I ordered me some Islas!!!

[Congadelica]

No its $150 for a set of 3 to be shipped . The customs and Taxes are another thing nothing to do with Isla .

[Mike]

No its $150 for a set of 3 to be shipped

OK, Marco, thats another matter then.
But are you not afraid of the customs, those pirates of the tax fees?
I once paid 25€ custom fees on a set of bongos from the US + 80$ shipping
and even if it was worth it (as I think it is worth for those beautiful Isla drums),
it hurts - it reaaally hurts, this money...
Havanice Sunday!
It´s pouring like mad here.
Mike

BTW we surely would like to see some pics of your beauties once they are there!

[Congadelica]

I hear ya Mike tax is crazy here in the Uk , us Brits are acoustomed to being ripped off . Its all part of the pleasure of living in such a wonderful country ,NOT!!!.

Its dry here but dark and gloomy . But warm tones in my house today

That Mule I fitted to my Meinl Conga is in a league of its own . Issac sure know his mule.
Kiss Ass "pun intneded"

for know Im like a man posessed watching the days click by until I can take delivery of my new Babies . Life is good fek the taxmen I dont care

Marco

[Mike]

It´s good to hear you´re in good mood and high on anticipation adrenaline.
In fact I envy you a lot about those Islas - have watched and listened to these drums on the Isla video over and over again...
Can´t spend much money now on instruments - there are worse people than the taxman - what about wives... Want you naked
..I´m talking about money of course
And finally: Yes, my mule still kicks his ass too - simply fantastic on my Gio Quinto , BTW also on bongos mule skin does wonders...!
Isaac is surely da man.

Clearing up!
Cheers
Mike

[Whopbamboom]

Haha, that was ME that suggested a cruise.

I think going from CA to the "east coast" of the USA would cost about $75/per drum, so I'm still thinking that $150 to England HAS GOT to be $150 per drum.

[Light Seeker]

I think going from CA to the "east coast" of the USA would cost about $75/per drum...

I live in FL, and Mario told me it would be about $40/drum. But that doesn't mean that shipping to England won't still be insanely high.

[goingquinto]

I think I'm gonna break down and buy a set too. I bought some fiberglass LP's last year, and they are nice, but not really what I want in the long run. I mostly bought them because I was playing in a salsa band at the time, and thought I needed the extra volume of the fiber drums. Now I'm not so sure. I really miss that warm woody tone of "real" congas. Also, microphones are getting better all the time and you can make anything loud, but you cant make just anything sound good. So, to make a long story short, now I am saving money. -----------Conguero for hire

I am so glad that there are still some fine craftsmen in the world of percussion. I am going to get the matanzas style in walnut finished canoe wood. I am thinking the 3 largest as a set. I have always liked the big drums. Any feedback/input on size pref on the islas? Does anyone on here have the largest one? I might even break down and get some bata too, if I can get some extra work over the summer. I am really excited about these drums, everything I hear about them is great, and I find that is always the best way to judge the quality of drums without actually playing them yourself. My friend, Dave aka windhorse, has played some at the afro-cuban camp in humboldt, and says they are awesome. He even says if he didn't own a beautiful set of sol congas already, he would buy the islas

[Light Seeker]

If you're still playing with a loud horn-infused band, or plan to in the future, I'd go with cherry wood. They still have the wonderful sound you're looking for. Canoe is a bit warmer, it's true, but in this video demo:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rVQB1FFrigY

the only drum that is canoe is the tumba. The conga and requinto are both cherry. As you can hear, the sound is still incredible.

One thing's for sure, once you talk to Mario, he'll be able to help you decide on your specifications better than anybody else could. Good luck!

[goingquinto]

I have been going back and forth in my head as to whether I should go with the cherry, or the canoe. I still havent fully made up my mind. I do love cherry wood too. I used to make ashikos a while back, and I found the cherry wood ones to sound the best, imo. They were followed closely by some flame maple ones I made. Of course, I never used mahogany or canoe for those drums. I really wish I could get my hands on a set of each model of islas to play them, but right now I don't see how it's possible. Maybe by the time I get my deposit saved up, I will have decided for sure. Now I also think I will get the two biggest, and the two smallest, for a total of 4. Then, maybe I could get the bata in canoe. I wont be playing these with any horns. My original idea in getting canoe was that they would more closely match the bata that I also want, for bata rumba stuff. The bata sound so different anyway, that I really dont think it will matter much as far as that goes. Right now we do bata rumba stuff with gon bop mahog congas and lp oak bata, and it sounds awesome.

As a side note, my fav thing to do right now is yesa with iya on bottom conga in the middle and bongo on top. It's so sweet. bongo plays martillo, conga plays yesa lead, and iya simulates the bottom yesa part. Everyone can speak and move a little in this arrangement.

This is a work in progress, as you can see.

[Congadelica]

Rumba Timba con bata . go for the canoe Id say if your a seriou rumba head Mario confirmed to me that Canoe is the way to go. my Tumbas will be canoe , Im a third the way through a 60 day + wait and starting to get even more exited . every post i see regarding the Islas has me twitching like Hanibal lecter ............

[umannyt]

I agree with Congadelica. This is what I gathered from Mario:

Canoe wood - softer wood, warmer sound & lighter weight (for folkloric music, such as rumba, etc.)

Cherry wood - denser wood, brighter sound & slightly heavier weight (for more contemporary music, such as Latin jazz, etc.)

Since I play more contemporary music, I really should have ordered Cherry wood for my Islas quinto, conga and tumba. But, I wasn't willing to shell out the extra $100 each or $300 total then. Besides, I preferred Rosewood red color. Canoe wood supposedly takes darker stains better than Cherry wood, which is better off left natural or stained light colors, such as Honey Maple and Early American Walnut.

On hindsight, I'm still glad that I chose Canoe wood for that warm, fat sound and convenient carrying weight.

Nevertheless, it all boils down to personal preference.

[smacklemore]

Ok. I guess it's time I chimed in. This is my first post on the board. I also ordered me some Isla's, and am waiting not so patiently. I think that's partly why I feel the need to join in the discussion here - I need an Isla support group or something.

I have to give due credit to JimG's congas (see link below) for inspiring me to take the leap. I just couldn't stop looking at that picture.
http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... up_top.jpg

I am also having mine shipped to Europe (for $150). Iceland, to be specific. I will also be the first Isla owner here. The downside to that is that Isla phonetically translates to "puke" in Icelandic. Not very flattering. I'll have to come up with a different pronunciation.

Below is a pic that Mario sent me of my drums in their unfinished state. (Mine are the two in front.) The only thing I haven't settled on yet is a color. At one point I was thinking of buying some ebony stained gonbops bongos, and Mario said he could try to match that. I'm kind of thinking it might be cool to follow through with that color, because I haven't seen any Isla's in that color. I could be an original... for a change. But will the canoe wood grain show through like it does on the gonbops oak?

Thanks to all of you for posting so much valuable information, making my decision to buy these so much easier.
smacklemore

[Congadelica]

Yo Smaklemore,
Welcome aboard bro. your in good company .
How strange I currently have JimG tumbs as my desktop background . My babies will be same as Jims exact but in walnut .

Were did you get the pics of the workshop?
Also have you recently e mailed Mario . I have sent him a few mails over the past weeks but no reply . i spoke to his wife on the phone . but the time difference and me working freakin shift dont help .
If you speak to mario ,can you let him know Marco has been trying to get intouch via e mail.
Also when did you order your tubs? I wonder if the three behind yours are mine

Marco

[smacklemore]

Yes, I too have had some lack of communication with Mario, but as someone who also recently had a second child, I'm cutting him some slack. I can relate. The apologetic email I got from him last explaining his circumstances could have easily been written by me. He has had so many positive reviews on this board, I'm inclined to keep the faith.

However, that doesn't make waiting for my Isla's any easier. I ordered mine in late February, with no time estimate. I just figured a hand-made instrument takes time. I'm sure they will be worth the wait... which (did I mention?) is agonizing.

Making matters worse, I also ordered some Gon Bops CA bongos from Instrument Pro, and 3 weeks later they sent me the Acuna series bongos. They've had my return for two weeks and I still haven't heard a peep from them... or received the right instrument.

As they say, patience is a virtue.

smacklemore

[smacklemore]

Oh, and I got the pic of his workshop from the man himself.