Opinions sought on LP Valje Peraza Bongas - seek comparison to LP Gen. II bongos
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by mco » Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:15 pm
I'm looking to purchase a pair of quality bongos and have narrowed my choice to the LP Valje A. Peraza bongos and the LP Gen. II bongos. Would anyone care to comment on and compare the sound of the bongos? Also, I've been reading on this site that many of you are using synthetic heads. How are the sound of the stock rawhide heads on the Valje bongos and are synthetic heads available for this model? Thanks for any and all replies.
- mco
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by Raymond » Wed Mar 26, 2003 3:27 pm
The Peraza "cherry wood" sounds great. Very traditional...thin wood and give great "crisps" high. (People compare them to the classic JCR bongos and their great sound...) I think LP is coming with a new Peraza line which is not Vlaje line. Do not know about them) However, the cherry wood Peraza bongos look sort of fragile too me.
In regards to head sizes, if it is LP, they are in the standard sizes. (The only LP bongo in a different size is the Generation III tha that a 9' hembra that is a size that heads could be found since Meinl and other makes them in that size)
The Generation II are great bongos...in my opinion...the best out there. Durable.....(I have two sets myself...one red and one blue. Bongos when "salsa" playing are dropped a lot when "cowbell playing"). Some people compain that LP's hardware is not as good as it used to be, they rust and chip very quickly, but I have found it manageable and the wood and finish are durable. (Better than Meinl's "Free Ride" that people compain breaks or bends very often)
Synthetic heads.....I am a beliver now. Remo Nuskyns are great! Watch out though! They could give you a very crisp sound which is good in the macho but not good in the hembra.
Remo Fiberskyns are like more because their "hembra" gives me the "deep bass" that I like. Evans??? I have not tried them but if the conga heads are an example.....they might sound "opaque".
Synthetic heads are also better for your hands. (No calluses or painful hands after two gigs in a row since I have been playing them. Also, great...because of the tuning and untuning that I hated and often broke heads (specially the macho which I like very crisp and also because I tend to "wear down" the edge of the macho on the right side when I do the martillo..which does not happens with the synthetic heads...at least so far...).
Trial and error or listening to somebody that is the trick with the synthetic heads.
Again....the Peraza "cherry wood", if a good price, might be a good purchase....However, it could be fragile for some players out there.....The Generation II are a great set of bongos which have been proven to have good sound and be very durable.
Saludos!
In regards to head sizes, if it is LP, they are in the standard sizes. (The only LP bongo in a different size is the Generation III tha that a 9' hembra that is a size that heads could be found since Meinl and other makes them in that size)
The Generation II are great bongos...in my opinion...the best out there. Durable.....(I have two sets myself...one red and one blue. Bongos when "salsa" playing are dropped a lot when "cowbell playing"). Some people compain that LP's hardware is not as good as it used to be, they rust and chip very quickly, but I have found it manageable and the wood and finish are durable. (Better than Meinl's "Free Ride" that people compain breaks or bends very often)
Synthetic heads.....I am a beliver now. Remo Nuskyns are great! Watch out though! They could give you a very crisp sound which is good in the macho but not good in the hembra.
Remo Fiberskyns are like more because their "hembra" gives me the "deep bass" that I like. Evans??? I have not tried them but if the conga heads are an example.....they might sound "opaque".
Synthetic heads are also better for your hands. (No calluses or painful hands after two gigs in a row since I have been playing them. Also, great...because of the tuning and untuning that I hated and often broke heads (specially the macho which I like very crisp and also because I tend to "wear down" the edge of the macho on the right side when I do the martillo..which does not happens with the synthetic heads...at least so far...).
Trial and error or listening to somebody that is the trick with the synthetic heads.
Again....the Peraza "cherry wood", if a good price, might be a good purchase....However, it could be fragile for some players out there.....The Generation II are a great set of bongos which have been proven to have good sound and be very durable.
Saludos!
- Raymond
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- Location: Puerto Rico
by mco » Thu Mar 27, 2003 11:05 am
Thank you Raymond for all that great information. I've decided to purchase a pair of LP Generation II bongos along with some Nuskyn and Fiberskyn heads, trying them in different combinations to see which gives me the best sound. I'll report back with my findings.
- mco
- Posts: 123
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 1:06 am
- Location: NJ
by mco » Fri May 23, 2003 10:55 am
Raymond,
I finally bought a pair of LP Generation II bongos (natural w/ chrome hardware) They are very well built and nicely finished.
I replaced the stock heads with some Remo Fiberskyns and am quite impressed with the sound. It's also nice getting the drums tuned exactly the way you want and keeping them that way, as opposed to de-tuning and re-tuning the natural skin heads and not quite being able to achieve the sound you had the last time you used the drums. The heads have a comfortable feel to them, but I do notice that I get noticeabley more bounce. I am going to order a Nuskyn macho head and compare that to the Fiberskyn. Thanks again for your advice.
I finally bought a pair of LP Generation II bongos (natural w/ chrome hardware) They are very well built and nicely finished.
I replaced the stock heads with some Remo Fiberskyns and am quite impressed with the sound. It's also nice getting the drums tuned exactly the way you want and keeping them that way, as opposed to de-tuning and re-tuning the natural skin heads and not quite being able to achieve the sound you had the last time you used the drums. The heads have a comfortable feel to them, but I do notice that I get noticeabley more bounce. I am going to order a Nuskyn macho head and compare that to the Fiberskyn. Thanks again for your advice.
- mco
- Posts: 123
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 1:06 am
- Location: NJ
by Raymond » Tue May 27, 2003 2:09 pm
MCO enjoy your new bongos. Like I mentioned before, the NuSkyn macho is crispier than the Fiberskyn. (I have one of my bongos in NuSkyn and the other with Fiberskyn. I have not tried "mixing" the different types. However, I've seen people who have done it following the macho with NuSkyn and the hembra with Fiberskyn. Personally, I noticed that is their "strength/weakness". Generally, I prefer Fiberskyn because the "macho tuning" I have been using lately is not that crisp and I prefer a "deep bass" hembra).
Enjoy...
Enjoy...
- Raymond
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- Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 1:16 am
- Location: Puerto Rico
by qualitydag » Thu May 29, 2003 2:58 am
JCR bongos are pretty awesome. You might consider getting one with a 9 inch embra.
You can also get mambiza bongos with a 9 inch embra. I think he can order one for you if he doesn't have one. Well, I should say this though, it's a heavier set and the 5th lug can dig into you a little, something to think about. The Cuban bongo had a big embra which made it easier to use to hands on it as you would a conga drum when soloing.
You can also get mambiza bongos with a 9 inch embra. I think he can order one for you if he doesn't have one. Well, I should say this though, it's a heavier set and the 5th lug can dig into you a little, something to think about. The Cuban bongo had a big embra which made it easier to use to hands on it as you would a conga drum when soloing.
- qualitydag
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- Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2002 7:00 am
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