~Custom Drumskull Congas~

[Garvin]

Finally, they are here. Back in August of last year I ordered a set of three Hare wood congas. These were hand carved in Mali and then headed at Drumskull Drums in Santa Cruz CA, where they also added the rubber bottoms. These are amazing drums and have completely exceeded all of my expectations. The dimensions are 10, 11, 12 and they are 30" tall. The heads are thick guinea cowhide and as expertly headed as anything I've ever seen. They play beautifully and I hope to have a decent sounding video up here in the next week or so. I was originally a little concerned with the rope tuning, but they have held so far without any perceptible change in pitch and I've been playing them pretty much non stop for the last two days. I was confident in the craftsmanship as well since I've only ever seen the highest quality instruments come from the guys at Drumskull.

They are indeed quite heavy, but I expected that and actually prefer a heavier drum since I tend to hit hard and knock em' around a little. As far as the rims go, they are comfortable and extremely forgiving. I have played other African congas and absolutely destroyed my hands, but these guys really know what they are doing. The heads feel and look great and sound incredible. You can really see the pride these guys take in their work. The 7 month wait was well worth it. I would enthusiastically recommend doing business with these guys. Here are some pictures.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c229/Garvin80/IMG_5729.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c229/Garvin80/IMG_5750.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c229/Garvin80/IMG_5752.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c229/Garvin80/IMG_5754.jpg

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I have been looking at congas but my God those are gorgeous for sure. Nice purchase and well worth the wait.

From their website...4 weeks??

This is a representative photo of the shells available for custom order! This is a custom build set of Congas from Haré, Lenke or Dugara
wood. This set will be made from similar shells that you see in the photo. When we receive the order, we will contact you to discuss your rope color choice. We will complete the drums within 4 weeks, collect the second half of payment, and ship the drums to you.

[Garvin]

Yeah, that is if they have them in stock. When I ordered these, they didn't have 3 Hare shells in stock. They did have some Lenke ones, but the guy at Drumskull said that there were some imperfections on those. These guys are great about their quality control, the only problem is the issue of getting things from Africa in a timely fashion.

[Deathmetalconga]

Absolutely beautiful and mindblowing. I don't think I've ever even seen rope tuned congas before. I take note of the subtle, gentle chisel marks on the drums. Clearly, these were made in a very labor-intensive manner without even a lathe. Yet they have modern touches like the rubber rim bumpers. I can see how they'd be gentle to play - they can't even scar each other up as happens with mechanical lug drums. They are wild and primitive but refined and gentle. The stunning grain pattern only comes from the natural whole wood splendor of solid-shells.

Very exotic and amazing, if I do say so myself.

[Garvin]

Thanks, yeah the rubber was added by the guys at the shop. They recommended this as a way to keep micro-fractures from forming as they often do on solid shells. I took their advice.

[slingerland755]

Wow wow wow! Beautiful...and the congas are pretty too.

[MEL]

Gorgeous. That's a set of drums to treasure for a lifetime. The heads look a lot nicer than the mass produced junk that you'd get on a set of Meinl's or Lp's.

Any particular reason for picking the hare wood? I have a djembe made out of lenke, and I was wondering if there's a noticeable difference in sound between the two.

Is that a cord or a steel ring that the ropes are attached to on the bottom?

Looking forward to the video.

MEL

[Garvin]

MEL, thanks... I chose Hare because its a little darker and apparently a little on the harder side than Lenke. I do have a Lenke Djembe though and the color is essentially the same. Those are metal rings wrapped in black fabric. I hope to get the video or sound up tonight as long as I can get going on it before my son goes to bed.

[Garvin]

Okay, heres a short video. I could spend the next few sentences being self-conscious about my playing, but I really just wanted to get a good recording of the sound of these babies. What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnLhPEukSYI

[slingerland755]

Really enjoyed it. Nice skills!

[MEL]

They sound great, and those were some nice rolls at the end there too. Enjoy 'em!

MEL

[Skulmoski]

Hello Garvin

I have been playing my Drumskull congas for half a year and love them. I have a Drumskull dununba that I will add to my set up as soon as I purchase a DW 9909 drum riser (they are hard to find in these parts!). I currently am using a cowbell with a Gibralter pedal when I play the congas.I will post some pics once I get these pieces together. (I have one of their bugarabu's and I am contemplating adding another three! I have a couple of their djembes too. Love my Drumskulls!) http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=640

Garvin, I notice that you have had your congas for a few years now. Have you had to add some knots to the verticals? How are the cowskin heads holding up?

Take care

Greg

p.s. nice video you have; it helped me decide to purchase!

[Garvin]

Ha! My first name is Greg too!

Yeah, I've pulled tons of knots. I live in a humind climate. I take a mallet to gigs, and have thought about pulling verts but I still haven't.

The heads are great. My attitude about cow heads is that they get better with age. I'm not planning on changing them unless they pop, or split for some reason. I'm more concerned about the wood cracking.

I've looked at the rings and they have settled into the wood pretty tight, I'll probably give them some oil before the summer.

Abu Dhabi huh? Do you know a guy over there named James? Long shot... But PM me if you do.

[aydee]

Very Nice Congas, played very nicely..

[larryace]

From the first hit, I thought I was navigating the rain forests of the Amazon with pygmies armed with blowdart guns hot on my trail. Vipers are hanging from the trees waiting to catch me unaware, monkeys are chattering and swinging about...

Really really great authentic sound Greg. let's hear some more.

[Skulmoski]

Ha! My first name is Greg too!

I'm more concerned about the wood cracking.



What is it that makes you concerned that the drums could crack? (Sorry, but I come from "there is no such thing as a dumb question.")

Best

GJS

p.s. I have only had some LPs crack.

[Garvin]

Solid shelled drums are prone to cracking at the edges as they dry. Most djembes and solid shell congas develop micro-cracks as they cure. The rubberized bottoms on mine will minimize that, but If I took the heads off, I'm sure i could find some. It doesn't affect the overall sound, and the cracks are generally not even big enough to fit a piece of paper between.

This is my experience even with top quality stuff like you get from Drumskulls or even Wula. Its just the nature of wood. Oiling them will strengthen the wood over time. My first djembe would drink about a half a cup of lemon oil every other year when I lived in the Southwest, and definitely darkened in color in that time.