Cuban conga ID

[Mike]

I have just found this allegedly Cuban conga at German ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... :IT&ih=011

Can anyone relate to the drum maker, "Joáquin García de la Cruz from Havanna"?
It says the wood is almond! Never heard of this type of wood being used.
Still I like the rustic look of the conga (it is actually a quinto: 30cm equals 11")

[bongosnotbombs]

It looks a lot like a set of drums a player I know had made for him in Cuba, it
has similar hardware, if not the same, and they are also solid wood.

I've played them in class, they are not bad drums. The rim on his set can hurt you
if your not careful, it's kind of wide and really thick.

[Joseph]

It says the wood is almond! Never heard of this type of wood being used.

Hi Mike,
If so, it's most probably what we in Florida call "Jamaican Almond" or officially as "Tropical Almond", it is planted (ornamental, landscape, escapee), in tropical South Florida, and is very common throughout the tropics, so I'm quite certain it is a common non-native tree in Cuba.

I've always known it for it's food properties...almonds, but you have to be determined, because they are a lot of work to get to...depends on how hungry you are.

Have never been aware of its lumber properties, but according to this..
http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/T.catappa-tropical-almond.pdf
"The timber makes a useful and decorative general-purpose hardwood and is well suited for conversion into furniture
and interior building timbers."
Looks like conga shell is not stave-built, but a solid shell, so it's from a pretty big tree....and they do get big, but generally gnarly
....not tall and straight, which accounts for the knotty, burly look to the grain.

From the looks of it, the wood grain appears to be stained, but having never seen the lumber, I don't know what the naked grain looks like.

I don't have any informed opinion on quality of drum, but hopefully the above will give you some "nuts'' on the shell.

Update: That link provided above is an exhaustive, in depth discussion of the Tropical Almond....like more than anyone here might possibly be interested in....but very interesting to those, like me, who like tropical plants. Scan through for a good pic of a gnarly old tree.

I cherry picked a couple of pertinent quotes:

"Current distribution
Tropical almond has been introduced, and frequently naturalized,
in many tropical parts of the world including Brazil,
the Caribbean, and East Africa. It is naturalized in Florida
and Puerto Rico."

"Craft wood/tools use
Traditional wood uses in the South Pacific include kava
bowls, tool handles, clubs, walking sticks, and drums."

~Joseph

[Mike]

Thank you very much for this detailed information, Joseph!
Wow, a massive construction. And yes, the wood looks gnarly indeed.

I certainly won´t get nuts over this conga
- but I will keep an eye on it...

Thanks again
Mike