fiberglass or wood

[conga set and accessories]

i was thinking about getting a set of fiberglass drums, patatos
L.p congas. i want to put Remo nuskyns on them, my set up is going to be 2 congas and a tumbadora... i dont' think that i need a quinto if im going to be playing latin-jazz.. im using presently 3 wood L.p congas...quinto. conga and tumba.. what will my advantage or disadvantage be if i decide to get fiberglass congas, the setup of 2 congas and a tumba instead using the traditional set up.. of wood quinto,conga and tumba? will i be able to project more by using fiber-glass?


michaelangelo
mucho ache

[JDmonteca]

I played with potato model congas for some time for reasons you may have considered. In my opinion they don't sound as good as wood, however, they project much better (which helps alot when trying to be heard if you are not mic'd) and they are more weather resistant especially if you have synthetic heads. Temp and humidity as you know can create tuning nightmares especially in outdoor situations. One thing you might want to consider is that fiberglass drums are much heavier than wood and can make gear hauling a little more of a hassle. Alot of guys sware by fiberglass for gigging and wood/skin for recording. Seems to be a good model. I've chosen to play wood LP classics with Nuskyn heads for gigging (I use mics) and switch to hide heads for recording. It is really a matter of opinion. The fiberglass/synthetic head combination was a little to bright for me.

Hope this helps,