by 120decibels » Fri Aug 09, 2002 12:36 pm
jbotz5,
I believe that LP replaced thier entry level CP (Cosmic Percussion) line of congas with the LP Aspire line two or three years ago. I have a CP conga and Aspire Tumba that I started on and now use for teaching, drunken bar gigs, etc. They are essentially the same drum. All the hardware is the same, the drum quality is the same, etc. I think that the only CP conga that they still make is the "Ricardo" conga.
If I were in your shoes, I would buy the CP congas and invest in some new, higher quality heads for them. I found the CP/Aspire heads very thin and therefore full of nasty overtones.
Good Luck. Both sets are good for beginners on a budget. If you get into it, though, you'll probably want to upgrade fairly quickly. I bought a set of LP Classics after about a year with one CP conga. They were expensive, but you get what you pay for.
I hope that this helps. Enjoy!
120dB