congaplace.com

I was speaking to my dad and some older players and alot of the earlier drums from Cuban and caribbean had their conga drums finished in raw with slight oil for keeping the wood from drying out. Does any new modern players still perfer this? I was told the shiny outers where very conductive for the seated play and for lifting of the drums.

If you look at some of the older players photos or alot of the players in Cuba, you would see this.

To me it depends on the drum if it is something like a folkloric looking drum i don't want shiny but on a drum like an LP or pearl i prefer the shiny look and the protection the tough lacquer finish provides the wood.