Fat Congas on Ebay - anyone else tracking it?

[bongosnotbombs]

An aboslutely gorgeous set of drums, and very rare as we all know.
I am guessing they break $2,500 before the bidding is done.

Anyone here tracking them? Maybe someone is bidding on them too?
I wish you luck! Looks like a couple of serious bidders already with a lot of time
to go already.

Whopbamboom, you gonna bid? I know you were asking about them before. :p



Edited By bongosnotbombs on 1191165199

[Omelenko]

Fat congas are beautiful congas, no doubt about it, but when it comes to sound projection they take a back seat to Junior Tirados, Skin on Skin and Matthews. You get a mellow sort of low sound out of them, not a crisp Tapao like you would with a Skin on Skin. Good for accoustic gigs, sounds drowns with horns and electronic instruments. Ask Onile, he has a set of 3.
Saludos, Dario

[JohnnyConga]

Also with Fat congas is just that TOO FAT to be able to put your legs around them to hold them....with stands they would work.....Johnny Conga.....

[pcastag]

I say they go between 1200-1500. I've never played Fat Congas, but I had a set of cherrywood SOS's, I think its the wood, I sold the set and got some Oak Gon Bops that are much crisper. Cherry is nice and warm, but not very bright. Great for folkloric rhythms, but not so much for amplified music.
PC

[Whopbamboom]

AAAAAAHHHHH!

Bad timing.... I don't think I'll be able to bid... I have to move right now, which is going to cost me a bunch of dough. Plus, my wife's pregnant and I need to get a vehicle that will accept a child seat....

Bad, bad timing for me...

[ozrivera]

Saludos Hermanos

Whopbamboom

get what youre going to get before the baby arrives. and whats worst is that whenever the baby is born youll have to find a place to play and practice where you dont bother mommy or the baby. some of the guys on this board have resorted to some extreme places. i had to move to my shed. LOL

Suave

Oz

[Whopbamboom]

OZ,

Thanks for the input, but that's not going to apply to me. I have a place away from home to keep the bulk of my equipment and to practice my percussion. Won't disturb the baby. Also, I MUST get the car before splurging on expensive drums. I should still have the income to get the expensive drums later next year. I don't anticipate that changing. But the car comes first. I simply must be able to transport the baby in a vehicle that accepts a car seat. Period.

[bongosnotbombs]

The set broke $2000 as of today, still more than a day left in the bid.

They are gonna break $2,500 for sure. That's a spendy set of used congas for sure.

Beautiful and rare though, and by most accounts Fat Congas sound really good. I've never seen a set myself.

[OLSONGO]

But are they really worth it ? or are they like vintage Gon Bops , a cult conga. Can anyone attest to them?

Paz Olsongo

[burke]

"vintage Gon Bops , a cult conga."!!!

Fellow owners - rise up!

Kidding dude.

...but I do luv ma bops.

Darrell

ps
Am going to ebay now to check out the FATS

[bongosnotbombs]

But are they really worth it ? or are they like vintage Gon Bops , a cult conga. Can anyone attest to them?

Paz Olsongo

Onile from here has a set, says they are his best sounding congas, even compared to Islas.

He talks about them in the Isla thread from a while back.

I've always had the impression that Fat's maker was a real perfectionist, his cajon's have a very good reputation.

[Thebreeze]

But are they really worth it ? or are they like vintage Gon Bops , a cult conga. Can anyone attest to them?

Paz Olsongo

I think it is time to add something that we can all relate to, and it's true. I have heard people say....Islas are the best, others say Juniors are the best, Fat congas are the best, etc etc. You know what I am getting at. I once went to a chinese restaurant because a friend swore it was the best in town. It was so so, nothing special. It is all a matter of taste to the individual. I once had a set of Skin on Skin congas. I did not see what the big deal was. But someone else will say these are the best around. The Person that said...Is it really worth it? or is it like Vintage Gon Bops, another Cult drum? " was right on target.

[Whopbamboom]

Well, sure... but you have to try them out in person in order to determine how nice they sound to you.... and since high-end drums aren't sitting on the showroom floor at GUITAR CENTER (or anywhere else for that matter), then anybody looking at trying them out is sooner or later going to come to the reasonable conclusion that they will probably have to buy them first-- then try them-- and then decide either to keep or to sell back off. That's just the way it is with this stuff.

One other possible way to check them in person is (if you aren't lucky enough to live local to the seller of an eBay auction), to perhaps find a way to get together with other owners of such high-end drums. But THAT's not easy, and those kinds of trips to go visit can get expensive as well....

[bongosnotbombs]

Well Fat congas are probably more rare than any of the other conga makers mentioned by far. I always see Valje, Gon Bops for sale, especially Gon Bops, those are all over the place. This is the first I've seen Fat's up for sale.

The Fats are more in league with Sol drums, very rare, not many made, and no longer available.

Whether they are the best is of course subjective, but they are probably comparable in quality to any of the makers mentioned (Isla, Volcanoe, Skin on Skin).

I think it's mostly serious collectors bidding on a set of congas that is very, very hard to get as so few were made. and of course they are fine drums. The cajon's are excellent as well, but those are still made.

It's nice to try them out first, but if the winning bidder does'nt like them, well they should be very easy to resell probably at little loss, just look at the competition for the set.



Edited By bongosnotbombs on 1191467882

[OLSONGO]

Aesthetics is one thing and sound dynamics is another.But I don't think that aesthetics and the wood the conga is made of...really the issue. And especially today that you see, so many spectacular finishes on congas made of what can be considered low budget wood, and they leave the sound a lot to be desired for. The sound is and should be our main concern, and on that note I will open another thread concerning this matter.

Paz Olsongo