Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Sell your intruments here, or post up any bargains you come across for sale.
Forum rules
Sell your own gear here, or post up any links to sales of percussion instruments.
KEEP IT POSITIVE PLEASE, SAVE ANY NEGATIVITY TO PRIVATE MESSAGE.

Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Thomas Altmann » Sat Jun 27, 2020 8:51 pm

Compadres!

I am looking for a decently round, 70's to 80's Gon Bops conga, regular size, preferably of the 3014 line. For some funny reason, this model is quite rare and hard to find. But some of those IC-3014 drums do actually exist, as the following photos show:

80s-gonbops-IC-3014.jpg

88f14df9e6db0851c2038d3902a7f3f7.jpg

NOS-gonbops-IC-3014.jpg

l445698206.2.jpg


So, in case somebody overhears that such a drum might be up for sale, or perhaps slowly dying in some closet, please let me know!!

Thanks,
Thomas
Thomas Altmann
 
Posts: 897
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:25 pm
Location: Hamburg

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Chtimulato » Sun Jun 28, 2020 9:32 pm

The only help I can give you is to advise you to browse regularly these 2 websites (below).
You can find anything from tourist crap to real gems, sometimes, if you're lucky. And you'll often notice that some sellers don't have a clue of what they're selling.

On this one, I found my JCR bongó, for a killer price (I mean it was the deal of the century for me :D ). I won't tell the price, you guys would not believe me, and you'd have a hart attack.
https://www.leboncoin.fr/recherche/?category=30&text=congas

And on this one, based in the UK, I bought a by3A bongó and a pair of Sonoc congas.
There again, it's better for your health to ignore the price I paid. :D
https://www.gumtree.com/other-percussion-drums

You'll have now to be patient, some jewels happen to come up sometimes. And then, you'll have to hope the seller accepts shipping...
If you find something interesting in France, you can hook me up in need of help.

Good luck ! :wink:
User avatar
Chtimulato
 
Posts: 529
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:54 pm
Location: Heights of France

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Thomas Altmann » Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:05 am

Mercí beaucoup, Chtimulato!

I had seen one drum on a Danish site, but it was already gone. Reverb seems to publish only deals that are done (don't know what kind of site that is). One US-American site rejected buyers from abroad (or Europe, at least).

There is also a Facebook site about vintage conga drums, but I will not join Facebook.

It took me years to find out that this is probably the drum I need for the sound I'm looking for, and to match my Large Conga (11") & Large Tumba (12.1/4") to form a triple set. I do have an IQ-3014 quinto of 9.3/4" that points in the right direction, but it is definitely too small - for my hands and for my bands. It's just a quinto. The Gon Bops IC regular conga has 10.3/4" and should be perfect.

I do own a Schalloch set of four drums, really the prototype from 1985, custom-made for me from maple. It was before they had their own hardware, so they used Danish PJ sideplates and German Sonor crowns. While the PJ sideplates are fine, the Sonor rims from that era look rustic even though they might be perfect for the distribution of the tension. These are marvellous drums, sounding fantastic and cutting through a big band without amplification. However, I found myself playing my mahogany Gon Bops exclusively for the past 7 years. They are higher, so for a tall guy like me it is more comfortable to play them seated. And somehow I like the looks and the feel and the aura of the old Gon Bops.

I had even contemplated over the idea to ask Roberto Evangelisti ("Mamey") in Italy whether he would make me a set. These are probably some of the finest conga drums made on the planet at the present. But they would (justifiably) cost a fortune, and, honestly: It wouldn't be worth the hard work for a 65-year-old veteran like me. I mean, for how many years am I going to play them? Will I ever play them in public? Will there be a time after Corona? What will the next virus bring? But that's another topic. - Anyway, I am just happy with my Gon Bops.

Thanks again, and congrats for your Sonocs and JCR bongos!
Thomas
Last edited by Thomas Altmann on Tue Jun 30, 2020 6:01 am, edited 2 times in total.
Thomas Altmann
 
Posts: 897
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:25 pm
Location: Hamburg

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Juaort » Mon Jun 29, 2020 12:21 pm

Thanks Chtimulato! It’s always good to have direct sites to look into. I buy and sell in Reverb. It’s not bad. I found my LP Maywood, NJ there for almost free basically. Just like you, I got that bongo for close to nothing. Anyway thanks for the links. Also, you know my intestines on your JCR. When you’re ready let me know and we’ll see what happens.

Thomas, if I come across this Gon Bop I’ll give you a heads up Brotha!

Juaort.
Juaort
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:48 pm

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Thomas Altmann » Mon Jun 29, 2020 2:16 pm

Thank you, Juaort! That would be great.

TA
Thomas Altmann
 
Posts: 897
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:25 pm
Location: Hamburg

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Chtimulato » Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:47 pm

@ Thomas
I had even contemplated over the idea to ask Roberto Evangelisti ("Mamey") in Italy whether he would make me a set


As Roberto and I have common friends (small word, indeed :wink:), I made a visit to him during some holidays in Rome a few years ago. He showed me his workshop and we chatted about one hour, about music, drumming and people we both knew. He's a very nice guy. Since he's now famous in the entire world (even in the USA and Australia), he's really overbooked and the waiting list becomes longer everyday. But he deserves it : I could lay my hands on his drums during this moment, and they are in my eyes (and in my ears :wink:) among the best drums I ever heard, with Juniors. His are an explicit and declared reference to Vergaras. FYI, every Mamey conga costs about 1000 € (precisely from 900 to 980 €). But it's (almost ) a one man work : he makes everything, cutting staves (no steam bending), gluing them, mounting skins, staining etc. The only external help is an iron worker (an artist too, whom I also happen to know) who makes all the hardware for him. And I could see "in real life" that nothing is neglected, every detail counts. For instance, they use bronze nuts to tune the lugs (exhaust manifold nuts), because, as Mamey told me, "steel eats steel". Bronze being softer than steel, there's less friction, which preserves the thread and makes it last longer. And since we're in Europe, and he's using metric system, he uses exhaust manifold nuts of Fiat 500. He gave me the tip, and that's what I use now.
And for drums with imperial threads on the lugs and nuts, I use Mini (Cooper, Austin etc.) bronze or brass exhaust manifold nuts, either 3/8" or 5/16''. You can also find some in boat/ship shops and workshops, I think. Since du bist ein Hamburger, it should be relatively einfach. :wink:

@ Juaort
Also, you know my intestines on your JCR. When you’re ready let me know and we’ll see what happens.

Yes, it's etched in my memory. :) I just hope you're not in a hurry.

That's all folks.
Take care and stay safe, the damn virus is still around.
Last edited by Chtimulato on Wed Jul 01, 2020 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Chtimulato
 
Posts: 529
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:54 pm
Location: Heights of France

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Thomas Altmann » Mon Jun 29, 2020 11:30 pm

Hi Chtimulato,

I talked with Roberto on the phone in 2007, I think, and I found him a very nice and modest person. He became - as far as I know - the first European babalawo in 1993, and was among the first Europeans to learn batá (1979). He was sworn to Irian's fundamento in Havana in the same year I was sworn to Adofo's tambor in Regla (2005). He even studied with Jesús Pérez (ibaé) in 1984, and after his death with Carlos Aldama. That's what I call credentials ...

The price for his drums is absolutely justified. In fact, that's the amount that I had estimated. The Vergara connection is clearly visible.

If he still remembers me, please greet him the next time you talk!

Thomas

P.S.: Thanks for the advice regarding the nuts!
Thomas Altmann
 
Posts: 897
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:25 pm
Location: Hamburg

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Chtimulato » Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:56 am

I usually send him a message for the New Year. I'll do it sooner this time, or I'll forget it.
User avatar
Chtimulato
 
Posts: 529
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:54 pm
Location: Heights of France

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Thomas Altmann » Mon Aug 10, 2020 10:51 am

I am corresponding with an Ebay-seller about this drum:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gon-Bops-Conga ... SwMYVfLFuV

The guy is kind of laconic. I know that professional Ebay-merchants hate answering inquiries. Most individuals of this species just want sell off their sh-- and don't give a damn. So on my question whether the drum was round, at first he had no idea how to tell, and then answered with a plain "Looks good". On my question whether he would ship to Europe he has not responded at all, so far.

If the drum is really in round, then everything else would be cosmetics: glueing the bottom, cleaning, putting on a new skin. The most costly action would be to re-galvanize the rim, if there was serious pitting in the chrome that cannot be sanded away. I would do it all, just to have a drum like this.

Now my latest worry is, if the rim looks like this, and the bottom has splits, it has most probably seen extreme moisture; in the worst case, it had once been stored in a flooded cellar. This would inevitably result in a mouldy smell that I wouldn't even let into my practice room. I once had a wooden case that had such a smell. It didn't go away for decades. I had to discard it.

It's really a pity that drums like this end up unattended in such a state. Normally, I would never deal with people like this. Is this really the only way to get what I want? I am tempted to let this one go by. Any opinions?

Thomas
Thomas Altmann
 
Posts: 897
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:25 pm
Location: Hamburg

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Chtimulato » Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:40 pm

The price is correct for me, furthermore if you can get the case with it... You'll need to know and add the shipping costs. The ideal would be for you to to know someone reliable in the USA who could make the deal for you and ship the drum to you then.
User avatar
Chtimulato
 
Posts: 529
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:54 pm
Location: Heights of France

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Thomas Altmann » Mon Aug 10, 2020 8:21 pm

Hi Chtimulato,

yes, if it stays at 250 $, that's a great price.

The ideal would be for you to to know someone reliable in the USA who could make the deal for you and ship the drum to you then.


I suggested to the seller that he could utilize GSP (Ebay's Global Shipping Program). This is possibly a bit more expensive for the buyer, but it would make things easier for both him and me. He would send the drum to a place in Kentucky, and an Ebay-associated transport company does the rest. I could see all costs beforehand, customs included, and prepay via Paypal. (And I wouldnt have to sit in an overcrowded customs office for an hour with that rag in my face - at 30 Celsius degrees.)

- No reaction until now ...

I once asked tap dancer Max Pollak to send me a special pair of jazz brushes from a famous drum store in NYC, which he did, and everything worked fine. But this here is another class of transaction, in terms of size and weight.

I rather need someone with a reliable nose that he/she could stick in the bottom of the drum for me. But why, if the guy is just too phlegmatic to move in my direction. Maybe it's better for me to lean back, keep cool and wait for the next opportunity.

Thomas
Thomas Altmann
 
Posts: 897
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:25 pm
Location: Hamburg

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Chtimulato » Tue Aug 11, 2020 11:47 am

Yes, sellers can sometimes be lazy and/or unpolite.
User avatar
Chtimulato
 
Posts: 529
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:54 pm
Location: Heights of France

Re: Wanted: 70's or 80's Gon Bops IC 3014 Conga!

Postby Juaort » Wed Aug 12, 2020 1:35 am

Thomas, it happens to me all the time and I live in the US. I checked his profile on eBay and from what he has up for sale, he probably owns a 2nd hand store or thrift shop. Maybe even a pawn shop. This type of seller can be sketchy with communication. It’s a sweet looking drum and right now the price is right.
Juaort
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:48 pm


Return to INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests