Maker

Gon Bops

Los Angeles congas since the 1950s

Mariano Bobadilla began building congas in Los Angeles in the 1950s and the drums became the West Coast standard in Latin jazz. The brand went dormant and was revived, now under Drum Workshop, with the original shell profiles reissued.

Models

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Categories

  • Hand Percussion

    Congas, bongos, djembes, cajons, timbales, frame drums, and the small instruments that live on a percussion table: tambourines, cowbells, shakers, and claves.

Representative 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.