LP 40th Anniversary Series Congas and Bongos |
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Early in 2005 year Latin Percussion celebrated their 40th birthday as a company by staging an enormous party at the Marriot Grand Ballroom in Anaheim California. A short video of this event is available from their website and if, like me, you weren't invited then we both missed one hell of a knees-up! Many great performers and LP endorsees unleashed a veritable Latin storm from the stage - a storm created no doubt on Latin Percussion instruments. Not content with throwing the mother of all parties LP have also created the daddy of all congas with their 40th Anniversary series comprising 11" Quinto, 11-3/4" Conga, and 12-1/2" Tumba. All the drums are 30" deep. These have just got to be the best looking conga drums I have ever seen. They are hunky beasts indeed, hewn as they are from good, solid hardwood. I cannot tell you what type of wood it is but the sections are glued together with some mighty strong smelling adhesive (mmmm one could get addicted to that stuff. I am in danger of developing a habit. I started by inquisitively smelling a small cuica drum a year or so back and moved on to bongos, inevitably ending up on the hard stuff - 40th anniversary congas). |
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| From the top a blond wood with well-defined grain fades gradually to a reddish amber hue and then to an ebony stain at the bass of the drum - truly stunning. But that is not all. A custom designed sparkling red LP 40th Anniversary Logo is inset into each drum. Apparently the logo's "reaching" strands symbolise the company's "eternal quest for innovation and sonic excellence" - and why not? Sounds like an admirable mission statement to me. Each drum also has a unique serial number bourn on a little gold plate on the shell, and each comes with a certificate of authenticity no less. So you would not expect instruments of such strength and beauty to sound anything less than fantastic would you? Of course you wouldn't - and of course they don't. Especially in the hands of an experienced congalero - check out the sound sample by clicking here to hear them for yourself - a sonic sensation indeed. From press stroke to slap stroke the aural quality is top notch and will grace both stage and studio. The 40th Anniversary bongos are, as you would expect, made to the same high standards as the congas and are finished just as beautifully with the aforementioned inset "eternal quest" logo and Gold Tone Comfort Curve rims and hardware. Complete with tuning wrench, lug lube and posing pouch they also sound as immaculate as they look. OK we have established that these 40th anniversary models are the absolute pinnacle of percussive excellence and LP have sunk all 40 years of their knowledge and experience into creating such quality instruments. They are sure to become collector's items in the future and therefore go up in value. And yes I am mentally preparing you for the price. But once you have picked yourself up off the floor remember that the street price will probably be a hell of a lot less that the retail prices listed below. Darling, happy anniversary. Prices (correct as of June 2005): 40th Anniversary 11" Quinto - LP522Z-40
- £482.95 Upbeats Downbeats Web Links: |
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As if the above wasn't enough LP have
also endowed the drums with beautiful Gold Tone Comfort Curve II Rims
and tuning lugs as well as a Gold-Tone microphone lug which is a fantastic
accessory that makes miking the drum simplicity itself. A Gold-Tone
handle attached to the shell makes carrying the drum easier, although
you would really need to invest in protective cases to ensure that you
preserve these beauties. The lugs feature Pro Care Integrated Shell
Protectors which are the LP equivalent to Meinl's "conga savers" and
which prevent accidental "collision" damage to the shells. How can you
top that? Well how about with hand selected rawhide heads imprinted
with the 40th Anniversary Logo? That'll do nicely - I'll take 'em -
especially if you throw in a tuning wrench and a tube of lug lube in
one of those nice black pouches.