Mariano Series Reissue

[Marcus]

Best of NAMM for 2011. Looks great. Has cow skin rather and water buffalo. Powder coated hardware so save $$. A fruitwood body eventhough it is a plywood. I can eat fruit but not rubber sap. Looks really classic and I like the shape. Now the $10K question----How does it sound? Overtones/ringing.

Was this issues in europe first? They are avaliable through mail order but I just can not purchase a set of drums without playing first so I would need to fly to a store that carries them on the floor.

Is there any actual experience on the these drums from forum members?

thx, marcus

[ABAKUA]

Oak body, good hardware, decent skins... Sounds like you cant go wrong. Best of NAMM ey, good to see it going to a traditional/authentic style drum.




Cant wait to test drive them and review once they arrive to our distributor.

[ABAKUA]

http://www.bestofnamm.com/products/view/mariano-series-congas

[Ernesto Pediangco]

Although I have been critical of the new Gon Bops company for pushing many inferior products ( not all ) and having some lame design issues which do not elevate GB to equal par with other established brand names & models, these New Marianos are in many ways superior to older Gon Bops ! The dbl ply wood staves are stronger than solid staves & are not prone to cracking through the drum as solid staves will do in the wood grain. These woods are a great alternative to other softer woods on many drums & I prefer them to soft mahogany which scratch & dent easily. These Gon Bops, have had corrections to the side plate which is on par to any Asian made drum w/ a similar U shaped saddle welded ( not riveted to the side plate. Superior in design to old Gon Bops & Valje or even Skin on Skin & Ritmos Studio side plate lugs. The basic crown rim is a proven & dependable design and the steel bands are superior to old Gon Bop aluminium bands. The heads are cow hide and will sound traditional and warm, not dry and ringy like bison heads of same thickness and will last longer ( in my experience ). I do not like the big brand badges though ( so cheesy ) and all the drum companies are to damned cheap to include a good & simple protective bumper on the metal parts on the shell hard wares ( most damage to shells are from theses hard wares banging the adjacent drums ~ some thing Gon Bops should already realize ! The stands are something I'd expect to see immature players using ! They are not worth the cost for what they do. I would expect GB to at least add a protective rubber or similar material as a bumper on the foot of the drum which protects the drums bottom edge the floors as well as helping the drum resonate. The drum is 10% better than old Gon Bops Mariano Model but still locked in flawed design considering what other drums already have ( protective bumpers etc ). I would rather play these than the hyped up pro models that are built for looks , not for sound ~ any way. The top line drums from many companies are just over built, heavy and using lame heads. These Mariano model drums are by far a better value ! As with any conga drum, the care & maintenance determines long time beauty & functionality. If you do not care for a drum, it will devalue & get messed up any way. Save your $$$ and get these utilitarian good looking & good sounding drums ! HOWEVER ~ the bongos are still the same old flawed design that tends to crack at the area where the separator block bolts to a very thin weal shell. Gin bops shell design is weak, flexes out of round & is prone to cracking. This was true w/ thinner heads from the old days & now w/ thicker bongo heads & higher torque plastic heads in use, these bongos are not up to par. Old designs = old design flaws !

[PRDRconguero]

They are not available yet but what's the damage gonna be for these? If it's going to be the normal rip-off prices the mass-produced brands rape us for, I'd rather go with one of our small trusted makers.

[ABAKUA]

They are not available yet but what's the damage gonna be for these? If it's going to be the normal rip-off prices the mass-produced brands rape us for, I'd rather go with one of our small trusted makers.

Already on the market it looks like... However no price on their version of a quinto, I think its 10.5"

Gon Bops Mariano MB1150 11.50" Conga
Price: $419.00

Gon Bops Mariano MB1225 12.25" Tumba
Price: $449.00

Gon Bops Mariano MB1325 13.25" Super Tumba
Price: $469.00

http://www.percussionsource.com/p1000817-world-drums/pp1030e-congas/gon-bops-mariano-series-congas.htm





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[Johnny Salinas]

I never cared for any of the new gon bops, but these got me interested. Musicians friend says they'll ship in 40 days http://drums-percussion.musiciansfriend ... sku=H70829

[Marcus]

I do believe that the wood is not siam oak but a fruit wood. Not sure that makes much difference in sound but it does show Gon Bops is leading the way to find other woods rather than just using the rubber tree wood. I am not sure of the statement below that the wood is closest to Philippine Mahogany. Certainly different woods will reproduce differently. There are so many woods in the world. I like the feel that a fruitwood is being used--seems a bit more organic.

Yet in the end, I am not just going to purchase without playing them first. Seems like sales would increase significantly if they go on the road and display the product at various venues around the USA and world.

...marcus


"Harvested from old, non-producing fruit trees that are immediately replanted, Durian wood is a sustainable resource. Durian fruit tree wood was also determined to be the closest match to the performance qualities of Philippine Mahogany (Luan), originally used by Mariano for his signature line."

[PRDRconguero]

Gon Bops Mariano MB1150 11.50" Conga
Price: $419.00

Gon Bops Mariano MB1225 12.25" Tumba
Price: $449.00

Gon Bops Mariano MB1325 13.25" Super Tumba
Price: $469.00

.

Not too horrendous, thanks.

[Marcus]

In talking with Rhythm Traders in Portland, Oregon--I found out that the skins are being headed in California at the Gon Bops factory. They called it "steer" and I guess that is another name for "Latin Cow". Most likely a by-product of the Latin and South American cattle industry. So either the shells come in from thailand with a standard waterbuffalo attached for shell support or they come in without heads. Regardless--looks like a definite step-up from the mass produced water buffalo skins--poor animal to be eulogized that way. As my level of playing expertise is nearing intermediate, I see these drums as a very good match for many years to come--if they are void of ringing and overtones.

[Marcus]

I heard from Sabian that the Mariano Series congas are in a warehouse in Marshfield. A Google search shows a Marshfield near Boston which makes sense for an import from Asia. The Sabian representative was unsure why they are not available on the West Coast. Gon Bops web page does not mention this new product and word of mouth does not seem to be working as there are no reviews, no actual forum discussions about a new product. No one knows anything. Just a NAMM showing and lots of mail order offerings and some great pictures.

I heard that these congas were being heading in California but now that sure seems suspect.

Boy, bringing on a new product in a recession without marketing, without reviews, without even a seemingly unbiased endorsement. I would think Sabian would go on the road and visit percussion stores showing their top lines and advertise where they are going to be on their web page—at the very least.

I just don’t get it.

…Marcus

[Marcus]

Got a call from Rhythm Traders and they do have a set of the reissued mariano series congas--just arrived. Said they may go fast. So they are indeed reaching the percussion stores. Don't have the time to travel to Portland until May or June so hoping that others will provide some reviews.

thx, marcus

[willie55]

rhythm traders posted photos on FACEBOOK page of the new Mariano Congas

[Marcus]

very subtle and easy on the eyes. But do they rock!

[Tumbao]

Saw these at Rhythm Traders yesterday and they definitely caught my eye. They are made of durian wood (Marcus is right--durian is a SE Asian fruit that "tastes like heaven and smells like hell"). No idea how they sound, however.