Crazy Conga Prices!

[bongosnotbombs]

Went down the street to the music store today to check it out.
They have some of those new Gon Bops congas, the California series in a brown stain.
Only $1,700!

They had the Alex Acuna series, at I think it was $750 or so...reasonable.

What are they thinking? I notice prices online for those things
are around $1000, so $1700 retail is about right. Still $1,000 online
price is kind of crazy!

[umannyt]

Last April 8, I talked precisely about Gon Bops/DW's significant price increases on their various percussion instruments, especially their congas and bongos. Here's the link to my response to the thread "Re: Gon Bops California Series lower prices? - fewer finishes": viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3287&p=38754#p38754

As I mentioned in my response, the 2008 Gon Bops California Series congas now average $1,000 (street price) and the bongos now average $500 (street price)! Compare these to their 2007 equivalent which ran about $600 for the congas and about $250 for the bongos. Crazy indeed!

The nearest Gon Bops dealer to me, Gelb Music, told me that, believe it or not, DW lost money on the California Series last year. DW realized that they had significantly underpriced them. Thus, the significant price increases for 2008.

I was very lucky in getting a set of three (3) 2007 California Series congas (quinto, conga & tumba) in purple-to-black-burst stain and one (1) conga in natural stain--at a killer deal. I got them for way less than $600 each!

Purple-to-black burst wasn't my 1st choice of color. I already have a pair of black Toca fiberglass practice congas and didn't want another set of blackish-colored congas. But I just couldn't resist the deal.

I was pleasantly surprised, though, that in open air the color wasn't so bad after all. In fact, I soon ended up really liking the color. As for the natural stain conga, I suppose one can't go wrong with that color. Besides, it was the only 2007 model they had left in stock.

Lastly, for 2008, as had been mentioned in the thread "Re: Gon Bops California Series lower prices? - fewer finishes", Gon Bops/DW has decided to severely limit their color selection to just two (2): mahogany stain and natural stain. So, no more fancy lacquer finishes and other stain colors. Again, it's supposedly part of Gon Bops/DW's move to actually make money on the California Series by drastically reducing costs while significantly increasing their prices?

Will people still buy California Series drums now that their prices have just pushed them up to an elite group? I asked precisely this question from the drum/percussion manager at Gelb's and he thinks that the California Series has a niche market. At about $1,000 each, the California Series congas are now priced higher than most handcrafted congas, such as Matthew Smith, JCR, Islas, Moperc, etc. Pricewise, they're now in the league of Volcanos, to name one.

There's no doubt that the California Series are top quality in terms of wood (quarter-sawn, solid-stave North American Oak) and hardware (one of the best designs, IMO) and are immaculately-made. But, are they now worth it in terms of sound--as compared with the other top handcrafted congas?

IMO, it's a tough call. I know that my Islas, with their evidently thicker skins, have a fat sound and minimal ring. The California Series, with their thinner skins, sound brighter but IMO they project more and more easily cut through the sound.

I prefer my Islas for playing quieter music, such as unplugged or with an acoustic band. But, all the other members of my main band, "blueZapple", which generally plays loud amplified music, prefer my California Series. In fact, they even love the color.

So, I'm keeping both my Islas and my Gon Bops and am very happy and feel very blessed to have them both!

[JimG]

Manny, You and I are sharing the same path, my friend.

Nuts and bolts.... I ordered a GB CA series conga when they dropped the price 10% from InstrumentPro.com and also used a 10% discount coupon. $540. I also ordered the GB low conga cradle, which is a great non-collapsable stand. When I got the drum.... Man oh Man, it is the sh*# !!! What a well made beautiful sounding drum! I immediately ordered a tumba and am waiting.

Do not get me wrong, I love my Isla's. These are two different sounding drums. Just as Mario suggested when I purchased his drums a year ago, this GB CA is a great drum for an amplified gig. I concur. Use it on an acoustic set, and you may be asked to play in the next room. Some call it a ring, but it's more a higher volume with a natural resonating tone sustain. It is a beautiful drum.

There are still places to purchase these drums at reasonable prices. Surely this '07 price is limited The web retailer I purchased from still has the lower price. I have no association with them.

This move by DW to price point insanity may be the second end to Gon Bops delivering a top tier drum. Akbar has a history of making a drum of the highest quality. Most who have touched his craftsmanship have been inspired. But unless DW is including a free leather recliner for my den, I won't be paying over $1000 for their drums.

Jim

[Whopbamboom]

They'll probably just have to stop making them, unless they are content to just make them to order when an occasional order comes in.

I'd sure like to own a set, but I'll just wait for a deal on a second-hand set. If I'm going to pay those prices, then I'll spend on Isla or Ritmo or something.

[GonBoper]

DW has always over-priced their drum kits. Now Gon Bops have gone through the roof
Price wise. I was kinda bummed when they were selling so cheaply early on.......Kinda
deminished the panache of my old Gon Bops. I wouldn't be suprised if they stop making them.
After all DW is totally about the money. I too would rather pay a little more and get Islas or Timbas

Peace

Bops

[alabubba]

Well, I just ordered two Gon Bops Tumbao Pro series, a conga and a tumba, as my "gateway" congas. If I understand correctly, these use the California Series hardware on shells made overseas. The pair will be $519 shipped from the factory. If they are the same build quality as the Tumbao Pro bongos that I bought last year (and why wouldn't they be), I will be pleased, and still have gotten good drums for fair money.