Finally!

[maSSivdrums]

Finally, someone produced a Drum to my liking with a FAT belly!

Keep on Poundin'... Aloha, maSSivdrum

[onile]

Aloha Brudda!
I hope that you are well and abundantly blessed!

Wow! I'm totally digging it! That is a tumbadora of great dimensions!
Do you own it now? or will you be making the purchase after you re-mortgage your home?

I'm so broke I can't pay attention, otherwise it would be the next purchase before I leave this planet!

Stay well Ohana!

Onile!

[maSSivdrums]

Aloha Onile,

All is well as can be here in Paradise! Hoping You and Your Ohana is doing well in this New Year!

Can you dig it? It's been a very long time since a new drum of this quality has been produced. I'm in the process of owning it and the bank won't let me mortgage da house for another set of drums! As soon as I post bail and get out of jail I'm off to rob another bank to make this score!
Hope you're enjoying everybit of your retirement and cherish every minute of enjoying life!

Stay healthy and Keep on Poundin'... Aloha, maSSivdrums

[Jerry Bembe]

Incredible! This and VGA have the stainless steel hardware that Valje and Resolution lack. Valje and Resolution are chrome plated and soild stainless is forever.

Also the Volcano hardware is updated further with a 4 point connection to the shell that will be secure in the event of a bolt breaking between the tuning hardware and shell. The Volcano congas have the best technology for their hardware compared to all of the congas built today. They use polished stainess, 1/2 round stainless traditional crown, 4 point connection of hardware to the shell, the hardware is not connected on the glue joints.

Personally, I love the contemporary design that Valje first presented. I think it produces a fatter Bass tone. I was previously thinking of contacting Ralph in the future if I was able to order new congas but now Tom at Volcano is at the top
of this list. (The traditional conga shape is great too but there are many options already with this design)

I think Tom makes some of the finest congas ever built. Tom is a one man shop and has so many options available and now he has added these contemporary designs. He is truly an artist and he backs his work with a 5 year warranty.

Thank you for sharing this.

[maSSivdrums]

Found another drum maker shaping fat belly shells. Looks like the retro look is coming back.

[docarroyo]

Gotta love them big bellys I whish Fats were back in production as the have promised. This is a photo of a big belly Fat restored by Matthew Smith.

[Jerry Bembe]

How is the tone of the Fat Conga? It looks like the sound hole is a bit smaller than the others? What size is the Fat?

It truely looks like a custom drum with those bands. Was the drum splitting and was an alma also installed?

I recently removed an alma from my Matthew Smith conga because it caused the conga to split due to the dry winter.

Thanks,

Jerry

[seisporocho1]

Docarroyo,
that FAT drum resembles perfection in every way. wow! I join Jerry Bembe in the curiousity of finding out how the tone on a drum like that is. I guess my question is: is the sound as big as the drum and is it a sound that a 12" tumba can't do? I've heard some matador tumbas sound so big, they might as well look like that FAT beauty!
cheers
6x8

[docarroyo]

Helo Jerry, its a 12.5 head and the photo does not really show the width that well on the bottom its about a 7.5 opening. It does have an alma but its an old drum with old madera que esta bien curada. What I just said for our non spanish speaking bros is that the wood is well cured or seasoned if you will. If the wood is still shrinking that means it wasn't kiln dried and if you have an alma it will cause some spliting when the season becomes less humid. I have been playing for many years own and have owned many drums and altough the word alma means soul it does not empower the drum, only the player can do that and any entity that the player envokes to play trough him and the drum as per certain spirtual beliefs. The alma is there to maintain roundness but if other choose to belive that a piece of steel brings soul to thier drums I say let them belive. I have been shot and stabed by steel and it did not put soul or life into me it attempted to let it out(LOL) thank god they didnt succeed (I grew up in Brooklyn). If your almas are causing your drums to crack have a local shop cut a bit off and reweld it. I have cut and just made the ends touch anew without a new weld and reinstalled with good results just dont cut too much, I use a dremel with a cutting disk I have also done this with skin rings with great success trough out the years, but tape those ends so they wont cut the skin. Matthew did a great job on the drum and I don't think it really needs the rings but I really like the look and Matt wanted to see how it looked so we went for it. The drum has a great tonal range and I get nothing but compliments on it and its looks when I take her out. Everyone wants to know what kind of drum it is, I tell them its a Fat conga and the usuall response is "I know but who made it".. Thanks for the interest

[Tumbas]

Seriously... the more I look at those fat belly drums the more I like them.

I actually like all the belly positions I have seen on drums. I have a fiberglass quinto shell... actually a requinto with an odd shape. It reminds me of the old Zim Gar fiberglass shells - straight down from the crown and then buldges out, of which this drum could be. It has been painted and it has peeled. It will make a great street drum. It would need extra long lugs.

But I'm really digging those VGA's. I love the look of the hardware and the fact that they are stainless steel is even more appealing.

Has anyone heard anything about Fat Congas? I see on their site that they are making a "New Generation" Conga. I am very curious. I really like the low profile hardware and I read that it is their original design.