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OK, conga forum experts...please give me your opinion if you like... on what these Volcano's are really worth in today's market. I understand there are some high priced ones out there. What I am curious about is what would be a fair price for both buyer AND seller on these? I do not own these and I am not trying to sell them, just looking for your positive feedback and opinions.

Looks like their figured Monkeypod wood series, from memory among the more expensive of their exotic woods. My personal favourite also of their wood.
The value of these drums has been discussed to death, yes they are expensive. Lets keep this clean though yeh and respect the legacy Mr Tom Alexander left behind.

Hi, I am not trying to start any further debate here really I was just curious about this particular set of drums my friend is thinking of selling.

I understand brother, just seen these discussions get way out of hand in the past. All good.
Me personally I could not justify spending more than 3.2K on the set of 4. However I know for a fact their actual price tag is well over that figure... Well over it.
Again though, if I had to choose between these and a 4 set of Matt Smiths/SOS/Moperc's, I know where my money would be going. Unfortunately, as beautiful as the Volcano's are, they are simply waaaaay outta my price range.

Hello,
I would say in my own opinion the 4 congas and the bongos would be worth around $5.000.00. Sadly not everyone can afford them. They could be worth more to a collector or to someone that wants the Volcano drums to have been built by the late Mr. Thomas Alexander. He was certainly one of the best drum builders ever. Rest In Peace. This set looks very beautiful. I would be very proud to own them. This set also judging by the logos and the hardware, is an early set built by Mr. Thomas Alexander. This info should give you a guide line. I hope this info is helpful to you. I wanted to add that I think Volcano drums are light years ahead of most drum companys as far as quality and sound. The sounds you can get from Volcano congas is nothing short of amazing. From studio sounding to bright, live and airy. The Stradivarius of congas. A totally delightful sounding drum.

Thanks very much Mike and Abakwa, you have both been very helpful and informative, much appreciated!

Definitely more than is the plastic bucket on the table

mike I got your email , this morning , I just sent you a pm on the forum...

Monkey pods new went for $800 a drum..Mango for $6 to $700(which I have), bongos for $500.oo....

Hey JC hope youre well, who gave you those prices? I have an old price list from Volcano on my old pc, Monkeypods were a couple of thousand EACH!

I know this set personally, as they belong to my friend here in Miami. I have seen and played them, they are in pristine condition with excellent heads. They are, without a doubt, beautiful drums and I think they are top of the line Volcanos. I know Volcanos are pricy, these are very desirable pieces as they were made by Mr. Alexander and they are early examples with the more traditional crowns that I prefer. The are definitely beautiful and very well built. I would estimate about $1,000 per conga and $500 for the bongos. Perhaps worth more to a collector.

Dario

Like anything else, they are worth what someone is willing to pay for them. These are tough times and people just don't have money pouring out of their pockets to buy congas for top dollar, unless of course you are one of those that are not feeling the economy pinch like most of us are. So you have plenty of Congas in your collection already? Buy these and then after they are in your house you tell yourself....." what now?"... I know!! I'll look for some other nice congas to add to these and see how long it takes to fill up one of my rooms ( like some pictures we have already seen on this forum ). Go for it if you have the money to blow, if not, be happy with what you have already.

p.s.......Ritmo, PM Percussion, Manito, SOS, all have drums that can give these a run for their money any day. These Volcanos are more like a Museum Piece, Carefull!! you don't want to scratch them!

On another note....These Volcano Rims are nothing more than a "Clone" of Valje Rims.

But how do you really feel about these congas breezy?

As far as Craftsmanship, they are definitely probably the best out there? I can only attest to one set that I saw at a friends house. the work was definitely superior quality all around. The rubber bumper protectors were small but very good quality rubber, the bottoms had a nice protective bottom rubber piece on that was done with attention to detail, the finish was excellent, and the hardware was excellent polished stainless. The wood ( not sure which kind of wood was on my friend's drums ) was very exotic beautiful looking. So as far as the drums themselves, they were really nicely done and you can see where a lot of the price goes when purchasing these drums. However.... the other side of the coin needs to be looked at..

Sound... I played these drums a little and didn't want to say anything to my friend, but I did not find the sound to be anything special. As a matter of fact, If I recall, the insides of the shells were sanded smooth, and with these very hard woods I think that this can only cause the drums to be Ringy, not at all like a nice vintage set of Mahogany Gon Bops which many people can vouch for the nice dry, warm sounds that only these earlier Gon Bops produce. I would hope that whoever owns a set of these Volcanoes will add their opinions as to how happy they are with the sounds that their drums put out and hope that they are perfectly honest about it. I just did not see the Sound quality you would expect from spending thousands of dollars on a drum. ( Very overated in my opinion for the price + sound you get for your investment ).

Sorry to all Volcano owners, but even if I won a lottery I would have no interest in buying any.

If you are just a "PURE " collector and have the money , then you won't mind buying some just to keep them looking beautiful among your fine furniture and a can of Lemon Pledge standing by to keep them looking radiant.