congaplace.com

Check out what Crazy-Els got for sale, one looks like some nice requena bongos, jrs. Calis, SOS. Nice

http://shop.ebay.com/crazzy-el/m.html?_ ... ksid=p4340

PC

Interesting assortment of bongos. I don't think that one is a Requena tho.

Made by Candido Requena, bongocero for the Casino De La Playa orchestra late 30's through the 40's. Requena's bongos and congas were sold through "Solis Music Store" in La Habana Vieja (old Havana). Requena made bongos and congas till the early 60's.

Dario

OK - You are the expert. I just thought they looked more like the ones made by Raul Travieso that Cuco posted a picture of.

They do look similar.
Bongos on ebay.

The ones on Ebay are Requena. Eventhough a small size bongo', they have a big "old skool" sound. I have a similar pair. Requena made his bongos out of "Cedro" wood. Vergara used Caoba and were solid pieces. Photo of my pair, now my son's.

Dario

So what's the story with the Raul Travieso bongos? The ones on e-bay do look exactly like the ones shown in the photo (raul travieso drums).
PC

Great Bongos but if you have big hands like myself they may be too small. The Sos Hembra wood looks too thin. Just my simple opinion. Also like always crazy eddie think he is selling the last Coca cola in the desert with his out of the world prices .

The SOS oak bongos wood is more than twice as thick in the body of the drum as it is in the bottom rim part. The shell is turned so there is a little shelf that the bottom rim sits on, so the bottom rim is flush with the outside of the shell. I have the same bongo, it is rock solid. By the way, new and custom made for me about 5 years ago, I paid less than half of what the starting bid is. This guy's prices are outrageous.

The 165 staring price for the cuban drums seems reasonable.
PC

yeah, high prices no doubt. The JCR is the first bongo I have ever seen with and alma! Why anyone would put an alma on a solid shell bongo is beyond me, but there it is. I wonder who put it there?

Raul Travieso was Arsenio's brother. He was a percussionist who made great campanas (cencerros), an occasional conga and bongos here and there. I met him about 20 years ago in LA with Nengue Hernandez, at the time he was on welfare and going through hardtimes. He had a Vergara tumbadora painted all black with a plant in a pot on top of it, I offered to buy it and he sold it to me. He was somewhat straight forward and said "now all of the sudden white Cubans want to play congas and bongos, I remember when they prohibited playing rumba in Cuba. Conga and bongo playing is a black Cuban thing". I didn't say anything regarding his statement, paid for the tumbadora and left. He was a very good bongocero, but was somewhat reluctant to teach his trade if you were not a black Cuban.

Dario

Interesting story, I guess some of the old school cubans felt that way, today people in Cuba are more than willing to help teach (especially por billetes verdes), but I think the story of Arsenio, and it seems like his cousin as well, are truly sad. Sounds like the guy was a bit bitter.
PC

POST REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR

Another interesting story! I think I'm going to try to buy that Cuban bongo - unless the bidding goes crazy. I sure don't "need" it. Don't want go into a bidding war with anyone else here.

I also saw that Markito - Fidelseyeglasses - put his Junior bongo on Ebay. At least we know that one is no copy. Good price too.