Latin Percussion Giovanni Compact Conga sits comfortably atop a standard snare drum stand. It will fit in small
apartments, practice cubicles, or even the space between the hi-hat and
the crash cymbal in a drumset. The sound is surprisingly full and
delivers traditional slaps, muted sounds, and open tones. LP claims
that the drum produces "bass" tones ... but this is simply not the
case. You have to have a resonating chamber in order to play
traditional bass tones ... and this drum doesn't have that. I
personally tried playing bass tones, but it just sounded like a muffled
stroke played in the center of the head. Unfortunately the video demo does
not demonstrate this.
The Giovanni Compact Conga features a rugged aluminum alloy
rim that is easy on the hands, and an 11 inch head. I agree with LP,
it's the perfect solution to space and volume problems and can be muted
for quiet practice. If a regular conga is too large or loud, this need
is the perfect solution, giving the player an authentic conga sound and
feel.
I can tell you that I plan to at least pick up one of these drums, if
not a pair. They would be perfect for some of the gigs I play which
require low volume playing. Think about being able to do fly-dates with
these babies. Throw a couple of mics on there and you're ready to go!
