Martin Cohen 1960's Bongos on Ebay right now

[buckoh]

Everything about eBay is true. Those early LP bongos are listed as solid walnut but close inspection reveals stave construction. They might be worth the 117.00 or so paid but, just barely. I got screwed a year ago on a Ritmo and the seller never sent me the 100.00 that Matthew Smith charged me for the repairs. On the other hand, I got a nice 12 inch Eco Tone for about the price of a fiberglass LP. However, I just received this bongo
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... SA:US:1123 and it is a real POS. When I took the lugs off the macho, most of the staves fell out. Its not North American ash but some cheap far eastern junk wood. Only one skin has the LP stamp on it and its one of those cheap fuzzy white ones. It cost me 57.00 and and hardly worth it. I'm thinking about demanding 20.00 credit from the seller. Not worth it to send it back. I've already reglued it and will put it on a lathe and shape the bearing edge. Can anyone suggest the correct bearing edge shape for a bongo? Same as a conga?
Next, I will either weld or put rivets in the rabbit ears where there are screws. Then, well, you know the rest. Just another project. The most offensive deception was the seller not showing the name plaque that says KIMA. Never heard if it. CAVEAT EMPTOR! Bucko

[Isaac]

Hi Buck,
There was no LP logo on the hardware or the skins.
Another telling sign that they are Pakistani bongos
are the oversized fat angular rubber lug pads.
The metal is usually cheap chrome plated nickel,'which
is soft & bendable. They do look OK in a photo however
- similar to the old pre Matador Cosmic Bongos.
That being said some of the cheap sets from China
with new skins are quite decent. Why should
Thailand be the only place that can make them?
The good news is that over half the new Chinese
wanna-be percussion makers have already shut down,
realizing there's no big money in it. They may have mistakenly thought
every western kid wants to play bongos & congas.
One Chinese plant is still subcontracting for Sonor and
African Rhythm Traders. Bottom line is
you usually get what you pay for.

ISAAC

[Mike]

Everything about eBay is true. Those early LP bongos are listed as solid walnut but close inspection reveals stave construction. They might be worth the 117.00 or so paid but, just barely.

That´s funny, they got sold for 117.50$

However, I just received this bongo http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... SA:US:1123 and it is a real POS.

I am sorry to hear about that, but you could see this bongó as some second set to bang on excessively on the beach - you might have a decent skin to recycle for the hembra and it might turn out not as bad as it seems.
Knowing that I have already posted info on this elsewhere on this forum, here is some shared experience:
I once bought this "Supercussion" bongó unseen at a low price (at ebay for 40 Euro, i.e. 50US-$) . It was also split, but I agreed on a partial refund and today, with mule from Isaac on macho and a recycled LP quinto head, it sounds pretty good. I take and play it anywhere. As long instruments are in use, they are of use IMO. At least I learnt my lesson

SUPERCUSSION bongos refurbished.JPG (10.28 KiB) Viewed 5174 times

SUPERCUSSION w beautiful skins.JPG (8.31 KiB) Viewed 5174 times

Good luck, Buck!

[docarroyo]

Hey guys I wrote this ebay seller and pointed out that it was a mismatched set and pointed out that the sets I brought in the sixties had a 2 piece between them and the color was wrong. I brought mine at Mannys or Sam Ash in the city sometime between 67 and 70 at the latest. One pair Mahagony the other I lusted after are oak saved for months to buy them. Out of all the sets I saw none had chibo heads. Here some photos you can tell the oak set are played more Huh.

[Omelenko1]

The set on top is not oak is what LP called ZEBRA wood. I had a set like that and I got two Echo Tone congas for it. According to M. Cohen, he got some ZEBRA wood from Viet Nam around 1967 and he made close to 100 bongos from this wood. I got a 1971 LP catalog that shows the ZEBRA wood bongo at $125 and the mahogany at $95. That zebra wood is a collector's item, very much sought after specially in NYC. Here is Dandy Rodriguez with the same bongo you have, the ZEBRA wood.

Dario

[docarroyo]

THANKS for that info your the second person to say they were Zebra wood. I had never heard of that type of wood but thought them to be oak beacuse I have 70's Gon Bops congas with a similar wood grain. Thanks again

[bongosnotbombs]

THANKS for that info your the second person to say they were Zebra wood. I had never heard of that type of wood but thought them to be oak beacuse I have 70's Gon Bops congas with a similar wood grain. Thanks again

If your Gon Bops is like mine at all then it is flat sawn oak. The flat sawn gives the oak an appearance that might resemble the zebra wood, but it's oak for sure.

[docarroyo]

Yes there Flat Sawn Oak