Manufacturers, brands, skins, maintenance, stands, sticks, michrophones and other accessories for congueros can be discussed into this forum ...... leave your experience or express your doubts!
I just picked up an old gon bops requinto with a wood inlayed band! I love the look of the inlayed wood and really want to get the rest of the set. Does anyone know the name of this model of gon bops? Or anyone know someone selling a conga or tumba from this model line?
Check with Jaisen Torres. I believe he has just the drum for you, a Conga size Gon Bops with the inlay in the center to match your Quinto perfectly. Contact him as soon as you can since Jaisen sometimes wheels and deals rather quickly.
The inlaid wood band Gon Bops, in my opinion, are the nicest Gon Bops made, an original and unique design I have not seen done by any other drum manufacturer. The Breeze has mine now, a great drum. I like them with the international hardware. The "tear drop" hardware is just as nice. I seem to recall the inlaid band also being available with the tear drop hardware, but I'm not 100% certain. I don't think they were made with the more budget "Voodoo" hardware.
I have one of these congas myself, but the band is in rough shape. It must have started to peel away and break at one point, because it is held in place with drywall screws and some unidentified adhesive. To top that off the whole drum is painted black and in need of other attention. Still sounds fantastic, though.
This will eventually be a repair project when I have the time. I have heard that making a replacement band would require steam-bending equipment that only your boutique conga makers have access to. Any second opinions? Has anyone attempted this kind of fix?
Heres a photo of my oak banded GBs I have had them for a while now no troubles with bands but I keep my drums in rotation as to not over burden any set. I sold several other GBs over the years but have kept these a fiberglass coated set they are tough and ugly for the park and beach rumbas and a mahogany set I picked up in 78 in San Francisco or Oakland over 30 yrs who can remember. 9 1/4 requinto which I used as a conga and a 11 inch conga great sounds out of both of them