Matthew Smith Congas

[ABAKUA]

Who has hook ups to the man, I cant handle this anymore, I stare and stare at these tambores, I need to know more....
I would love a set of 4.

[congaDR]

215-795-2267

Tony

[ABAKUA]

Im on the other side of the lake so to speak, area codes or anything like that? Im guessing the brother be in NYC?
Do you know if the drums are made on order or if he keeps stock? Rough costs? Please PM me if you have his personal email etc...

[bongosnotbombs]

I know a couple of people that have been waiting for over a year for a set of Matt Smith drums.
He's got a website too, it's somewhere in another thread.
Worth the wait though.

[umannyt]

I know a couple of people that have been waiting for over a year for a set of Matt Smith drums.
He's got a website too, it's somewhere in another thread.
Worth the wait though.

,

Now that I have my Islas and Gon Bops CA series, I now have the luxury of being willing and able to bear the "long" 1-year wait for a set of the very desirable Matthew Smith drums, too. If only I were currently in the market for a set.

[ralph]

http://www.ritmostudios.com/

that is his website, on it you will find his email address, if that fails let me know

Abakua...what can one say that hasn't been said. As you know, no handmade drum will ever be perfect, aside from the minor imperfections there will always be people who have either had bad experiences with someone's drums, or perhaps a drum came out subpar...from my experience...I don't think there is anyone out there making a drum like it. I encourage talking to Matt before he ups the price again (its currently at $750 a drum) and seeing what he has to offer. Matthew takes alot of pride in his work, and his finished product is a testament to that. In a conversation i had with him the other day, venting a little frustration, he wondered how the drum business got to where it is now, he told me, "You know back in the day people were more demanding in the sense that I couldn't have even thought to put out a drum, much less sell it, if it didn't meet the hard won expectations of serious players." Needless to say, Matthew is not getting rich out of his business and he probably wonders why he is even doing this in the first place some days. But he is still doing it, and in the meantime he is probably one of the last. It does take a while to get a finished drum and you can easily get a cheaper decent drum for cheaper, but man, once you open that box and pull it out, you'll be asking yourself why you waited so long....

another option is talking to Cali or Isaac with JCR....i thought about going through JCR for my drum needs a while back but when i called Cali said, he ain't making congas right now, so i think its hit an miss with them, Isaac maybe able to shed more light.

[GonBoper]

His drums are worth every nickle he charges. I've only had a Quinto, but Man it could sing. Quality Galore, my only complaint was his skins are mounted very close to his traditional crowns. took some getting use to. Bloodied a couple of thumbs cleaning up my technique. I passed it along as I 'm more of a kit player than a true Conga guy.I played congas pro for 15 yrs., but never thought of my self as an expert or a "Classical" Conga player.Made my doe playing Doobie brother, Eagles and Jimmy Buffett
If you get the chance to play a Ritmo...DO IT!


Peace


Bop

[umannyt]

GonBoper,

First of all, I love your alias name, derived from one of my favorite percussion drum makers!

Did you really play for the Doobie Brothers and the Eagles? If so, way cool!!! Those are 2 of my favorite bands and I'm a big fan!

Were you the conguero during the Eagles' Farewell Tour Concert in Australia? If so, then you must be the guy of the video of that concert.

I love covering the conga and timbales lines on "Hotel California" with my cover band, "Insight", especially the acoustic version.

I like Jimmy Buffett, too. I get a kick from his clever, humorous "island escapism" songs.

However, I'm a bigger fan of the Doobie Brothers and the Eagles.

Respects,

[GonBoper]

I wish I was the Doobie Brothers percussionist....No I just did covers in a bar band in Detroit.


Peace

Bop

[umannyt]

Bops,

Bummer!!!

[ABAKUA]

[silentmusic]

/

[bongosnotbombs]

I'd say you'd be pretty lucky if you actually got the congas in 9 months, or the bongos in 6, it's worth the wait,
absolutely, but these guys are artisians, the drum is done when it's done, and usually
that means and extra couple of months wait.

[Victorius]

Hey!
Am refreshing this topic because starting a new one is senseless!

Maybe you guys know what's the difference in sound between other kind of wood used by M.S.?
(Machony, Flat-Sawn Oak, Quarter-Sawn Oak, Black Walnut, Tiger Maple, what else....?)
I've never heard any of this kinds - only mass producion (rubber and ash) I'm wondering about which one would fit to my music most.
I play tradicional music ONLY FOR MYSELF, but I have a band where I use congas with other percussion and it is more important than playing for myself. We play christian music - some worship and other kinds with modern arrangements. We add some folkloric instruments to our composition but we do modern music generaly so I don't know what congas (what wood) would most fit to our performance. I need an universal sound of congas I guess? With my english It's hard to describe what am thinking :/ If I could try conga made of all kinds of wood I would probably know what sound is best for this music! I can only guess 'cause it's impossible to hear it and base on your experience! Perhaps someone play something similar and know this problem?

[ABAKUA]

I need an universal sound of congas I guess?

Based on what you've said I would suggest you just get a set of LP Classics, LP Giovanni Galaxy, etc.