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Posted: **Tue Apr 26, 2005 11:03 pm**

I need quick advise...really quick.

I'm seeing a sale of $125.00 for a Wine-Red LP Generation II Bongos.

That sounds awesome, considering the $230.00 price everywhere else on the Internet.

Question...in comparison to Generation III or Giovanni Galaxy Wood, is there a big difference?

I have Matadors, and have been looking to upgrade to one of LP's professional line because I want more projection from my bongos.

Should I jump on this sale, or should I look for a Gen III or Giovanni galaxy?

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:29 am**

Jump on the sale! hehehe.

GENIII feature a larger hembra
Galaxy's are just a different wood type with bigger lugs.

Go for it, great bongo. Just make sure you get quality hand picked skins with them, no the cheap shit white skins sometimes found on them.

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:31 am**

thanks...I will!

I'm putting a NuSkyn (or placa) on macho, and regular handpicked on hembra...I've heard others play Nuskyns on macho, and it has that nice, cutting placa sound. I wish I knew how to mount a placa...

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:34 am**

Placa as in Xray? hmmm Tried it once with regular x ray film (from a spine xray full back) and it sounded like shit.
Couldnt tune the skin up. Fine if you want to sound like 1930's type bongo, but for the sharp crisp modern sound of the hembra, cant go past a fibreskin. :cool:

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:39 am**

Weird...I performed on a placa on an LP professional wood bongo and I loved the sound. I don't remember the placa type, but it was thick...and it had a great snap. I use the placa on the macho (high head)...for hembra, I like skin...nice, warm low tone.

I'm so tired of playing my Matador Rawhides, and just not getting the snap I like with them...and they "detune" so fast in the gigs. I thought it was time for me to move to the LP Pro line, given that I've been performing professionaly for like 9 years...

I got LP Classic congas and Patato Fiberglass congas, Yamaha Beech Custom drums, Sabian AA and AAX cymbals, a vibraphone, an Ibanez BTB Electric bass, and even a steel drum...all are PRO quality. But, the instrument I use the most (in quartet settings) is the bongo...and i have the same Matador my dad bought me when I was like 14! I'm 25 now!

It's time for me to get a pro quality bongo...

Edited By Firebrand on 1114566054

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:47 am**

Yep, the Matador skins on bongo are a terrible sort.

Is your bongo in good condition? If so, why not just upgrade to decent LP skins? I did this with mine and they sounded fantastic. I eventually mounted a fibreskin on the macho and I remoulded a quinto skin onto the hembra. I remember letting Jose Alberto El Cannario's bongocero at the time play my bongo, he loved it! hehe

I recently sold them to a student of mine and will now be endorsing 40th Anniversary series bongo.

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:59 am**

I'm going to give the Matador to my bro...I'd probably recommend he get new skins...mine have had more than a year on.

But, I sill want the projection upgrade that GEN II has over GEN I (Matadors). My Matadors had LP Handpicked heads that I bought...not the original crappy ones...and even then, I could never tune them to whatever I wanted. I've never been totally happy with the Bongos...don't have the sound I've wanted. They did the "job" though...

I bought the GEN II already...on Ebay. $125.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....AB:US:6

I'm happy. Can't wait to try them out in my May 7th gig in Providence, RI. I'm performing at the StoneSoup Coffeehouse with my dad's group, Criollo Clasico - http://www.soup.org

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 2:09 am**

Cool, good price.

However, looking at the picture, those bongo are the old style model with the old style lugs. The current series is slightly different.
Hopefully the skins will be of good quality. I am always weary to buy instruments over the net as I cannot inspect them/test drive them.

All the best though, and many years happiness with your new bongo!

Edited By ABAKUA on 1114567827

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 2:17 am**

well...if the skins are not good, I'll just get a new Nuskyn or placa for the macho, or the skin for hembra. But, if it got played only 10 times, it should be fine...unless he never detuned it in the stuidio.

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 3:29 am**

hey firebird please keep your Matadors and replace the skin with mule head and they would sound as good as any of the top bongos on the market....

mucho ache!
Michaelangelo

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 5:43 am**

Firebrand,

Good price for Gen II....Like they said, Gen III is a bigger hembra, deeper bass, and Giovanny's are just made out of ash wood instead of regular oak (sort of warmer tones and more durable type of wood...ash wood is what baseball bats are made of). Have to change those heads though....The factory heads, although better than Matador's, need a lot of break in and are sort of thing giving a "lata de galleta" sound..

Don't know but since I went with my Pearl Elites, I like their sound better...(and I used to have two Gen IIs).

Saludos!

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 7:25 am**

Mundo wrote:hey firebird please keep your Matadors and replace the skin with mule head and they would sound as good as any of the top bongos on the market....

mucho ache!
Michaelangelo

Thats what i suggested, but he is giving these bongos to his brother and he is getting new ones.

Enjoy your new drums Fibre.

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:46 pm**

mundo,

too late, I already went with the new GEN II...$125.00 is just a price that is TOO nice to ignore...that's like 50% off!

I'll give my Matadors to my brother, who is a flute player, but is starting to learn how to play Bongos as an added skill (makes him more marketable as a flute/small percussion/chorus singer package, for charanga ensembles). I'll tell him to retrofit the Matadors with a placa on top or a Nuskyn.

Now, regarding mule skins. I'm not an expert with "mounting" heads. I buy the LP pre-made handpicked in the past, and just put it on. Are there pre-made mule heads?

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 4:43 pm**

hey i think you got a good buy,,, but the free-ride bongo is the best bongo is the best on the market... .. the mule skin for the most part are not pre-mounted, some times J.C.R. percussion in NYC. may have a few skins ready and set for the
most of the L.P. MODELS..

mucho ache!
Michaelngelo

Posted: **Thu May 05, 2005 3:08 am**

firebrand'
where are you from in puerto rico????? áche!!!!franc

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