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!