tito Rodriguez orchestra before fully dedicating himself to the craftsmanship of drum making in 1963."

Re: playing the waiting game, I know too well the feeling you're going through. I, myself, was hoping that Mario would be able to deliver my congas within 30 days--but only because I wanted to use it for the 1st time at a certain festival gig. In all fairness to Mario, per his website (http://islapercussions.com/index.html), he actually requests for a delivery time of up to 45 days.)

Due to unforseen events beyond Mario's control, my waiting time actually took almost 2 months--2 weeks more than expected! No big deal, really! Besides, he was pretty good about keeping me updated via phone and email.

I can guarantee you, though, that receiving your Islas for the first time is more than worth the wait! Besides, 30-45 days wait is still shorter than up to 3 months for the Gon Bops California Series and even much more (6 or 8 months or more) for other renowned boutique conga makers.

Do post the pics of your Islas when you can. I'm ever curious to see how the siblings of my Islas look! :;):

Musically yours,



Edited By mjtuazon on 1183662231

[109-1176549166]

Congrats folkloricoSD!! you dog Month and a half? Mario is pumping them out!!

So Canoe wood is warmer than Cherry? Now I'm more confused
T

Hi Tonio,

Just go with your heart!

And don't worry. Either Canoe or Cherry wood, you won't go wrong with Islas, bro!

Best of luck,

[ironman]

look at the shape & size of that tumba ~ crazy / huh...
mario got an original formula to his shhhh, in fact im gona look into a set of his batas ....
~ to the members of the board i tell you guys this percussion company has really came up strong , its actually a pleasure to still craftsmen like mario & matthew doing they thing , because , the reality is these guys are the junior tirado & jay beriks of today...

much respect to isla percussion.....

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... et_143.jpg

[Tonio]

Congrats folkloricoSD!! you dog Month and a half? Mario is pumping them out!!

So Canoe wood is warmer than Cherry? Now I'm more confused
T

Hi Tonio,

Just go with your heart!

And don't worry. Either Canoe or Cherry wood, you won't go wrong with Islas, bro!

Best of luck,

mjtuazon, thank you for your support

BTW, how many lugs on the Isla's? 5?

T



Edited By Tonio on 1183662253

[109-1176549166]

mjtuazon, thank you for your support

BTW, how many lugs on the Isla's? 5?

T

Tonio,

You're more than welcome! It's my pleasure!

Re: how many lugs on my Islas, there are 6 each on both the conga and the tumba and 5 on the quinto.

Re: the Isla tumba, Ironman is dead on! It makes a monster of a sound! In fact, to me, the tumba is the most impressive-sounding among the 3. (The Isla tumba at 13" is wider than many other tumbas at 12-1/2". And Mario evidently has his own unique formula for the shape of the Islas.)

Not that both the quinto and conga don't sound great at all. As a matter of fact, they both do!

And to think that my Islas are still expected to really come "alive" within the next few months (per Mario and based on Onile's experience), when the skins really break in, and to sound even better with age!



Edited By mjtuazon on 1183664187