Sound comparison of 3 Congas - can you guess them right?

[Mike]

Hey,
a friend of mine has just visited me with his set of two very nice congas, and while
we were jamming yesterday, he came up with an idea: 3 sets of congas,
one player - can one actually spot the differences between the drums´sound?

How about a little quiz then:

Late at night, we recorded 3 different set of congas tuned at almost the same pitch,
on the same location with the same microphone and the same distance
- so I believe you can really compare the sounds.
You hear roughly the same arbitrary stuff (random patterns etc) on each conga & tumba set.
Towards the end of each track there is only the conga with the microphone a bit closer to bring
out its characteristics.

Now please comment:

a) What is the unique sound of each set ?

b) Which one do you like best ?

c) What do you reckon the brand could be ?


And here are the tracks:

#1
https://www.dropbox.com/s/65xjyc67xy47zm6/No.%201.wav

#2
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jg8ktrnxlivbt95/No.%202.wav

#3
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ctkinkkmyp4iur3/No.%203.wav


ENJOY and GOOD LUCK !

P.S.. The metallic ringing you sometimes hear is entirely due to a resonant LP cowbell
my timbales set that stood nearby, I forgot to eliminate that. The rest of the recording
is totally unprocessed, just a wav-recording with an H2 Zoom.

[Mike]

And here is a quick side-to-side comparison of the open tones of the three sets one after the other
in one audio file, in above order:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h2k0f5546hjk63f/All%203.wav

SOlution to follow later - after some wild guesses that will pour in (hopefully)

[CongaTick]

Though not done under your exacting conditions....

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8415&p=77939&hilit=congatick#p77939

Nice job, btw. Always appreciate pushing the limits of our most valuable instruments: those funny, flappy things on either side of our head.

[Mike]

Always appreciate pushing the limits of our most valuable instruments: those funny, flappy things on either side of our head.

I like that!

Well, to be honest, identifying no. 1 and 2 on my list are much more difficult to figure than clip #3
which is a famous conga brand...

But of course, the skins make all the difference. Only conga set #2 has its original skins on.

[RitmoBoricua]

To my ears they all sound about the same
perhaps because is the same player and the
tuning of the drums is a little bit on the flat
side.

[RitmoBoricua]

To my ears they all sound about the same
perhaps because is the same player and the
tuning of the drums is a little bit on the flat
side.

[Mike]

Well-spotted, RitmoBoricua!

It is not without a reason that the tuning is a bit on the flat side (due to different head sizes)
and that the congas sound partly similar. Builder of #2 emulated somewhat #3.
That said, the drums always sound slightly different when you actually play them!

Anyway, here is the solution:

#1
Meinl Woodcraft 11.75 and 12.5" oak set with thick skins

#2
Reiche congas, 11 & 11.75, the sound (and
also the shape) is close to

#3
my Vintage Gon Bops, 11 & 11.5" size. Driest of the congas IMO.

SO, that was the unveiling...
Was anyone close to the a right guess?

[Mike]

To the Reiche drums: they sound really great.

Note the sit-down stands, they come in handy, you can even place
them upside down on the bottom of the shells when you want to
put into a bag for transport.
And those stands do not only enhance the projection, but facilitate
playing those babies on "difficult" surfaces (lawn, uneven ground, stony beach, etc.)

But best of all is the sound of those fantastic skins as well as the look of the mahogany.
Love them.

[Kaban]

Nice drums indeed, I will listen to the clips later tonight. Where are those drums made?

[KING CONGA]

Nice drums indeed, I will listen to the clips later tonight. Where are those drums made?

Those are some beautiful congas, the quality looks awesome too.The wood appearse to be mahogany, just like what GonBop uses.
They are German made although Im not sure if they are still being made.
Thanks for shearing Mike and congratulations
Cheers
K.C.

[Kaban]

Hey Mike,

I tried to listen to your conga comparison, but it said that it was moved or deleted! Can you please update it so I, and I am sure a few more guys, can hear your recordings. Please.

Kaban

[Mike]

Thanks everyone. Those Reiche congas are absolutely top quality, I am really enthusiastic about them.

Well, yes, as far as I kow Jost Reiche still builds his drums in the North of Germany,
here: http://www.ecosia.org/search/maps/q/38159+Vechelade

Here is his homepage http://reiche-trommelbau.de/

KC, they are made of African mahogany, unlike Gon Bops Phillipine mahogany aka Luan
Reiche choose a denser wood of medium heaviness.

[Kaban]

Really nice drums, they sound and look good.