Caribbean Rhythms Jungle Congas - Worth buying?

[Chuman]

I'm looking at buying one of the Tumbas to go with my Meinl Marathons.
The prices seem to be really good, but I'm concerned about the quality and the availability of replacement heads.

Any information is greatly appreciated

[pcastag]

They are a bit rustic, however, they'll sound better than anything in that price range. I've got a set of dominican congas made from the same artisans, the wood is really heavy oak, something you don't find on today's thailand production drums, the bearing edges and hardware are not super though, but the sound is nice and traditional. You'll probably have to tuck your own skins to replace them , although the skins they come with are pretty thick. You can get them at music 123 pretty darn cheap right now.
PC

[Chuman]

Thank you.
They are very inexpensive at several outlets

[akdom]

Hi

I had a set of marathon series for years... I loved them.

Of course, when I changed, I had a different opinion, but these drums are great to start, they will give you everything you need from congas.


B

[Master2987]

Stay away from the Jungle Congas!

I bought 2 from Music123 about 2 months ago for a class I am taking, for about $130 each.

I have a set of LP Classics, but did not want to take those to class...transportation is a b-i-t-c-h.

Anyway, what a BIG Letdown those Caribbean Rhythms jungle congas were. First of all, the heads were so crappy, they even had hair about 1" long in several spots. The sizes were also way off. Don't go by what you read, because that brand has no standard. The tumba for example, had a head diameter of about 11". Lastly, they smelled so bad...like charcoal.

In summary: Very cheap but very crappy. You get what you pay for. [B]

[Chuman]

Thanks

I had heard they were discontinued and thought it might be a bargain. But it sounds like not!

I appeciate the input!

[pcastag]

Have to disagree. the drums are rustic, the reason they smell of charcoal is that they are made the traditional way, from rum barrels, just like the original tumbadoras were in Cuba. The heads are dominican cow, yes they may still have hair ( I changed mine out) but they sound fine. Everybody today has become so accustomed to mass produced instruments they forgot that congas were once made by people taking apart rum barrels, cutting down the slats, putting them back together and then putting skins on them. that is how these drums are made. The sound (IMHO) is MUCH better than anything you will get for a hundred bucks a drum. The options are some rubberwood ply drum from the same factory in thailand as every other mass produced conga on the planet. I have a set of skin on skins, a set of matadors I use in my classes at school , an old toca, and a set of dominican drums. I think the dominican drums are my second best sounding set of drums, next to my skin on skin. Just my opinion. If you want something perfect don't get them.
PC

[OLSONGO]

The jungle drums sure are rustic, I had a friend who used to import them from D.R. he explained how the drums were made, and the people that made them. Yes they are made from barrels, but be careful the glue is of low quality,very uneven and rough sanding all around, look out for gouges in the wood they may be filled with colored soap, and depending on the artisan you may get some second grade cow skin. I know that you don't pay much for the drum, but crafstmanship is crafstmanship, no excuses.

[caballoballo]

As Pcastag said,the options are some rubberwood ply drum from the same factory in thailand as every other mass produced conga on the planet. Buying one of those mass produce is like buying a one size fits all same color shirt because it does not matter which brand it is,is made by the same people and with the same cheap materials. Like I always have stated,I rather pay for a quality hand made instrument than to buy more of the same from Asia. Lo Barato sale caro.



Edited By caballoballo on 1150804632

[Master2987]

I agree with some of your points, however, the Caribbean Jungle Congas, which are the topic here, are junk. I bought them thinking it was a good deal. I returned them the same day. They were of very, very poor quality. I would not keep them even if they were free...you just had to see them.

And on the Mass-produced topic you bring up...
Yes, they are all made in Asia, possibly in the same factory, possibly by the same people, and so on. But I just don't see how that is such a bad thing. I have had to replace a few things on a pinch like tuning-lugs and a handle, and skins, and guess what? 5 minutes away there was a store that sold them. Try doing that with custom drums.

Besides, most of the top players play/endorse massed-produced drums. If those drums were that bad, would Gio, Anga, and all the others still play them?

[OLSONGO]

Master,If you would get your drums for free wouldn't you play them ? Anyways there is all kind of drums across the board, all kinds; so is up to the individual on what he wants and as always what can you afford. And I always say, on good drums... is not that they are expensive, you justa have to make more money.
Recently I saw some congas on Motherland Music, made out of one piece of wood, looks like red cedar ( the wood prefered to make batas) just like Del Cielos, with less metal on the hardware and for half the price. Does anyone know about this congas ? just by all of the characteristics they seem sweet.
Paz, OLSONGO

[pcastag]

I agree with some of your points, however, the Caribbean Jungle Congas, which are the topic here, are junk. I bought them thinking it was a good deal. I returned them the same day. They were of very, very poor quality. I would not keep them even if they were free...you just had to see them.

And on the Mass-produced topic you bring up...
Yes, they are all made in Asia, possibly in the same factory, possibly by the same people, and so on. But I just don't see how that is such a bad thing. I have had to replace a few things on a pinch like tuning-lugs and a handle, and skins, and guess what? 5 minutes away there was a store that sold them. Try doing that with custom drums.

Besides, most of the top players play/endorse massed-produced drums. If those drums were that bad, would Gio, Anga, and all the others still play them?

I think the top of the line mass produced drums are fine, but the 100.00 a drum stuff? Pure junk. Some of them are actually made of ply wood! That was the whole point of the thread. For 100.00 , was one of the caribbean rhythms drums worth it. My point was yes, I would put a new head and tuning lugs on ( total cost 45.00) and voila, a great sounding drum, the quality of the oak wood is much better than anything you could get in that price range.
PC

[caballoballo]

My Friend Master. Like Olsongo stated,they get their drums for free. We have to buy our own,so do you think we can afford to buy stuff that will not last ? That is the reason I buy hand made instruments from respectful craftsmans or artisans,in this case Bongos (Moperc,El Piernas) ,the hardware is of top quality steel & the Skins are either Cowhide,Steer hide or Mule,not water Buffalo,also the Wood is true aged and of better quality. I have never have to replace any tunning lugs,do good maintenance on them so you do not have to replace,skins,on my Bongos I mount my own, I either use mule skin or steer hide on the Hembra,for the Macho I use Fyberskin. Do you think those rubber wood plantation in Thailand are harvest to their mature state ? They called siam oak but it is not Oak,the scientific name is hevea brasillensis. Do some research on that wood and see if it compare to Mahogany,American Red Oak, American Ash or some other South American exotic wood. Ahi nos vemos my Brother



Edited By caballoballo on 1150996356

[bongoron]

There are different perspectives on any subject. Many times, the level of dedication to the music is the primary reason for choosing the instrument, but not always. Research on musicians like Glenn Campbell, and many notable othes shows they were forced to learn on what they couild afford, and that's that. I fall into that category myself. I would play it if it had splinters coming out the sides if it was all I could afford. dedication to the muisic and available budget often combine to produce some great music. That, to me, is better thatn having the combination of high dedication and low income produce no music at all due to lack of instruments...waiting for the money that never comes to buy more expensive stuff. There has been much discussion here about muleskins...I have yet to try them. I won't until my heads really sound bad...they don't, so I press on. I have cheapo drums. I play in two bands...church and our own band playing Christian rock. My cheapo drums add a dimension our whole band appreciates, and so do our fans. The music benefits, even though the equipment is cheaP.
I am currently making tiny headset microphones for us to save the money we would have to spend on isomax mikes and further improve our stage presence and sound quality. I guess we all agree to disagree. Good, cheap, it's all relative.

God bless!

-Ron

[OLSONGO]

Bongoron , I know about the economics thing; but that is a condition that only oneself is responsible for.
Chipo drums sound chipo and good drums sound good, thats all there is to it. Now knowing the difference is another thing.
You can always go to the backwoods and cut your exotic wood and make your own drum, like they do in Africa.

Paz OLSONGO