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I have just received a pair of Caribbean Rhythms bongos that are fitted with Matthew Smith hardware from Faustino Cruz, who is in my opinion an old school master drummer and veritable encyclopedia on all things Latin Music, Drums, Drummers and History. These bongos are like no others I have played. I mean it about these bongos. I started messing around with them this afternoon, with NO OTHER tuning beside the low, one turn tuning that Faustino put on them before he sealed the box and shipped them and wow!!!! I could barely put them down again. These bongos knew me right away! they are friggin psychic! I didn't even almost have to play them. It was like I look at them and lift my fingers a little and they already started playing what I was thinking about!

I am not a collector, I am a bongosero. I have been playing instruments with skins on them since I was 4 years old, and I am well over 50 years old now. As Faustino stated before I bought them, this is a bongo constructed like no other. Best bongos I have ever played. Thank You Cuquito!

Great bongos! I agree with Cuco, bongos don't get much better than this. Caribbean Rhythms congas & bongos were hand-made in Dajabon in the Dominican Republic on the border of Haiti. The company was completely destroyed by the big earthquake a few years ago, everything was lost, and there are no more. In fact, I have had my eye on the set you bought for a few years now.

I am also a long-time player but started becoming a collector soon after finding this board. I now have some solid-shell mahogany bongos and also some oak bongos and congas made by Carribbean Rhythms. The solid-shell mahogany like yours, are the prized ones - especially once the shells have been reworked a bit and new hardware added. But, the staved oak, made from recycled wine barrels, were good too - most excellent also. The original cowhide skins were super. The original hardware was rough and rustic, not strong, but it works. As is often said here, "It is the Indian - not the arrow." Mine were $25 on Ebay.