Hand Percussion · Models

Model

Gon Bops Mariano Series Congas

Hand percussion

The Mariano series revives Mariano Bobadilla's original California shell profile, which is squatter and wider than the Cuban pattern most makers copy.

Model

Meinl Woodcraft Congas

Hand percussion

Woodcraft congas use American white oak staves and Meinl's tuning hardware, and sit at the professional end of a catalogue that runs a very long way down in price.

Model

The Classic is the conga most people picture: Siam oak staves, LP's Comfort Curve rim, and hardware that survives being tuned hard and often. It is the drum against which other production congas are described.

Model

Toca Freestyle Congas

Hand percussion

Freestyle congas use moulded synthetic shells and synthetic heads, which means they do not crack in a van, do not detune in a damp hall, and cost a fraction of a wooden drum.

Model

Tycoon Master Handcrafted Congas

Hand percussion

Master Handcrafted congas are Tycoon's professional drums, with thicker Siam oak staves and hand-selected heads, at prices well below the American brands.

Model

Gon Bops Fiesta Series Congas

Hand percussion

Fiesta congas are Gon Bops' student and semi-professional drums, with the brand's rim contour at a price a beginner can reach.

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LP Aspire Conga

Hand percussion

Aspire puts a real tunable conga with LP hardware into a first instrument, and is the drum most school and community programmes end up owning.

Model

Meinl Marathon Classic Congas

Hand percussion

The Marathon Classic line is Meinl's workhorse conga: Siam oak, heavy hardware, and a rim contour designed to be played hard for a long night.

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LP Galaxy Giovanni Series Conga

Hand percussion

Developed with Giovanni Hidalgo, these congas use a wider, flatter rim contour and a shell profile tuned for the fast, melodic hand technique he is known for.

Model

Meinl Headliner Congas

Hand percussion

Headliner congas are Meinl's student and semi-professional drums, built in rubberwood with the same tuning hardware pattern as the lines above them.

Model

Toca Elite Pro Congas

Hand percussion

Elite Pro is the top of Toca's range: stave-built wooden shells, heavy hardware, and hand-selected hide heads.

Model

Gon Bops Alex Acuña Signature Congas

Hand percussion

Developed with Alex Acuña, these congas use a particular stave profile and rim contour, and they are the drums that carried the revived Gon Bops name back onto stages.

Model

Gope Atabaque

Hand percussion · Brazil

The atabaque is a tall, rope- or key-tuned hand drum used in Afro-Brazilian religious music and in capoeira rodas, built by Gope in the three traditional sizes.

Model

LP Matador Conga

Hand percussion

Matador sits below the Classic on price and above most of the market on durability, in Siam oak or fibreglass, and is the line most often bought by players who gig with their drums rather than record with them.