congalero wrote:Good points! When I played my Valjes back in the 70's in clubs with bands, the biggest complaint was from the bass player. My tumba, without a mic, would drowned out his bass at times. I still like the Valje drums sound. The picture Omelenko posted is the traditional Valje look with bleached skins.
My Valje tumba has a similar bass sound, which is why I love Valjes for rumba, you hit that bombo with the tumba and everyone feels the bass, super funky. The Valje tumba has more bass than any conga I have ever heard, which is why I will never sell that drum. My number one rumba ax, next to my Sol quinto.
Just to balance this thread out, my friend Taikonoatama, from this board had a set of Valjes. The previous owner said that when he took these drums to Humbolt for the Afro-Cuban camp, Los Munquitos wanted to play the Valjes all the time because they sounded better than all the rest. I've also played them, a really nice sounding set of drums.
I wouldn't say Valjes were boutique drums, they used to be all there was in California next to Gon Bops, and before LP was everywhere, though Valjes are vintage and collectible, typically a Valje sells between $300 - $500 depending on condition, with some pristine examples going higher. If one is patient, you can find them for even less.
However every drum has it's individual characteristics and unique voice. Some may prefer one drum over the other regardless of who made it.