congaplace.com

Hi guys,

I'm shopping for my first set of congas, and came across this deal on Mars Music's web site:

http://www.marsmusic.com/store....GE=true

It's a set of two LP congas, 11' and 11 3/4', made of Siam Oak, with Water Buffalo heads. There's also a free set of bongos thrown in.

What do you all think of this? Too good to be true, or a must-have for a beginner like myself? The thing is, I'm shopping from Australia, and congas are as rare as hens teeth down here. Very hard to find at a low price.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Chelsea

Hi!
I´ve only read about the LP FUegos, but they seem to be alright.
They were created as just another kind of conga, although they are said to be something like a cross-breed of Matador, LP Classics and COsmic -hmmm, I guess they´re alright, at least the price is... So you won´t expect chicken shit for your money...

Hi cChelsea....well I guess it would be better than trying to find "hens teeth" huh?.....never heard that one before...It sounds like a good deal to me. Shipping might hurt you a little in the pocket so chek that out too!.. I don't know a thing about the "fuego" model..Marty just keeps pumping drums with different names out there......At your Service...JC JOHNNY CONGA...PS MIKE DID YOU SAY THE WORD SHIT? HAHAHAHAHAH... WHO GETS TO CENSOR YOU? HAHHAHAHAHAHA

HEY SINCE WHEN DID LP START DISTRIBUTING MEINELS? ANYBODY KNOW?...I just looked at the site Chelsea showed and they have Meinels with LPs....JC JOHNNY CONGA.....AND WHY?

That site is a Mars Music site, not an LP site, eh? It looks like the Fuego's are branded specifically for Mars--meaning you can't find them at the LP site, or anywhere else.

Mars has enough product move thru their site that manufacturers do this--MXL microphones has also done it with a model only available at Mars



Edited By Bongo Boy on Sep. 03 2002 at 19:02

Ok, my suggestion is look at musiciansfriend.com I have shopped and shopped and musiciansfriend beats all on price. You want LP or Toca, they got great deals on both. You want to really get some good deals, ebay.com. Save up about 600 and you can get some LP matadors, sometimes 3 drums at that price, depending on new/used/etc. I got mine off ebay. Watch for history on vendors, most of the ones that have been selling on ebay are percussion type shops and have good reputations. I have found the smaller drums 10 and 11, are Players Series=Toca, or Aspire=LP. They will run from 200 to 300, depending on vendor. The larger drums 11 and 113/4, are going to be 300 to 600 depending on new or used and LP is always alittle higher than Toca. Just about all the people on the forum prefer wood and skin, that gives the warmer sound. I have fiberglass and synthetic heads, they are loud and have a ring to them. I have Toca Premier and they are like the ones you are looking at Mars. I have checked them out at the local Mars store. If I could do it again, I would say go for the Wood type of drum. They have some LP's on Musicians friend for 250 to 270 (stand included with chrome confort curve), price depending on color. They will ship free if purchase over 199 right now. Or they have a set of wood Toca's with free bongos for 419. ... That's my 2 cents. Take your time there are some good deals out there if you are patient.

Happy shopping,
Congabebe

Well, the price went quickly up on the LP Fuego set - it was $399 US and is now $470.

After much deliberation, I've decided to go with a LP Matador conga and tumba in wood.

Here's another question for you guys - are the heads on the Matadors pretty good to start with, or do you recommend upgrading?

Chelsea

Hola Chelsea, hope all is well! The heads on the Matador's are OK to start with. Did you check out the Meinl Marathon Exclusive series drums. They are very nice, with lots of professional features on them. I have seen many top players using Marathon Exclusive drums.

Hope this helps!

Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

Hi tamboricua, thanks for your suggestion. Are the Meinl Marathon Exclusive series around the same price as the LP Matadors? They might be a bit beyond my budget, otherwise.

Thanks for your suggestion too, congabebe! Unfortunately, musiciansfriend.com don't ship to Australia, so they tell me.

Chelsea

Hola Chelsea, hope all is well! Yes, the Meinl Marathon Exclusive series drums are in the same price range as the LP Matadors. Take a look at the Marsmusic link you did post
previously.



Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

Wow, I'm very impressed with the Meinl Marathon Exclusive drums! I went into my local drum shop last night, and after looking at Matadors for 1/2 an hour, came across a set of Meinls that the shop attendant actually had in the back room on layby for himself. (These ones had been signed by Louis Conte - he's the percussionist for Madonna, isn't he?)

Anyway, the attendant let me play them for a while, and I fell in love with them! They had a lovely full tone, and seemed to fit my hands nicely. Plus, the price is right, they're actually HALF the price of the Matadors, with a special deal that's on in that store at the moment.

Only downside - they're so popular, they're on a four-week waiting list. So, I've ordered them, and will get my first set of congas in 4 weeks!

Thanks very much for your input guys!

Chelsea