Feeling a bit lost: which should I choose? - Lots of questions from a beginner

[franc]

zwar,
i also saw the alex acuña gon bop/ serie with bongo included, but i wonder if they are really gon bops and if they sound as great as they are tradtioally known.these set are no expensive at all . that is why i ask. if any one else know please make comments in this forum. all take care and my best. franc

[caballoballo]

Like I always said, invest in a good set so you don,t have to invest twice. I would not buy any mass produce Thailand junk,low quality, cheap heads, rubber inferior wood, chrome low quality steel from any brand. Julio is correct because did not matter what I did, I could not make a Pearl Elite sound to my taste ,what a waste of time ,effort and money. Julio was selling his Osiris,that 1 is a good buy ,may be heavy but the sound will not dissapoint you. Look in this forum,you would find other brands (not mass produce) with superior quality.

[Raymond]

Well...lets get the thing straight....By the way, the custom and regular Matador is the hardware. The custom has "powdered" cheaper hardware...

Customs or "boutique bongos" are great...Great wood, thicker shells, some tend to be heavy and these guys do a great job. Heard of problems with hardware and some come with good hardware....However, some tend to be very expensive if you try to buy them....If you get a chance to go to Colombia, I've heard you could get a great price on them...Have to admit they sound great, at least for the latino sound crowd and personally I loved them.

The mass produced manufacturers??? They make good bongos. You have to watch out for their mid level or cheap, like Matador and Pearl Primero, because their hardware and finishes are not that great. Also, the way they are manufacture does not provide for good projection. (That is true wth regular Generation II and the Matador.....the Generation II sound fuller more projection). Yes...the heads suck big time...have to change them to give you a good sound...

In regard to Pearl, I stand by their bongos...I think they are great...The Folcloric are killers, have not tried the new Mahogany kind that are supposed to sound like the "custom shops" bongos...but I will and will let you know...the regular Elites are good. Have to admit Pearl issued some bongos that had some flaws at the beginning but with some from its endorsers and are working with them....

Saludos!

[Alan Friesen]

Just wanted to let everybody know that after four months of patient waiting, I received my folkloric set. The hardware is terrific, the heads are *amazing*, and the finish is wonderful as well. I can't believe how well they project! Thanks all for your advice, and thanks very much Raymond for getting me in touch with Erikson music!!

[twinsbongo]

if you already bought that set, what can you do?. you will be in the same seat as caballo's seat. he bought a set of pearls and spent twice as much, trying to find the sound he liked on them. next time if you are in canada buy a set of moperc. caballoballo and tonio have a set.
good luck with mass production bongos.
julito
ft worth tx

[Alan Friesen]

if you already bought that set, what can you do?. you will be in the same seat as caballo's seat. he bought a set of pearls and spent twice as much, trying to find the sound he liked on them. next time if you are in canada buy a set of moperc. caballoballo and tonio have a set.
good luck with mass production bongos.
julito
ft worth tx

Well, seeing as how I love the sound that the Folkloric set makes, I think I'll be happy. I'm even happier that I didn't spend twice as much for the cheapest Moperc set. I know that there's a lot of pros on this board, and I can respect that, but for my specific situation, I wanted something better than my old Aspires but not something that would break the bank. Yes, they're mass-produced, but I'm still very, very happy with them.

[fletch]

The Pearl Folkloric are a great buy,and Im sure you'll enjoy every minute of playing them. I think Pearl are doing some great percussion instruments now. If you struggle to find them in the stores, try www.nottinghamdrumcentre.com

[caballoballo]

Fletch. Have you seen the pictures of better Bongos on this part of the forum posted By Omelenko,TwinsBongo, Mike 70s Lp, and myself ? I know you have, so ,why are insisting on the common stuff ?

[twinsbongo]

people on this forum probably do not know,that there is more companies out there besides the ones they mention all the time. i will recommend people on this forum to put there eyes on the colombia percusion bongos. i just bought a set and i would not have any problems selling the other ones i have had considering that i have a jcr,osiris, el piernas, 1964 lp only 10 of them made, pan con queso and junior tirado. do not spend your money on lp any kind, pearl, toca, gon bops tumbao,meinl etc. NO NO NO NO NO. MORE MORE MORE MORE MASS MASS MASS MASS MASS PRODUCTION PRODUCTION PRODUCTION.
JULITO TX
CUERO NA MAS

[Mike]

. i will recommend people on this forum to put there eyes on the colombia percusion bongos. do not spend your money on lp any kind, pearl, toca, gon bops tumbao,meinl etc

Although you have a point there, Colombian bongos may be fantastic, twinsbongo, I´d like to mention that availability always plays a big role. Like Caballoballo mentioned earlier, shipping fees can be tremendous, e.g. 150$ from Colombia to the USA, not to mention Europe, no thank you, that would exceed my budget , so please don´t think we, the "others" out there, are all keen on mass production instruments only :;):
Of course it would be fantastic to get to know more brands beyond the well-known ones, I absolutely agree.

i just bought a set and i would not have any problems selling the other ones i have had considering that i have a jcr,osiris, el piernas, 1964 lp only 10 of them made, pan con queso and junior tirado.

With all due respect, I wouldn´t ditch them, send them over to me :laugh:
To be serious, please don´t put Martin Cohen´s vintage LPs and today´s war-monger, Kaman, into the same category. I would call my 1970s LPs a beautifully crafted, terrific instrument. Ask others how they enjoy their JCR or El Piernas bongos...
- hey, Julito, this planet is big enough for all of us...

Mike



Edited By Mike on 1191941651

[RayPaganJr]

I got to agree with Julio. I love the Colombian Percussion bongos I have that I want another pair just to have them. They sound awesome, they look great, "heavy", but are just great. I still wouldn't dismiss other manufacturers though, especially considering the price it cost for shipping.

RAY.

[Firebrand]

I'd go with Matador. Just change the heads. Matador were actually LP's professional line before (they were Generation I...now LP has Gen II).

Best bongos I've ever played were a set of JCR custom made bongos from 1970s. I couldn't believe the unbelievable loudness of those bongos...I could cut through an entire latin-jazz group without a mike!

[Mike]

I'd go with Matador. Just change the heads. Matador were actually LP's professional line before (they were Generation I...now LP has Gen II).

You´re right, Matadors are good quality, but some of them are very heavy as well. The weight can be a problem sometimes. The LP Generation I models are lighter as they are Mahogany and not the omnipresent Thai rubber wood aka Siam oak. I had a pair of Matadors and I ebayed it, they weighed about a ton :;):

The bongó I am refurbishing at the moment is another European offspring of Martin Cohen´s Generation I bongos, namely Dutch-made SUPERCUSSION bongos by Alberto de Hond in the 1980s. They are made of fir or something! Very light and yet beautifully crafted. They have the same shape as Matadors or Generation I, respectively.

Just FYI

Long story short: Vintage bongos can be it!

Mike



Edited By Mike on 1195137872

[Charangaman]

I got some Alex Acuna Gon Bops recently.. In comparison with my Matadors, the Bops are slightly more expensive but the quality of hardware, skins and the ease and uniformity of tuning make the Gon Bops far superior.. They also project beautifully...