These drums are wonderful drums. I've owned a set of four for 2 years now and absolutely love them.

I personally only think there are three better sounding drums out there today- The vintage Gon Bops era drums, drums by Isla percussion (http://islapercussions.com), and the Giovanni drums by LP.

The Classics give a very warm and round sound that is great for both popular music and in folkloric settings. The heel toe is very dark and rich and the slaps on these drums can cut through anything (even the slaps on the tumba!). I think they're the best drums in their price range- whey you look at sound versus affordability they are really unbeatable.

Older Gon Bops drums are much more expensive and difficult to find (and not always in the best of conditions!). The drums at Isla are also very expensive, although they are easily available, but they're each made to order and you have to wait for them and put down a deposit. The Giovanni drums sound much better to me than the Classics (they're made of Ash as opposed to Oak) but they cost a lot more (roughly $500 as opposed to $400 for a conga) and if you're like me and you're on a budget then they're just a little to pricey.

The only thing I don't like about these drums are the colors- there's not a really nice stained natural finish. LP has a 'natural' finish, but its very white looking to me and looks particularly ugly with the gold hardware (again, just my opinion). The only thing closest to a nice stained wood color is the red wine, (which I own) but they can look a little red from drum to drum.

These drums price and availability coupled with their great sound make them my most recommended set of drums.

First off- ain't nothing like the real thing....baby.

But for those of you who are not inclined to dry your own gourds and string your own chekere, this is not a bad instrument.

The instrument is fiberglass, as opposed to a real gourd, which creates some issues from the start. The fiberglass shell makes the instrument ring a little too long, and the sound is slightly superficial and bright. The sound hole on this instrument is a little too small in my opinion, giving a choked or constrained sound. The beaded pattern is very nice, but the sound of the beads against the shell are a little too bright and cutting to pass for an authentic instrument. I am however, used to playing authentically produced (by myself or a master artisan) chekeres which a fiberglass mass produced instrument will never be able to match.

Compared to other fiberglass chekeres on the market, this one is probably the best however. The other models I've played (Meinl and a few minor brands) actually tend to be either too heavy or too large to be shaken effectively (or both!). Any fiberglass instrument will have a different and longer tone and a brighter bead attack, and if I were to recommend a fiberglass instrument to someone I would recommend this one.

There are however, some smaller companies (if you can even call them companies!- most are just individuals with Internet stores!) who sell authentic chekeres for prices comparable to that of the mass produced LP chekere (sometimes even less!). These instruments produce a VASTLY superior sonority and a much more authentic look and feel.

So basically, go look for a real instrument on the Internet- you may be able to find a real instrument that will sound better and will be at least close to the same price (between 150 and 250, roughly). And if these all sound like they cost too much, get in contact with me and I'll explain how to make your own chekere- then you'll know why they cost so much!

These are not bad drums, but they're not the top of the line for sure. The first conga I owned was a Matador conga, and it did its job and sounded fine and basically fit what I needed it to do perfectly. This line of drums (in the LP catalog) are really the top end of the student instruments and the beginning of the professional ones.

The Matador congas don't have as rich a sound as the Classic or Salsa model drums from LP, but its not too far behind.

The biggest differences between the Matadors and the Classics/Salsa model drums is the heads that come on the drums and the hardware. The heads that come on the Matador drums are the basic white LP cow hide heads (don't really know if they have a name) and the heads on the Classics/Salsas are the 'hand picked' (tan) heads which really do sound superior for whatever reason (thicker, warmer sound).

The 'soft strike' rims that come on the Matadors aren't bad, but I personally prefer the 'comfort curve II' rims that come on the higher end lines of drums. They're just more comfortable to play on to me.

Both of these things are relatively easy fixes if you want to do so. The general sound of the shell on the Classic and Salsa model drums is definitely superior to that of the Matador drums, but if you change these two things you'll get very close, and save some dough. If you don't have the cash now to drop on a set of Classics or Salsas, just get some Matador drums and then invest in the rims and heads at a later time and WHAM- you'll be getting a really good sound and will have saved some change that you can put towards some nice bongos!

The LP compact conga is an amazing invention (I've been practicing with one for about 3 years now). This instrument is suitable and pretty much perfect for practicing as it is easily transportable- all you need is this drum and a snare stand! This is a big difference from the days when guys like me had to lug their drums to and from the practice rooms every time we wanted to play.

This drums is also great for a beginner who wants a descent instrument but doesn't have the money to spend on an entire drum.

One thing I don't understand is why guys play these things on gigs- they really sound terrible! Don't get me wrong- the head sound obviously sounds great but there is no resonating body to get that great, warm conga sound! There's really no sound to the heel toe on this drum- its basically like playing a regular conga thats flat on the floor. The heel toe is really the glue that sticks together the tumbao, so not having any real sound for the heel toe is a really big deal in my eyes- especially for a live situation. If you ask me, guys that take these things on gigs are just plain lazy.

My only true gripe about this drum is that you cant seem to change the head. I personally hate those synthetic white Evans conga heads (yes, even though they don't go out of tune as easily)- I just don't think they give a very good, authentic conga-y sound. They also don't feel right under my hands while I'm playing- I really prefer the natural cowhide heads and feel like they just give a VASTLY superior sound, tone and warmth. Also- what are you supposed to do when the head that comes mounted on the drum wears out? Sounds like an industry ploy to make you have to buy another drum to me.

I've owned these drums for about 7 years and I have mixed feelings about them. These are not the top of the line bongos from LP- most notably above it are the 'Generation II,' 'Galaxy,' and 'Giovanni Hidalgo' lines of drums. At the same time these drums aren't at the bottom of the barrel either- ranking highly (in my opinion) above the 'Aspire' and 'CP' lines of drums.

Compared to the lines above it, the Matador drums pale in comparison to the Giovanni series drums. The Giovanni's are made of ash and really do give a much more authentic (the LP website says 'superior' !) sound for Cuban music. The Matador drums can't be tuned as high as any of the lines above it either- which can make getting an authentic sound difficult as well.

The most traditional sound of a bongo is high and tight, and these bongos tend to be a little ringy for my ears (ringing longer than the lines above it). The general sound on the Generation II and Galaxy model drums is a darker warmer sound as well.

By contrast however, the Matador bongos are vastly superior to the lines of drums below them- the 'Aspire' and 'CP' model drums. Neither the Aspire, nor the CP model drums have the ability to be tuned in an appropriate range (to my ears) where as the Matadors can get there. The CP drums by comparison are basically just a toy- the Aspire drums sound awful and there is a big jump in quality from Aspire to Matador.


The Matador drum line in general are kind of the perfect middle of the road line of drums- they're basically the top of your student and bottom of your professional heaps, so to speak. I wouldn't ever take these drums on a studio gig, but wouldn't hesitate taking them on any form of gig.

These drums are perfect for the professional on a budget or the advanced student, and for the price, give the biggest cost to sound ratio (in my opinion) of any of the LP bongo lines.