Traditional Nontraditional Bongo

[docarroyo]

Traditionalist will say there not like Vergara, they are trash, but true musicians will say how do they play, how do they sound, how do they feel between your legs. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, one mans treasure is anothers trash. Vergara drums were not all fitted with hardware some bongo and tumbadoras were tack head and required tuning with Fuego. Traditionalist at that point swould say that the hardware on a conga was not pure and did not allow for the skin to cure correctly (asi no se cura un cuero). It was a spiritual belief that tuning the skin with fire and cleaning it off with a little rum brought certain quailities to the skin and hence the drum. I love drums and all have different tonal quailities that I enjoy for different reasons. With that said I had the hardware rims powder coated yellow on these solid shell bongos for those of you that say interesting I say than you for those of you who say there not like whatever I say get some progessive thoughts in you .

[RitmoBoricua]

I imagine when they first put plastic heads on timbales some of them traditionalists blew a gasket or two. But now days plastic heads are standard on timbales. I read some time ago that for some of the latin percussion heavies back in the day tacked-head bongos and tumbadoras sounded way better than the ones with hardware. But anyway wow this set sounds?

[Sakuntu]

Thats the new "sesame street" hardware. Kinda like puentes timbales!

[Mike]

Thats the new "sesame street" hardware. Kinda like puentes timbales!

Hey, remember this one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbCtgu38 ... re=related

[Anonimo]

POST REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR

[RitmoBoricua]

Putting rum on the bongo heads makes sense too many at many levels.
Back in home P.R. during the cockfight the handler of the cock used to spray
the cock with rum from his mouth before releasing the cock to fight. They were
like cleansing the cock and keeping "el mal de ojo" and others things away.I know
too "los espiritistas" back home used to spray and impregnate stuff around
their perimeter with rum before their rituals. Seems to me in general this action
is kind of a ritual of cleansing making sure "lo malo" stays away. I bet it goes
all the way back to Africa.

[Isaac]

Hi Ray...
Big Bird called from Sesame Place...He's lookingfor his bongos!
Just kiddin'...I'm sure they sound fantastic.
Nice job.

Isaac

[KING CONGA]

Like Isaac I too am sure they sound good But tell me docarroyo what are those bongos sitting on? those drums from what I could tell are top notch, I would guess a Valje and a Skin on Skin am I right?

[docarroyo]

I've taken them out twice and my friends look at them and say WTF , where did you find those. But they do sound great I could have powder coated them some more traditional but then wheres the controversy. The yellow draws attention and if were honest that's what we want on stage the audience attention . The sound is great I own a few great bongos Vergaras, Valje's, LP tiger wood etc. and have been playing for about 40 years so I'm no newbie. The tuning system is important but not as important as the hides and wood, but the most important component is the player. If you can't play, the best bongo in the world isn't going to make you sound good. I practice on a wood box bongo made for me in Las Piedras Puerto Rico. I just watched some videos posted of solos don't they teach timing and melodic structure anymore? All I see now is speed but no structure. Sorry about the slight rant. Hey Kingconga one of the drums is a Matthew Smith the other is a 60's Gon Bops.