Cuban Heat Up Bongos: Real instrument, or just souvenir?

[OmarFuzz]

Hello all,

So I just bought Marlon Brando's bongos...well, not his exact pair but a pair that was obviously made by the same people in Cuba. As you can see from the date on Marlons set, they are from the early fifties. The only real difference is that the pair I just bought has a blue band where the head is tacked on, and Marlon's has a red band. My question is, can these be actual players or are they really just souvenirs? I have many bongos from JCR's to Palisades Park LP's, to an old solid shell Cuban set with keys by Jay Bereck, but I've never owned a set of Heat 'em Ups until now...Thanks all!

Omar

[KING CONGA]

What a gorgeous find. Congratulations. Typically tacked Bongos that are played have more tacks. The way these drums are typically tuned is that you put them over an open flame and check regularly until you obtain the desired tone. As you do this, the skin stretches and not having enough of the tack causes a separation between the skin and drum.
If you have a real itch to play these, I know I would, you might consider adding some more tacks so that the skins can hold out during tuning.
Hope this helps.
King C.

[OmarFuzz]

Thanks King C!
Yes, I don't even have them in my possesion yet and i already want to play them! I figured the same; more tacks are needed. Then I wondered if there might be more tacks underneath that decorative band? If I do add more tacks, that's probobly what I'll do; add them and then conceal them with the blue band.

Question: Since I can only imagine that these are the original heads on this bongo, I am wondering if I should dampen them, maybe spray them lightly with water before I set fire to them?? Any thoughts? Or should i simply replace them completely??

I'll let you guys know how it goes!

Omar

[Omelenko1]

You have a Candido Requena made set of bongos sold at Solis Music Store in old Habana. You can leave them as they are as a nice conversation piece or you could have Jay or Matt make hardware for them. With hardware they will sound as good as the best custom made bongos out there. Here is a photo of the Candido Requenas I had.

Dario

[OmarFuzz]

Thanks Dario!
I had an idea they may have been Requena's based on seeing several Requena's that appeared similar, yet I've never seen a Requena without keys. All I knew about this bongo as soon as I saw this set was that it was just like Marlon's so I took a chance and bought it. I guess it was the right decision! Thanks again!

Omar

[Omelenko1]

The good thing about you pair is that they are conical and about 1/2 taller than Marlon's and the one I had. With retrofitted hardware from either Matt or Jay, they will sound phenomenal. Take a look at Markito's Requena that Matt did the hardware, Makito is an awesome bongocero and he loves them Requenas. Yours is even taller than Markito's, with Matt or Jay's hardware there is no bongo' that will match it in sound. If they were mine, I will go for it, or you can also leave them as they are and think of 1940s Havana Nights with Yeyito and Mongo playing them.

Dario

[BMac]

Please excuse my skepticism in this matter.
I am no bongocero, or expert on Cuban matters, but I think the OP's bongo pair looks like a toy set.

Can you give us any dimensions ... like measurements or a picture with them next to a ruler?
How much do they weigh?

They look very small and light. The wood doesn't look like the wood in the retrofitted hardware pair shown sunbathing near the pool.

Go ahead, chastise me for my ignorance, I can take it. But a little skepticism can enrich a discussion ... and lead the OP from spending resources on a souvenir toy having its best value left as-is with its markings and signatures and such.

No disrespect intended here ... but I am often the skeptic ... and sometimes a touch of Cuban mystique blinds other eyes, in my opinion.

Cheers,
BMac

[Psych1]

I've got 2 & 1/2 Requena bongos from the Solis shop. They all are a little different. Here are pics of one. When I figure out how to use my new laptop I'll post pics of the others.

[OmarFuzz]

Dario,
Thanks for all the great info and advise! I had a good conversation with Matt yesterday and he's interrested in seeing the drum. He says retroffiting it with hardware would make these screamers! He is concerened with the fact that bacause they are tac-heads he will have to route a bottom edge for the bottom rim. He fears if the drum is weak due to its nearly 60 years of age, it may not do well on the lathe. I respect Matthew alot due to his honesty and knowledge of this amazing craft.

Bmac,
I appreciate your skeptisism and beleive me, I share in a great amount of it along with you. This is however the exact reason why I've checked in with the heavy hitters here on the forum. Guys like Dario have more knowledge in their left pinky toe that I will ever probably have about the tradition! I do however try to be an educated consumer. It didn't take much research for me justify the value of this drum. For starters I knew that it was very similar to the set owned by Marlon Brando; so after a quick Google search for an image of Brando's set I was assured that my drum was from the same maker. This alone makes it valuable to me at least and justifies my expense.
I would have however still bought the drum even if it wasn't like Brando's. You see, there are some physical characteristics that based on my own experience and knowledge identified this bongo as enough of a potential Cuban rarity for me to drop the $50.00 bucks i paid for it. There are things like the fact that in the fifties there weren't many companies in Cuba mass producing drums of any caliber be they toys or professional. So once i corroborated their origin my decision was easy. Also things like the red and black stripe patternand and the rounded top edge of the center block are classic Cuban traits. Bongos either not made in Cuba or not directly influenced by drums made in Cuba would not have these characteristics. Notice the pic I've attached of a set made here in the states by the master Jay Bereck, the similarities in decorative finishing are striking.
All this being said, I couldn't agree with you more that reasonable skeptisism is an important gear in the machine of constructive conversation, and like I said at the beginning of my thoughts, it is appreciated.

THX!
Omar

[Omelenko1]

Here is a photo of Markito's Requena with hardware made by Matt Smith. Makito claims is his favorite bongo of all. Basically the same as Omar bought, very light weight but powers a big punch when it comes to sound.

Dario

[Omelenko1]

The SOS sunbathing by the pool was mine. It now resides in California, the colored grooves was a Candido Requena inspiration. I think the present owner removed the color on the grooves.

[Omelenko1]

Here is a photo of Mangual with tack heads Requenas heating them up before playing "Nague"

[Anonimo]

POST REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR

[BMac]

Interesting, we have here a vintage picture of a bongocero caught in the act of heating his instrument with a candle. Cool.

So now, back to the OP's bongos, the ones with the blue bands ... are those bongos anywhere near as big as the one's being heated in the picture? The bongo being heated by the candle are what I think of as normal size. But something about the photo of the OP's bongo makes me think they are tiny. It's not just the number of tacks troubling me, it's the relative size of the tackheads as well.

Omar, can you give us dimensions? ... I'm just curious about all of this now.

Thanks!
BMac

[OmarFuzz]

Leedy2,
You're comments might be correct. I guess I won't know until I physically have the bongos in my possesion. Like you and Dario say however, how cool is it that I found a Cuban bongo obviously made by the person that made Marlon Brando's set, great conversation peice. This leads me to my next question; if both my set and Brando's set were just souvenirs, then does that mean that Requena made all levels of bongos? From professional level to souvenir level? I think most of here agree that these 'souvenir' bongos were made by Requena, no?

Bmac,
As you may have picked up by my note to Leedy2 above, I don't actually have the set in my possesion yet. They shipped out of Michigan on Tuesday and I'm in Jersey, so maybe I'll have them by tomorrow. I will definitely post full size descriptions as soon as I get them. This being said I have no reason to beleive that they are 'small'. Cuban bongos were often smaller than what we know as (and I use this next term loosly) 'standard' size. What I mean by that is I have a classic set of LP Palisades Park Gen 1 bongos that are 7.25"Macho and 9"Hembra (relatively standard size) however I have a set of 1950's solid shell Cubans with Jay Bereck hardware that are only 6.5"Macho and 8.5"Hembra, - then I have two JCR sets that are even smaller, one that Cali at JCR made for me specifically in a 'Cuban Style' that is only 6"Macho and 8"Hembra!

Regarding the photo of Mangual, yes its awesome to be able to see how the old Masters did it! He's actually using a can of Sterno! See the pic below of Jack Costanza using an electric hot plate! Very cool (or Hot) stuff!

THX! Omar