by Chelsea » Mon Aug 25, 2003 2:31 am
Hi Sammy,
The Caliente congas are a cross between the LP Aspire and LP Matador models - they're made of a leftover mixture of the hardware and shells of each of these, I believe.
I think the Caliente congas come in non-standard sizes like 10", 11" and 12", so you might have difficulty replacing the heads if you ever had the inclination to do so.
I looked at the Calientes when I was shopping around for my first set of congas, and was advised to step up to LP Matadors or Meinl Marathons, just for the larger head diameters and better quality hardware.
Hope that helps.
"Every instrument has to abide by the Clave. Stay on the Clave and you'll make it." - Tito Puente