I ordered me some Islas!!!

[umannyt]

Light Seeker,

Those are awesome-looking Islas indeed! Big congrats and thanks for sharing!

Architecture being my first choice as my college course (The needs of our family corporation in the Philippines led me to take up Economics and Accounting instead.) and having a native aptitude for art (I did some freehand drawing and painting in grade school), Mario's design of the new hardware is, coincidentally, almost exactly (except for the rivets) what I had imagined and anticipated. Regarding the rivets, I had imagined that he would retain the welds connecting the rims and the ears together and continue the seamless appearance of the old hardware.

IMO, the new hardware is (1) more straight- and aesthetically-looking, (2) stronger and more resistant to bending when the tumbadoras are tuned up which is a more-than-occasional-complaint against the old Isla hardware, (3) easier and faster to manufacture (involving simply cutting stainless steel strips--with little or no filing--and riveting the ears) than the hardware that preceded it, and, (4) most importantly, preserve the very distinctive teardrop appearance of the Isla tuning ears. This is a very smart design and marketing move on Mario Punchard's part. One feature I especially like about the Isla hardware is that one can very easily pick Islas apart from other tumbadoras.

But, just like with Congadelica, I'm not sure that I'm ready at this moment to jump into the new Isla-crown bandwagon. The old rims may exhibit some slight bending when the drums are tuned up, but it's really not that big of a deal to me. It's the still sound that's most important to me and I'm content with the fact that I already own some of the best-sounding and yet best-priced handcrafted congas in the world.

But, who knows? I may yet change my mind down the road.

Best,

[vinnieL]

I'm glad to see Mario redesigned the crown.

[windhorse]

My God! They look awesome!!
I'm printing the two pics on glossy photo paper right now, so my friends can drool over them.
I've been telling them for the past two years that these are the drums they need to get.
You are most certainly blessed!

Dave

[umannyt]

I'm printing the two pics on glossy photo paper right now, so my friends can drool over them.

Dave

And how! On my part, I couldn't resist making the 1st one as the current desktop picture on one of my computers. I significantly cropped the picture, by taking out much of the background, for a really tight composition and to give the new Islas more drama.

Btw, I'd like to add that I love how the clean grain structure of those cherry wood comes out of the chosen stain (Honey Maple?). Mine are made of canoe wood, so I (think) I know.

[KING CONGA]

...AAAAAAAAAAND they're ready to be unveiled! I should have 'em by Friday! *drools*

Greetings L.S. So in regards to your awesome drums what has been the response of those arround you? Have you had a chance to compare the difference in sound to other drums?, what do you think so far? Inquiring minds want to know .

[Light Seeker]

To umannyt-
According to Mario, he doesn't use stain on his cherry drums. Just the natural wood color.

To King Conga-
ARGH! It's been a week since Mario shipped them and I still do not have them. Due to rising costs for FedEx shipping, he opted for US Mail, and I've got no way to track where the packages are... they could be anywhere. I'm this close to FREAKIN' OUT!

[Boston]

I would assume that is $150 per drum...

What, that´s an awful lot of money for sipping and custom fees, isn´t it?
Remember a couple of months ago someone suggested that a cruise from Europe to the States with conga shopping there
could a more comfortable and senseful way to spend the money.

Couldnt someone convince a drug cartell that Congas are a good hidey hole / They manage to get their charlie in tax free, why shouldnt we get our congas ?

[Light Seeker]

After a very frustratingly long week and a half, my babies arrived on Thursday. The first thing I noticed was how exquisitely beautiful they look in person. The color, the natural woodgrain, the hardware. Masterfully crafted drums. Mario is an artist. I didn't have very much time to play on them for the first 2 days, because of work and other personal engagements, and that's why I didn't post on here sooner. All I really had time for was putting shea butter on the heads, and trying to stretch the skins by tightening a little bit, playing a little bit, tightening a little bit more, playing a little bit more. By yesterday, they were ready to be cranked up a LOT, and just in time, too. I brought them to a party last night which ended up turning into a rumba. My percussion teacher came to the party, along with two rumberos, one named Rob who's from NYC but who lives here in Gainesville, and the other named Yinka, a friend of Rob's who was in town visiting from, I think, Philly. On top of that, there were some friends of mine who are learning rumba in an ensemble that we all take part in. We had singers and percussionists. I let the experienced rumberos play my Islas for the most part, but I and some of my friends took our turns as well. We played for about 2 hours straight until it was midnight and the neighbors asked us, very politely, to stop. What a great initiation for my drums! And let me tell you, they sounded FANTASTIC!!! Even being so new, with the skins still so stiff... I can't wait to hear how they sound 6 months from now! Everybody admired the drums. Admire is an understatement... everybody really loved them. Rob said they reminded him of his old Valje's. He didn't like how high the crowns are sitting on the drums though, particularly on the quinto. That's actually a point worth mentioning about the new crowns versus the old ones. Since the "ears" on the new crowns are bolted on, the top corners of them are really sharp against your palms when you play, especially when playing slaps. And that was one of the things that Mario always said about the old crowns, how they don't get in the way of your hands, there's no way you'll hurt your hands on them. But that may not be the case for the new ones. Those ears are easily avoidable on the conga and tumba, but not so much on the quinto. They really get in the way there. Mario told me that in time, the crowns will come down a little lower, but I think he said only a quarter inch or so. I'm not so sure that will help too much. Time will tell, I guess. But enough about that, that's my only complaint, and hopefully it will be irrelevant in a few months after the crowns come down more. The important thing is that these drums are incredibly beautiful in appearance, and in sound. They were well worth the wait, and MORE than worth the price. These babies are a great investment for sure.

[KING CONGA]

After a very frustratingly long week and a half, my babies arrived on Thursday.

Wow I which I could have been there, it sound like you guys has a great time. Congratulations L.S. on your new Congas, I knew from the very beginning that you would be a "happy camper" with those beauties. In regards to applying shea butter on the skins, is this the case on all new skins? I am expecting some new drums myself and would like to know if it will be necessary for me to do the same to mine.
Just out of curiosity, why did Mario take longer that usual with your drums? According to his web site they should have taken a lot less time to complete.

[Congadelica]

Hi Scott ,

It s great you got your Isla`s , they are so sweet . the crowns on mine have dropped by half an inch in 3 months and are really starting to open up . the crowns dont get in the way at all the quinto ones can be hurting you if your hands are not playing the top of the drum , which is the best form anyway .
And I noticed you had a little drama getting them to your doorstep , I had similar dramas remeber but all work out good .must be part of the initiation into the Isla Famalia

Enjoy , and keep the Rumba going its my new found love . I did a study group with friends yesterday with Christian Weaver of La Timbala the same guy who filmed and directed the DVDs of Afrocuba de Matanzas a very seasoned Rumbero .
looking forward to doing more work with him soon .

Marco

[Light Seeker]

In regards to applying shea butter on the skins, is this the case on all new skins? I am expecting some new drums myself and would like to know if it will be necessary for me to do the same to mine.
Just out of curiosity, why did Mario take longer that usual with your drums? According to his web site they should have taken a lot less time to complete.

All skins need to be oiled up periodically as part of their care. Most people use either shea butter or manteca de corojo. Mario recommends applying the butter every 2 or 3 months. Plus, if you use a little to moisturize your hands before playing, you can keep rejuvenating the skins in addition to protecting your fingers from getting cracked.

Normally, Mario gets his orders done within 2 months. However, a lot of personal stuff came up for him in the last few months which kept him busy and not as able to work on his orders. Meanwhile, the orders kept coming in and he was getting really backed up. So mine took over 5 months. However, having received them, I can say they were definitely worth the wait.

[Light Seeker]

the crowns on mine have dropped by half an inch in 3 months and are really starting to open up.

What do you know about inches, limey? j.k.

Actually, 1/2 inch is a lot, so that gives me hope. Still, though, the difference between my crowns on which the ears are separate pieces that are bolted on and have sharp corners, and your old crowns on which the ears are rounded and actually part of the crown, is a lot. I'm not sure I like that aspect of the new crowns yet. But I'll withhold my final opinion until after the crowns have gone down more.

And that's awesome about the ensemble you've joined. You're sure to learn a lot and have a really incredible time in the process.

[KKonga]

Seeker----Have you tried to sand/file down the sharp edges? Try a light abrasive paper on the edge and that should make a big difference.
Congratulations on your purchase.
KK

[Congadelica]

the crowns on mine have dropped by half an inch in 3 months and are really starting to open up.

What do you know about inches, limey? j.k. quote]

Hey give me a break will ya , I grew up with the metric system , all this euro mm and cm and mtrs still dont make sence to me either , you forget Im an old schooler bro .

Ive played my drums for 3 months at least 2 hours a day which i consider a fair amount of play time . so half inch or however many cm`s lol is good know ?

Bro your Tumbadora`s are the next generation Im sure Mario has covered every scinario . they will be sabor for sure .

marco

[umannyt]

That's actually a point worth mentioning about the new crowns versus the old ones. Since the "ears" on the new crowns are bolted on, the top corners of them are really sharp against your palms when you play, especially when playing slaps. And that was one of the things that Mario always said about the old crowns, how they don't get in the way of your hands, there's no way you'll hurt your hands on them. But that may not be the case for the new ones. Those ears are easily avoidable on the conga and tumba, but not so much on the quinto. They really get in the way there. Mario told me that in time, the crowns will come down a little lower, but I think he said only a quarter inch or so. I'm not so sure that will help too much. Time will tell, I guess. But enough about that, that's my only complaint, and hopefully it will be irrelevant in a few months after the crowns come down more....

Light Seeker,

I'm glad that you brought this subject up. This was precisely my concern when I first saw the new crown on the pictures of your Islas. I do like the wider and straighter stainless steel used on the new crown. As I've said previously, this should prevent the slight bending that happened with the old crown when the skin was tightened.

However, I still prefer the welded and smoothed-out ears of the old crown. So, I'm wondering if Mario might consider a further refinement of the new crown; that is, welding and smoothing out the ears as well.

In other words, a hybrid of the old and the new crowns.

Just a thought,