New to Bongos

[randyc]

Hello guys.
I have been looking at picking up a set and have had these offered to me. He said that they were handmade by a famous percussion instrument maker named Hector "El Piernas" Roca.
He's asking $80 Canadian. Another friend has offered me a set of Toca Traditional Series 3900-T for $120.
Any thoughts w/b appreciated.
Cheers, Randy.

[caballoballo]

Randy, welcome. The El Piernas is a superior Bongó, that one looks like the tunning lugs & the bottom hoops have been replace, compare them side by side with the Toca & decide. Also look for signs,stickers to see if it is an El Piernas. I own 2 El Piernas, 1 of early 1980s & a 2007 model, both of them have cast iron bottom hoops. Look thru this forum for pictures and information about El Piernas & other top of the line Bongos.

uploads_ikonb/post-2-97435-9_22_2007_18__2_.jpg

uploads_ikonb/post-2-29680-El_Piernas_2.jpg

[yambu321]

Those Bongo's are not El Piernas. I have a set just like them, which I have also posted here with some temp LP hardware. Those are made in the Dominican Republic, by a company named Caribbean Rhythms. The shells are beautiful pieces, which are made out of Single Solid Mahogany trunks. The hardware and skins are very poor though. If you were to get a set and have some custom hardware made for them with the addition of great skins. you would have a set of bongos that are truly unique and wonderful. That is what I am doing with mine. Good Luck Here's a photo of mine with Temporary LP Bongo Hardware, with Mule Skin on the Macho, and Cow Skin on the Hembra.

[yambu321]

One More Photo.

[Whopbamboom]

Yambu-- the transformation is very nice! Opens one's eyes to the possibilities...

Where can one find those for sale, and how much do they cost in the U.S.?

[Coco]

Hey Yambu....they look great already!! Are you going to put traditional Cuban style bottom hoops on them?

[yambu321]

Hello Everyone,
If you type caribbean rhythms, Inc. on your web search. You will see a sight choice that says
caribbean rhythms, Inc. Oregon, LA. It will take you to one of their service sights, hotdrums.com and make you choices there. if you try to just type hotdrums.com it'll give you some other page.

The Mahogany Carribbean Rhythms Shells go for $219.00 And the oak bongos go for 199.00. can't speak on the oaks. But their Mahogany shells are are a Must Have!!!

Matthew Smith Is Making My Hardware. Cali of JCR, can also make the hardware as well.

The shells are what the gems are, and worth every penny. wait till you see the final product.

Go Get Your's too

Thanks,
Charlie.

[chiringo]

greetings pilgrims, new to the board . as far as the bongos pictured my humble suggestion is call matthew smith and get yourself a real set of bongos and dont waste your time rebuilding or correcting somebody elses work. just my 2cents

[yambu321]

We must first understand what is going on before commenting.

I myself, as well as others here in this Congaboard, own Matthew Smith Bongo's as well as other big name bongos, like Skin on Skin's, Junior's, Timba Ismael's, JCR's, etc. This Is not about buying ones first set of drums, and or trying to take short cuts, or whatever. This is about owning Some Awesome Solid Single Piece Mahogany Shells.

Matthew Smith as well as most of the other Artisans mentioned here, make their Bongos using the Stave construction method. JCR for instance uses shells, that are of Solid Single Piece Construction, and cost a minimum of approx. $400.

The Caribbean Rhythms Shells cost $219.00
plus Add another $250.00 roughly, for Matthew Smith's Hardware and Skins. That's $469.00

Matthew's Bongo's start at approximately $475.00

Beautiful shells (not junk) with the addition of Matthew Smith's Custom Hardware and Skins, will yield one a Unique Top Grade Bongo, at an attractive price.

The Photo's here, don't do these shells any true justice.

Chiringo, welcome to congaboard my friend.

Charlie.

[randyc]

Hi guys,
I picked up the bongos the other day and they do sound fantastic. Being that this is a new instrument to me, I will enjoy them as they are for now.
I come from acoustic drums background, and I've recently picked up the hand percussion bug so I'm now outfitted with some vintage Sonoc Congas, a nice solid Djembe, and now these Bongos. Have to love Craigslist!
The gentleman who passed these Bongos along to me sent me a few photos. Not sure why or how Hector Roca would have had these but I was told that he went to his house/factory and chose them, and these pictures appear to give support to that claim.

[randyc]

Here's another picture from his visit.
BTW, Yambu, I love the transformation on your set.
Cheers, Randy.

[caballoballo]

A real set of Bongos ? HuMMMMMMMMM. I got a friend who use to own a set of Mathew Smith Bongos (he sold them) . Once he tunned the Macho really high just to check how good would it sound. One of the rivets from the botton hoop came loose,the chrome started to peel off and the weld started to crack. My tres centavos. A real set ?

[bongosnotbombs]

yeah yambu123, I thought those shells looked great with the LP hardware,
they are going to look great with Matt's

So those shells with Matt's hardware are about the same price as Matt's bongos,
with the LP hardware probably a real bargain, how was the fit of the LP
stuff on those shells?

also anybody can buy anyones bongos, and nothing wrong with that, but it is a
lot of fun to find something different and put it together yourself and sometimes
it pays off with a superior instrument.

[yambu321]

BNB's,

For me to do this, I had to actually use the hardware of two sets of Bongos. ( LP Gen 2's, and LP Matador's) because of size differences. This configeration works. It's not a perfect fit, in the sense of perfection. But, close enough to see just what these shells have to offer, and even use them at a Gig.

As soon as I have tuned them up High, and played them, I could tell the shells were worthy of the extra investment for a great set-up. I played them the next day as well, took photos of them, and then removed all the LP Hardware, and refinished them. you'll see the final product once it's all completely done.

Thanks again guys,

Charlie.

[Omelenko]

Oye Yambu,

You did the right thing, those shells are solid Caoba, resembling very much the Cuban Vergara shells. When it comes to hardware Matt Smith makes the best and the most durable and is "criollo" style. He has been chroming his hardware with the guy that Junior Tirado used and the quality has improved. I have Junior congas from 1969 and the chrome is still in great shape, mind you that I always lubricate with DW 40, if you do the same no problem. There is no need to crank up a macho to 1,000 lbs. of pressure, that's abusing the instrument all together. Get quality skins (calf & mule) tune,detume and always lubicate and your gandkids will be playing "martillo" in those Caribbean Rhythms 40 yrs from now.

Saludos,

Dario

Enclosed my 50's Vergara, Matt Smith hardware. Notice how the shells look similar , Cuban, PR and Dominican Caoba look very much alike.