I started on a bum note ....

[Boston]

Hehe, sorry to Stagg for the title, but being a newbie (re my other posts) I thought i'd get a cheap set of Stagg congas (10" + 11") and seeing as i'm having so much fun i'm immediately regretting being a total tight ass ....

So, in view of my new found addiction (OCD kicking in big time) I'd like some suggestions for an upgrade.

Firstly, should I stick with the congas I have and buy some decent heads for them, or should I just wack em on ewhore and buy a proper set ?

Now, I don't wanna go mad (after my recent investigations of Hang Drums), I realise that the sky is probably the limit, but what would the general concensus be on what sort of price a MID range set be ?

The Stagg were £169. I appreciate that is not getting me any kind of quality, so what should I be preparing myself to pay to get a fairly decent, maybe intermediate set ?

Also, i'm kinda regretting not getting a 3 pc set, so suggestions along those lines would be cool.

Lol, one more thing ..... all these different sizes , could someone maybe break it down into what the relevance is with all the diffent sizes. I know its obviously to do with what tone can be achieved with the different sizes, but in real terms, musical styles etc, what do I need to be looking for ? (ladies, does that 1/4" matter ?)

Thanks people .....

[Congadelica]

Dito again, Im getting de sha vu do here lol.
I bought a crappy set of menil headliners , if you go back you`ll se history repeating itself again here .
I then progressed to a set of 3 1 Quinto 11" 1Conga 11 3/4 1 Tumbadora 12.1/2 "
since then I now am the proud and only person to own in the UK another 3 set os Isla Percussions . the meinl marathons are entry pro level but basic hardware a tad ringy but fine drums .
The Isla`s words cant explain how good they are . like a lot of very nice Conga s out there .

So the problem we have here is .
1. do you take the blue pill and buy a good set of Lp classics / matadors.
Meinl LC marathns ...........and o few other .
Or
2. the Red pill , which will take you to your wildest fantasies .

You decide .

Really If I were you Id either buy new or second hand there are some good drums go on e bay.
Also worth a mention . I would go for firbreglass if you want to be cutting it through the Dance music . also worth checking out other DJ /percussists , there are lots doing the circut . some good vids on e bay to help you see how it fits .


Ok

I must seem like your old man giving you a lecture .

Just hope I was help . I got heaps from the guys on here when I became a member .
So its time for payback to a fellow Hermano .

Marco

[Boston]

So the problem we have here is .
1. do you take the blue pill and buy a good set of Lp classics / matadors.
Meinl LC marathns ...........and o few other .
Or
2. the Red pill , which will take you to your wildest fantasies .

You decide .
Marco

EEEK !!!

So, i'm looking at a LP Classic II 3pc at £1150 or possibly on the cheaper side a Toca Sheila E (12.5, 11.75, 11") coming in at £640 ish ....

Hehe, all comments welcome, even the old man lecture ones

[Derbeno]

With respect, I suggest you take it nice and easy and get down to patiently learn this wonderful but tricky instrument.

It will take considerable time and patience just to wire in the new hand movements, develop forearm ligament endurance and coordination.
Proper technique and clean tone separation at any tempo is your ultimate goal.

Don't be overly concerned with ringing, tuning or drum quality for now. Master one drum before you move on to two drums.

Stick with the set you've got for now, get down to basics and don't try to run before you can crawl. You would be surprised how the alleged ringing will disappear and how easily you can quickly tune just by ear.

There are lots of material out there but get a teacher to set you off so as to avoid bad habits that will be a pain in the backside to get rid off.
Check out my friend Daniel Marruzzo over at Planet Drum in Camden. It's a bit far from South London but worth a couple of trips.

Keep on drumming.....Cheers!

[Boston]

There are lots of material out there but get a teacher to set you off so as to avoid bad habits that will be a pain in the backside to get rid off.

Thats probably the main thing i'm trying to avoid ....

Check out my friend Daniel Marruzzo over at Planet Drum in Camden. It's a bit far from South London but worth a couple of trips.

Keep on drumming.....Cheers!

Thats not so far, will check em out ...

Thanks and sage words, however, my OCD doesnt allow for sticking with what i've got lol .... I would like to be starting out on at least a sensible mid range set ..... lol, my sauce pans don't sound all that different to these Staggs

[Congadelica]

Indeed Deberno is 100% correct ,

I learned pretty early on Infact I did similar thing to you bought the meinl headliners which at first was grand , but the more I listened t other material either n the web or video I new I wanted that fuller sound .
Unfortunatly here in the UK we are not exposed to the sound of Congas or tumbao. hence we make mistakes by buying what we think is good to go congas . It realy depends how serious you are . I knew after a few monhts that I wanted to progress much further than my living room .
One of the first things I notice now when visiting any Latino countries is the sound of Congas everywhere . my last visit to Dominican Republic a year after starting to learn Tumbadoras all I could hear everywhere was clave and tumbao in a lot of the music .we are just not exposed to anything in the mainstream here in the uk other than pop music in the main . Im sure there are many budding congeruo` s in the uk wakeing up to this beautiful music . I honestly thought Rumba was for the stiffs doing the ballroom dancing, we just dont get the exposure here .

I had a few formal lessons with a teacher who was introduced to me by this very forum . Those lessons put me on the right path so to speak regarding technique .

checkout these on offer from OVM Natal I played the quinto of these congas recently and they are well made and sound amazing check em out bro .

http://www.ovm.co.uk/shop/index.php?mai ... cts_id=405.

But I would take my time if i were you get out to the drum shops play a few different models of mid range congas .
You found this forum and it will help you on your journey .

I am doing a workshop study this weekend with some friends I met partly from here and also people I met on a recent workshop with Raz at OVM . we are going to be studying Rumba arara style with Christain of La Timbala , who from my reaserch is one of the main Honchos when it comes down to Cuban Folkloric in the uk .

Whatever you decide Im sure you will be rewarded , keep up the practice take your time before you jump at a new set . nothing wrong with what you have got atm .

build on your quality of playing by taking it slow . get yourself a few lessons booked .

hope that makes sence .

marco

[vinnieL]

Ok well i would go with either matadors or LP classics either of which can be found on ebay. As far as sizes well on a set of 3 a lot of people will say 2 congas 1 tumba. Some will say quinto,conga,tumba. I 4 2 congas a tumba and a quinto. I usually play 3 so the quinto is not used as much. There are of course other nice congas you have Pearl etc. Congas are 11/34,tumba is 12

[caballoballo]

Derbeno is correct on his words about developing a good technik but IMHO an entry level set of congas is not going to reproduce the authentic sound of the Congas. In fact is going to frustrate you. Those Bauer Congas picture on the link provided by Marcos are not too expensive and with a good set of skins will do a superior job, select 11 3/4 Conga & 12 1/2 Tumba , forget about the quinto. Do not complicate yourself trying to play with a set of 3 when basic rudiments, technik, clave ,tumbao & other theories are in the need to develope. Invest wise so you don't have to invest twice.

[vinnieL]

All sound advice the bottom line is you already have them. They have little resale value really so keep them bang on them for a while till you get what you want. Work on your technique and as you improve you will feel the need to look for "the sound" there are many choices out there and at then end of it all it is all about the sound of the drum and if it satifies you. Of course quality construction has to be part of the equation.

[randyc]

I as many of us have, started with a set of LP Aspires. By way of 'Craigs', I have passed these on and by keeping an eye out now have (all vintage) a pair of Sonocs, 1 LP Classic, and I just picked up a Gon-Bop.
Keep an eye on 'Craigs' and E-Bay for vintage congas if possible, you may find some gems out there.
If you see something of interest, throw some info to the board and you'll find a wealth of responses on whether or not to take the plunge.
Cheers, Randy.