Bauer Congas from Brasil

[OLSONGO]

Just bought a set of 3 tumbadoras plus stands brand new , made by Bauer in Brasil. ( Like I need more congas ) It was a steal, don't ask how much it may make you sick. Anyone with their review on this brand ? I Will make a few changes, traditional crowns as in the pic and a taking off the rubber foot piece... prefer the metal foot.
Paz
Olsongo

[OLSONGO]

And this is a pic of one of the stands

[Sakuntu]

I love their fat bellies ...Congrats on the steal.

[doctor bloor]

There are a few older threads around discussing Bauers. General opinion is that the sound is great, although they seem to have earned something of a reputation for being vulnerable to cracking. That was my experience with them as well.

[ABAKUA]

Student of mine has a re quinto and conga of these in his collection. Ive borrowed the conga for gigs a few times and it sounds great. Does not have the original skin on it however, its an unknown brand skin, but seems like an LP skin. Sounds awesome.
I dig the rubber base, protects the base of the conga.

[congamyk]

I just bought a quinto last week (9 3/4") with the traditional rim.
What a beautiful drum! It plays very warm and has a unique sound.
These drums look amazing, the detail is like artwork.

OLSONGO you could sell me the smallest (11") of your 3 and that way I'd have a set.

I like the rubber on the bottom of the drum.
It looks great and protects the drum perfectly.
No slips, and lands softly when moved.

[nickpilarski]

These are fantastic drums and they have a beautiful haunting tone once you get some real heads on them.

[umannyt]

And this is a pic of one of the stands

I've seen similar pictures of these stands before under the brandname Dixon. Note also that, except for some modifications, the design of Gibraltar GCS-M or GCS-L Single Stand appears close to this design.

[seisporocho1]

Nice catch Olsongo!!

I want a set now.

[congamyk]

[OLSONGO]

Thanks 6x8, they where on craigslist down in your neck of the woods....A Gope distributor had 2 sets and luckly , I bought the last set.
Vinnie has them , til I can make it down there.
PS. If I can get enough guys to put in a sizable order for Gope brazilian instruments , I will get a good deal...he said.
Paz
Olsongo

[korman]

There are a few older threads around discussing Bauers. General opinion is that the sound is great, although they seem to have earned something of a reputation for being vulnerable to cracking. That was my experience with them as well.

Yeah, I had one of my two Bauers crack too. The distributor told me that cracking increased since they changed the wood type two years ago.
They definitely look great, but I'm not satisfied with the sound I can get out of mine. Tones, bass and heel/tip are all good, but I just can't get the slaps I want. So looking back at it, they're not the best choice of drums for beginning to learn congas.

[vinnieL]

Well I see no problems with the slaps from Bauer congas they slap just as good as any other conga out there.

[bongosnotbombs]

A couple of friends of mine own Bauers. I am always impressed by the quality of
the hardware on the drums.
I always enjoy them when I play them. Some very nice drums. I can't comment on any
cracking because of wood types. But the drums I am referring to are a couple of years old and holding up very well.

[OLSONGO]

Well the congas have arrived, Thanks to Vinnie for holding them for a few days and the Miami guys for not buying them. I do stand corrected or may be not. At first look I thought they were Bauers, but in this case the label is Gope,but you tell me are they or not Bauers. Gope is known for their Brasilian batucada instruments. This is the second time that I see this... remember the post with Colombian percussion making and labeling their product with Ritmo Tropical.

Here is my report. The wood is Mahogany , which could make for a light drum ...but they cover the inside totally with fiberglass ( pic) which adds weight, but makes them strong and the sound is a bit bright , Thick shell !! they are lighter than my Lp. classics. The shape is of a fatter belly than the rest. Color as you see is a natural caramel. The finish could be thicker as they could scar easily. No almas, the plates don't have the rubber backing as in the actual Bauers, and are a bit big for my taste..but can live with it. No lug bumpers, the lug is 3/8 as in the Galaxies, but the nut is huge and unusual as you can see . The heads on the Tumba and Conga are of too thin of a skin, I changed them to a medium thick skin and they sound awesome . The quinto head is perfect, I assume its cow ( yellowish light color ). I replaced the comfort curve which is comparable to the Lps comfort I , with a set of traditional crowns. Comes with a Rubber foot. Overdone on the label, has 2 .

Overall I found them effortless to play, the head changes made a big difference. I give them an 8 as is . The stands are a bit big and flimsy , the design could stand improvement.