LP vs. Toca - matador?

[oceanrod]

I tell you what my meinls exclusives are great . They give me that warm tone on the opens and a good slap . My instructor played them at a gig and they were awsome . They run about 700 a pair with stands . I'm debating wether to get the mongo signature meinls or the giovanies lp's . Or maybe even the fat congas rose wood drum ..lets see .

good luck

[Michael S]

Congabebe, I have been an Interstate Customer for years. But, belive it or not, AJ Pro Percussion beats their prices on just about everything and they carry Meinl. They are in Florida and on the web at http://www.ajpropercussion.com. Get their catalog.



Edited By Michael S on Mar. 05 2003 at 18:43

[congabebe]

Hi Michael,
Funny you should mention AJ. Yes, I know all about Aj's, that is were I got my Toca Premieres. He had them on Ebay the set was $350 buy it now. I had looked at all the ebay congas and that was the bigger size drums and closer to my budget. I wanted the Matadors that Dr Cluck sells (another ebay dealer), they were $499, no stand. And Like you pointed out most of the common choices are LP Aspire and they are 10 and 11 or the Toca student models. I went for the larger congas. I have called AJ on some other stuff. He runs a great business to order from. I was going to get my Tumba from him. Interstate was within 10 to 20 dollars of what his price was. Musicians friend didn't sell them at all. I went to the Memphis drum shop and they matched the price. But, now that I have more experience. I wish I had gotten wood congas. I just mentioned Interstate because they have such a variety to look at. AJ sells LP, Meinl and some Toca. I watch his ebay listings all the time. He has a set of Red Meinl (3 congas), he puts on ebay all the time, great deal. Unfortunately, I got to just get the rings made and get new real skin heads for mine and I am set. My congas have good tone, they are good, but the synthetic heads are not the sound I want.

Thanks for your comments.
Peace,
Congabebe

[congabebe]

I have to add. I sat in one night with a quartet: singer, bass, keyboard and congas all jazz stuff. It was great. The conga player had a set of wood Afro congas with the gold rims. Beautiful. Afro was made by Pearl. Now, I can say I have touched some real Pearls, no pun intended. Great sound filled the room, the singer actually was worried they were too loud. I didn't have to hit them hard at all. No mics in a room full of people. It was not like a club, so you didn't really need alot of amphilcation. But the point is they were warm and carried the hall very well. Johnnyconga is right, Pearls are great.

Chow,
congabebe

[Michael S]

The more I hear about Pearl, the better they sound. I, too, have Toca drums, the Traditional Series. I have lost some of my enchantment with them over the last couple of years. I guess I was so excited to move up from Aspires. I do think they're fairly nice drums, though; I'm just looking for a different sound and look now, I guess. I thought about Pearl when they came out with that beautiful Tropical blue finish and the brushed steel hardware but was not able to play them anywhere and was not going to buy on looks alone.
I have the opportunity to jam with my son's band and it's genre could best be described as Acid Jazz/Dance Mix (guitar, bass, drums, tenor sax, and turntables). They are fine young musicians with a loving local fan base and I guess I'm a bit intimidated by them. They are a jam band and I am not confident I will be creative enough for them. But the guitar player keeps asking me to sit in. It will be a thrill for me if I could pull it off. ???
Incidentally, I gave up on Musicians Friend long ago. They seldom have the best prices. They are the mail order division of Guitar Center, you know. BTW, Guitar Center publically guarantees the world's best prices; if you take a quoted price from any other place, including AJ's or Interstate they will match it. I KNOW there's got to be a Guitar Center in Memphis! You pay tax but not shipping and you get what you want immediately.

[congabebe]

I have heard good things about the Traditional series. As far as ordering online. I have found that I like going to the Memphis drum shop enough to haggle alittle over the price. When I first went in, I have to admit, they had the Aspires marked at $420?, I didn't even ask at that point. My loss, they would have probably come down and I didn't know that at the time. The competition among Music stores in Memphis is fierce. Especially when Mars music moved into town. But they left as soon as they got here... bankruptcy. It has been all over the web. Anyway, it is a great drum shop, they really have a fine selection. Check them out on the web wwwmemphisdrumshoppe.com, I think that's it. The point is if you can go locally, support the local store. They will usually not want to loose a potential sale to the internet. Turns out AJ knows the guy that owns the Memphis drum shop, so although he didn't say, I am sure it irritated him, that AJ beat him out of a sale. I have been very happy with them.

I know shopping around and looking for the lowest price helps when haggling, but if you can deal with a person face to face there is alot to be gained from that. They have been very helpful on many occasions.

Peace,
congabebe

[Juancao]

Hey is anybody familiar with Caribbean Rhythms congas? I have not had a chance to play them I have only seen them on the internet. I am interested in finding out more about them because I am thinking about making a purchase. So if anybody owns a pair or has even just played them at the store I would appreciate some feedback.
I am also interested in a review of Bushman congas and Bauer congas. I have heard some really good things about Bauer but it seems like not that many people play them. I have played the Bushman congas and they were nice, but I only played them for a few minutes.
I know there is a lot of experience in this club so if y'all could help me out I would appreciate it. Thanks
Juancao

[Simon B]

Bauer make fantastic hand-drums. I have a pair of their Classic bongos and these are super-crisp; the congas I have not played but know many people who swear by them over anything else, including LP.

Simon B