HR vs 3A...bongo

[b0ng0]

just curious to see which of these Colombian companies produces a better Bongo,
if know HR has more history and ive heard his older bongos are quality
3A as i understand is a newer company but they are definitley making a name for themselves..

anyone has any input/experience?

[caballoballo]

I own both of them and both provide the authentic old school sound. Also both come ready to play with no skins to change. Both of them were musicians so they know how a Bongó should sound .

[b0ng0]

thanks for ur insight caballo, ur one of the few ppl here that can actually give advice on the bongo & playing it at an actual gig, theres too many "collectors" on this forum...mucho blah,blah,blah......

[PRDRconguero]

thanks for ur insight caballo, ur one of the few ppl here that can actually give advice on the bongo & playing it at an actual gig, theres too many "collectors" on this forum...mucho blah,blah,blah......

All due respect but....

There are many skilled musicians on this forum who I cannot come close to in skill, and are a wealth of information and personal knowledge. Just because they have an assortment of drums they love doesn't necessarily mean they only "blah blah blah". Some of these "collectors" know their drums and the evolution of the music scene better than you or I, and have been playing professionally since before I was alive.

I wholeheartedly welcome you to the forum but those are just my two cents.

[Psych1]

we've seen guys with that attitude before - they don't last.

[b0ng0]

my respects to caballoballo & leedy2 which have done nothing but help me with much information since i joined, also salcero..
PRDR conguero thanks for the welcome & i appreciate your 2cents. i realize i may sound cocky/ignorant wit my post, but sum ppl here all they do is talk abt buying this bongo & collecting that one, but cant give any real info/experince on actually playing. i dont mean to offend any of the REAl musicians & percusionist, i know theres a lot of good ppl on this forum...

[Jasontimbal]

Hey Guys whats up. This is my first post. I wanted this to be my first post because I own MANY 3A products, and other products from other Colombian companies. Alejandro Arce the "CEO" of 3A is NOT a craftsman, in fact his first products were "outsourced" made by the Arces in south Colombia (no relation) and others such as TB and HR, he just stamped his label on them. In fact my first 3A bell has both HR and 3A stamped on it! The first one piece bonogs were amazing, but the new bongos are a MAJOR disapointment. The hardware is OK the skins are good, although the macho skin is too thick, but the shells are some of the poorest craftsmanship I have ever seen in my years as a percussionist. The wood is flor morada which is a medium strength wood found in South America. The cowbells are laminated steel which is layered, and after a few months of playing they lose their tone and become dull. Granted, I have read many post on this forum that make mention to bongos from S. America cracking when outside of their enviroment, but that is not issue. The issue is after contacting Alejandro SEVERAL times about my bongo begining to show signs of stave separation after 2 months, I got NO reply from him. He claims that his products are 100% guaranteed, but in my particular case he did not live up to his claims. Unfortunately he has a LOT to learn in regards to doing business in the U.S. His maracas are BEAUTIFUL, pero "no suenan". The guiros are awsome so are the claves, and the skins which are treated in cal to give them their white color are generally very nice. I work for a major music store and every percussionist I meet from Colombia says that 3A "no sirve". I have had better experiences with CP. Their bells are holding up ok even after a few months, both bongo and timbal, and a friend owns a TB bongo which sounds absolutely AMAZING. Its got some years on it, and my friend claims Ismael Cervantes made it exclusively for him. So put that under your hat, and be careful with your next purchase, if you can try to get a single piece. If anyone here wants to buy the bongo and knows how to make repairs on it let me know. It is not cracked yet but its showing signs of it. I will post pics in a few days as I am out of town right now. Anyhow I love the information and the topics here, and hope to contribute my knowledge and continue to learn with you guys.

[b0ng0]

Jason,
ive heard that 3A made some pretty good bongos,and so does HR but theyre too heavy, but ive never heard any1 complain about TB bongos.i know TB is a great company, a friend of mine actually owns a TB caja vallenata and it looks & sounds great. a colombian percussionist friend of mine own a really nice chrome plated HR bongo bell, it sounds great, he was also the one who told me Diego Gale uses 3A bells, i personally stick wit JCR bells, but i wouldnt mind obtaining a chrome HR bell..btw its funny bcuz on the 3A webssite it says alejandro arce is a percussionist & craftsman...

[caballoballo]

Well,thus far I do not have any complaint with my 3A,have been with me for over a year and have play in many gig. Sound is outstanding old school with an excellent projection. No cracking,no paint falling or fading color and no chrome peeling.

[Jasontimbal]

Jason,
ive heard that 3A made some pretty good bongos,and so does HR but theyre too heavy, but ive never heard any1 complain about TB bongos.i know TB is a great company, a friend of mine actually owns a TB caja vallenata and it looks & sounds great. a colombian percussionist friend of mine own a really nice chrome plated HR bongo bell, it sounds great, he was also the one who told me Diego Gale uses 3A bells, i personally stick wit JCR bells, but i wouldnt mind obtaining a chrome HR bell..btw its funny bcuz on the 3A webssite it says alejandro arce is a percussionist & craftsman...

My stave 3A is not too heavy, I personally dont mind a heavy bongo either, as I move the hardwares around. TB is VERY good and so is CP. Alejandro is a percussionist, there is a video of him playing somewhere in youtube if you want to see, hes not a craftsman. Orq. Guayacan uses CP bells, check out some youtube videos so you can analyze the bells projection in a live setting, as opposed to diego gale and grupo niche who uses 3A, I believe that Niche switched to CP as well. Also, a particular bongo maker in the US told me he has been receiving calls about repairs for the stave 3A bongos so caballo has been fortunate. Paint chipping or anything else like that is vey rare nowadays on bongos, its stave separation that mostly occurs on bongos when the wood is untreated. Problems may even occur with single piece, but not as much as stave. Like I said, if you plan on purchasing from him be advised that you may not receive "100% Guarantee."

[No.2-1820]

Is this thread supposed to be ironic or did it just unfold like that ?

[Jasontimbal]

Is this thread supposed to be ironic or did it just unfold like that ?

Whom do you feel is being ironic? And what type of irony?

[b0ng0]

jason, my music teacher used to play trumpet in Guayacan when anddy caicedo was the lead singer..in the video of guayacan "carro de fuego", is the bongosero using a CP bell? it looks like a chrome HR bell.

[caballoballo]

People,to me bells are something personal,none of them have the same tone or may be use in any gig. For inside clubs I either use medium low or medium high, that depending if I am playing in a conjunto tumbao style or in a full band. If it is an outside gig the a high pitch would be my choice. I use JCRs for insides an a 3A for outside. Everybody have different taste so many may differ on my selections.

[Jasontimbal]

jason, my music teacher used to play trumpet in Guayacan when anddy caicedo was the lead singer..in the video of guayacan "carro de fuego", is the bongosero using a CP bell? it looks like a chrome HR bell.

Hey bud, i believe its the newer videos, also the bongocero for Guayacan sold me a CP bell #5 so that is how i know they are using them.