Cuban made congas

[zumbi]

i have two contemporary cuban made tumbadoras: they carry the guanex brand, a joint venture between a small cuban factory and an italian importer.
guanex uses different kind of woods, all cuban grown, including: cedar, oak, african mahogany and local mahogany (cahoba).
yusef, that is a very nice drum and mario did an excellent job (as he always does).
peace & blessings!



Edited By zumbi on 1203459588

[randyc]

I just p/u the pair from a very nice gentleman (and a very good player as well).
They need some work, actually a lot less than I originally thought, but the sound is absolutely beyond words.
He let them go, tentatively, for $325 for the pair.
I know I got an unbelievable bargain, and his wife got her living room back so it was a win-win for both of us, more for me I think
I'll get some better pics on this thread in the next few days.

Cheers, Randy.

[zumbi]

congrats randy!
as far as i am concerned, that was the bargain of a lifetime when it comes to congas:
now i would invest in the help of a professional, michel of moperc would be my choice as he is based in canada like you, to get those jewels in the best possible conditions.
and then you can enjoy them for a lifetime...

[Omelenko]

Yusef,

That SONOC in the photo is a jewel. Just by looking at it I can tell it must sound awesome. What a great job by the guys at Isla.

Saludos, Dario.

[blango]

Pili!

That's Trevinos drum, isnt it! Believe me, it sounds as good as it looks.

Dario, sure this is a Sonoc? ive seen a similar drum made of oak, like the one that started this thread, but the same shape as the one isla rebuilt for trevino, and i was told it was made by an artisan in Santiago de Cuba. Its Flaco's drum, Ill have to ask him again who made it. He got it in Cuba on his last trip, so i believe he does know where it was made.

Was this the early Sonoc hardware? The staves in the oak drum i played were carved, not bent, and it had an alma.

Tony



Edited By blango on 1203548904

[Omelenko]

In the late 30's in Cuba the main conga and bongo' maker was Candido Requena, he was a bongocero with Casino De La Playa. Requena continued making congas and bongos up to the late 50's and they wer sold through Solis Music Store in Havana.

In the late 40's and up to the early 60's Gonzalo Vergara and his brother came into the picture with bongos and congas. The Stradivarious of all congas has to be the Vergara as far as sound. Mongo played them for over 40 yrs. and then could not find a conga that pleased him.

In the late 60's till today, with interruptions in between, SONOC has been the premier conga in Cuba, with the ones made out of Cahoba being the best, they also made oak congas and they sounded good.

In conga excellence, the Vergara is considered the optimal and has served as a yardstick for Junior Tirado, Ismael,SONOCS, Pan Con Queso, Skin on Skin, JCR, Moperc, Timbas and now Islas.

Saludos,

Dario

[bongosnotbombs]

I think SONOC carves their staves, or at least they do now?

This page has some cool photo's of the SONOC factory, and their drums.

http://www.pacifier.com/~kbweb/CUBAgallery/pages/sonocd2.htm

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... onocd2.jpg

[buckoh]

Yusef, if the metal that used to be chromed is now polished but bare, you can apply Renaissance Wax to protect it. Its a micro crystalline wax polish that is petroleum based and is used for many things-protecting valuable documents, artwork, furniture, bronze statues that stay outside, etc. It has a low sheen and is easy to apply and doesn't show finger marks. It is sort of expensive; 200 ml for about 22.00. A little bit goes a long way. I've had my little can for 8 years. When its empty, add a little corn or number 8 birdshot and you have a small shaker! You can get it through woodcraft supply.com or one of their retail stores. Good luck, Buck

[ralph]

Randy....i'm glad you took the plunge, not much of a leap though $325 for two Cuban drums....fughedaboutit....deal of a lifetime bro...post some more pics so we can check them out...

[yusef33]

Dario, Thank you for your adulation. We at ISLA are committed to maintaining the traditional look and sound (TONE) of our congas and batas for the next generation. We take alot of pride in what we do because we are rumberos and folklorists for life. The sound of the (BLUES / the voice of the people) is what inspires us. Desde Norte Cali Muchisimas Gracias.......

Hey Tony, yes that is Treviño's drum. I think it sounds sweet also. Thanks for the props. Treviño is one hell of a drummer and he adores this drum. To see his reaction when he first saw his refurbished drum is the reason why I tackled this task in the first place. The result of our efforts was well worth it.

Hey Buck your assumption is correct I did polish the hardware and left the metal bare. Initially I was concerned with metal oxidation, regardless I decided to go ahead with my initial plan. It's been 2 years since the refurb as of yet the hardware has not oxidized. Thanks for the info [Renaissance Wax] this will help me immensely because I prefer my drums and hardware to have a used vintage type finish.
I will give it a try.
Yusef a.k.a. Pili



Edited By yusef33 on 1203529018

[ralph]

In the late 30's in Cuba the main conga and bongo' maker was Candido Requena, he was a bongocero with Casino De La Playa. Requena continued making congas and bongos up to the late 50's and they wer sold through Solis Music Store in Havana.

In the late 40's and up to the early 60's Gonzalo Vergara and his brother came into the picture with bongos and congas. The Stradivarious of all congas has to be the Vergara as far as sound. Mongo played them for over 40 yrs. and then could not find a conga that pleased him.

In the late 60's till today, with interruptions in between, SONOC has been the premier conga in Cuba, with the ones made out of Cahoba being the best, they also made oak congas and they sounded good.

In conga excellence, the Vergara is considered the optimal and has served as a yardstick for Junior Tirado, Ismael,SONOCS, Pan Con Queso, Skin on Skin, JCR, Moperc, Timbas and now Islas.

Saludos,

Dario

AND....Ritmo...Matthew Smith tumbador...hey Dario do you know if Vergara steam bent his staves or did he carve them?

[randyc]

Just got the Sonocs home and will need to reconfigure the 'drum room' so I can enjoy my new additions.
Will post more pics soon.

Cheers, Randy.

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... as_001.jpg

[No.2-1820]

They look in great shape, perhaps just new skins and rims if they are a bit out of shape but don't rush into anything, I ripped an old skin off of my valje quinto a couple of years ago and spent for ever trying to make it sound as good again. I like my drums to look great but ultimately it's all about the sound.

Congrats on a great score.

Barrie

[bongosnotbombs]

Those drums are looking good, I'm glad you got them.

Some guys have recommended sending the drums out to get repaired, and thats a good option.

However if the repairs needed are not too great, there's nothing better than fixing them yourself.

[AlexV]

Randyc,

Nice score! They look better in your home than they did in the other pictures. It looks like if you change the skins you should be able to get the rims much closer to the bearing edge like your lp and you can get rid of those washers lol. If those were mine I'd put some nice thick cow on all 3. The rims look to be in good shape just tuned all out of whack probably. man have fun with those!