More conga questions

[conguera2]

Back in June I posted about wanting to buy a Pearl Primero Pro oak conga and tumba set the version with the 11 3/4 and 12 1/2 inch heads. Now I've finally saved up the money, but I have a few questions before I order them.

Has anyone ever used instrumentpro.com before and how was their experience with them ? The congas come in three different colors Natural, Carbon vapor which appears to be a grey color that fades into black, and Midnight fade which on some sites appears purple but on other sites appears blue. My other question is as far as resale value goes would it be best to buy the Natural color ? I don't know if the majority of people tend to like natural wood colored congas the best. I also like the midnight fade color if it's purple, but I don't like the pictures I've seen where it's blue. If anyone has seen these congas in person and could tell me what color the midnight fade congas really are I'd appreciate it.

Lastly I have a really small room and there is nowhere else in the house that I could put my congas, so I'm wondering if it would be bad for the drums if I had to move them in and out of my closet whenever I need to use them. We are in the process of getting our basement finished so that it is no longer wet and eventually I should be able to house my congas there, but until then would it be alright if I had to move them daily ?

I'd still really appreciate hearing from anyone who owns these or has played them. If you have used them please let me know your opinion. Thanks in advance for your answers.

[doctor bloor]

I've used Instrumentpro before without any difficulties--their prices seem to be as good as anyone else's, and the shipping was fine. Right now they have a 5% off any purchase offer going (coupon code AFF01 or AFF04, I think); occasionally, they have 10% off promos.

Moving the congas around the house on a daily basis won't be a problem--detune (but you knew that anyways), and handle with care. They're meant to be played, of course, but that first ding...

I don't know about Pearl's colors, but speaking only for myself I'd bite on natural over snazzy fades every time.

[conguera2]

Thanks for the quick response doctorbloor. I was kind of leaning towards the natural color anyway because I wasn't sure what the midnight fade would end up looking like and now I'm positive I'm going to go with natural.

Also thanks for letting me know about the coupons for instrumentpro I found a 10 % off coupon which will bring the price down from $359 to $323.10. That means I save $35.90 and I get free shipping on top of that.

One more question originally I was planning on getting either LP conga feet or Pearl Reso Plates because I'm on a really tight budget and I can't afford stands. Today I read that most people weren't satisfied with the conga feet and I figured it migh be cheaper to just go to Home Depot and have them cut me some wood instead of buying reso plates. Would that be a better idea ? Thanks again.

[Congadelica]

Hey Coguera2,

Sounds like you got a nice set of Tumbas coming soon. nice one .

I have a set of the LP rubber feet and I had some circular mdf cut which helped them to stand a little more solid , I thought with just the rubber alone the tones were a little off .
But thats maybe me who knows. I do know that now they work great .
So mr martin cohen @ LP please upgrade your low end stands with circular plates included .
I think it was Jim who gave us the tip . all credit to him..

Enjoy your new babies ,n be sure to post some pics some of us guys like the eye candy

marco

[Joseph]

Read the "LP Rubber Feet" Topic for some insight.

http://www.mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3312

From the old forum, some of the pics that were displayed in posts now only show up as attachment links on the bottom of relevant posts, so you have to click on them to see photos.
Maybe you'll get some low budget ideas there.

Regards,
~Joseph

[bongosnotbombs]

Stands aren't really necessary for playing congas. There's nothing wrong with them,
seated playing is just as good.
If your on a tight budget, skip the stands, just one less thing to worry about
and pay for.

[Joseph]

If your on a tight budget, skip the stands, just one less thing to worry about
and pay for.

Idea of the week....Simplicity itself!
Bravo!

[vinnieL]

Great advice has been given already. There is no problem with moving them around you just have to be careful (if your picky) not to bang them around on stuff if you want to keep them pristine. Play seated save your money for now later on if you still have a desire to play standing then go for it.

[conguera2]

Thanks for the answers everybody. I'm hoping I'll be able to order my congas some time this month. I just want to finish up doing all my research to make sure I make a decision I won't regret. But how can you really beat getting two traditional sized congas for under $350 ?

I guess I'm just going to try to find some wood at a hardware store, so I can play on the rug in my room. I wasn't really too concerned about playing with stands anyway because they would just take up more room that I don't really have.

I'm in the process of buying a digital camera, but once I get one and I have my congas I'll be sure to post pictures. I'm so glad I found this site you definitely have a wealth of information that I couldn't find anywhere else. Thanks again.

[CongaTick]

Conguera,

...and lastly --don't worry about resale value-- love and play these tubs as if they are first, last and only congas you'll ever have.