by taikonoatama » Thu Dec 18, 2008 6:23 pm
These drums are almost certainly Cuban.
The wood is likely cedro or caoba/mahogany.
The shape is Cuban.
I've seen both of these side plate shapes and crown loop styles on what I know to be Cuban drums.
They're definitely not Gon Bops - the band thickness is wrong, the side plates are wrong, the lugs are wrong, the crown loops on the one on the left are wrong (narrower than that of Gon Bops international-series) and the wood is wrong. Although the Gon Bops drums with super-series or voodoo-series hardware used the crown loop style of the drum on the right (bent round-stock instead of flat-stock), it's a copy of a Cuban style - you see this style used in a lot of Cuban drums, including Sonocs (which they very well might be - Dario?)
These drums are almost impossible to find in the States - they look fantastic! If you have an opportunity to buy them, please do so for all of us - quite a find.
James