advice.....

[peebee]

hi,

I play conga's for half a year now and own a set of LP aspire, but I want to grade up; almost every other conga I played sounds better than those aspires...
It's quite difficult here (in Holland) to find a shop that has a wide range of congas so I tried the following sets: LP salsa (second hand), Pearl Primero Pro, Toca traditional and Toca Limited Edition and some meinl fiberglass.
They all sound good; I would rank them 1 Toca traditional, 2 Pearl, 3 LP and 4 Toca Limited, 5 meinl.
The difference in price between the sets is not that much. Which set should I buy, regarding quality and fun in the long run, because I don't want to change them every year.

thanks.

[congamyk]

Of those choices I like the Toca traditional.
I own 4 of those drums and they are fantastic.

They are beautiful, are built like a tank and sound great.

[Mike]

Yes, look what a genius can get out of Tocas...: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aBuFXnICHY

OK, they´re the Toca Elite series I suppose, but nevertheless I would also opt for Tocas anyway.
Except you are not very tall, maybe then the LP Salsa conga would suit you too.

Greeting+congratulations to the fantastic Dutch football team
Mike

[bongosnotbombs]

Toca Limited Edition, good drums for certain!

[peebee]

thank you guys, but I,ve made a choice today (quite impatient); it's a risk, but I ordered me a set of isla's(quinto, conga, tumba).
never seen them in real, never heard them or played them, and certainly not common in holland. But I like the shape of them and I read almost nothing bad about them, except for the rims maybe.
But still, I think the toca's are underestimated, certainly those are good drums...especially the traditional, but the looks of the limited are astonishing...
don't know why there is so less info about them (or so less players on the site who own them).

[peebee]

Thank you Mike,

About the football team, we are all in a shock. Never thought this could happen. See you in the finals.....maybe

[Light Seeker]

thank you guys, but I,ve made a choice today (quite impatient); it's a risk, but I ordered me a set of isla's(quinto, conga, tumba).
never seen them in real, never heard them or played them...

Here's a great video clip demonstrating their beautiful sound. http://youtube.com/watch?v=rVQB1FFrigY
Congrats on your order, you will NOT be disappointed. I myself have ordered a set of 3 which should be finished by the end of this month (keeping my fingers crossed).

[umannyt]

thank you guys, but I,ve made a choice today (quite impatient); it's a risk, but I ordered me a set of isla's(quinto, conga, tumba).
never seen them in real, never heard them or played them, and certainly not common in holland. But I like the shape of them and I read almost nothing bad about them, except for the rims maybe.

peebee,

Congratulations on having made an excellent choice!

As a very proud and happy owner of a set of 3 Islas (quinto, conga and tumba) myself, I can assure you that it's not a risk. Take it also from the growing number of very proud and happy Isla owners in our forum.

For a very reasonable price, you'll soon enough be the owner of what IMO is one of the best sounding congas in the world made with a truly Latin soul and lots of love and passion (c/o Mario Punchard and his crew).

Islas are very melodic. The sound is fat and dry with no unwanted overtones. You get excellent skins to begin with. They're especially good for playing unmiked.

Btw, I also own a set of 4 Gon Bops California Series congas (quinto, 2 congas and tumba). My Islas sound more melodic, although the Gon Bops project more, especially within the stage. For unplugged music, I prefer my Islas. But, for playing loud, amplified music, I (and the rest of my band) prefer the Gon Bops which are usually miked.

You'll definitely notice a big improvement over your LP Aspires, which my church choir owns and which I use on Sundays.

About the all-stainless steel rims, you might find some minor file marks. Actually, I don't mind these 'cause they definitely show that Islas are made by the hands of a craftsman and not by an unfeeling machine. And it gives the Islas character.

There is indeed some slight bending of the rim, particularly on the quinto when it's tuned relatively high (C or D above middle C). But, it doesn't really bother me. And it happens to other top brands too. For example, I noticed that the rim of the macho of even my Gon Bops California Series bongos (tuned to A above middle C) has some slight bending, too.

So, rest assured that you can sleep nights regarding the excellent quality of Islas, especially their sound. I just don't know, though, if you can sleep nights waiting for them to finally arrive over there in Holland!

[korman]

Peebee, how much is the shipping going to cost from the US? I'm asking because I'm also considering ..

[Congadelica]

Hey Brothers,
I was on the phone to Mario last night . my drums are going to be ready in a week n a half . shipping is $150 Korman . My 3 set are singing to me I feel them coming , And yes Manny sleepless nights .
Good choice peebee.

Marco

[Light Seeker]

Congrats, Marco! If yours are almost ready, that means mine too must be nearing completion. I'm gonna call Mario today.

[Congadelica]

Mario told me he is working 15 hr days , with his recent baby . also he is going to be doing a world promo tour and he intends coming over here to the UK , were going to hook up, my drums will be well broken in by the time he is over here early 2009 .

Give him my regards Scott.

Marco

[peebee]

Hi Korman,

Mario told me it's $100 per drum shipping to holland (maybe slight less). Considering all costs (customs vat) the cost of a drum will be the same price in euro's as it is in dollars (so I calculated that $500 for 1 drum will turn out to be 500 euros with shipping costs and taxes). Mario told me however he can send it as a present. I'm not sure it will work but we can try. On the other hand I can ask him to lower the price by stating he's shipping three requinto's. But then there is an insurance risk of a few hundred dollars....

[peebee]

Congadelica, I hope Mario is not making all drums by himself then....
Otherwise I'm hooked up with these aspires for another half year, and I'm quite impatient.

[Light Seeker]

Mario told me he is working 15 hr days , with his recent baby . also he is going to be doing a world promo tour and he intends coming over here to the UK , were going to hook up, my drums will be well broken in by the time he is over here early 2009 .

Give him my regards Scott.

Marco

Mario told me mine will be finished about 2 weeks after yours. However, I could potentially receive mine before you, since yours have to be literally shipped... on a boat, and that will take a while. Either way, we'll both be very happy, proud Isla owners soon enough.