| In
1992 a company hit the percussion scene building instruments in a tradition
that preserves the history of Afro-Cuban drums in both their quality and
their sound. Sol founder and former builder of Valje Drums, Akbar Moghaddam
later joined forces with drum builder Octavio Ruiz to form a team with
an excess of 40 years of experience in manufacturing. The Rumba Congas
by sol are reminiscent of the heyday when Cuban dance music hit the U.S.
with unrivaled popularity. |
 |
| The
Skinny. Skinny drums they truly are not. The Rumba series conga possesses
a few attributes that set it apart from most of the other drums available
today. The drum's belly is bigger than the belly of most of today's biggest
opera singers. Measuring in at nearly 5" larger than the head size in
diameter, this over-emphasized portion of the shell alters the sound equally
as much as the looks of the drum. The belly fattens it up. Compared to
similar drums with average bellies, the tones brought more sustain, clarity,
and most of all, body. |
|
| More
is Less. Sol's minimalist approach to conga design actually has a
beneficial effect on the pure sound of their drums. Red oak shells are
finished in hand-rubbed oil, which shows off the beauty of the wood grain
and accentuates the drum's natural sustain more effectively than heavy
lacquer. |
|
| Only
ten holes are drilled into each shell. The hardware consists of five 2
½" lug plates, appropriately shaped like a sun. Each is attached to the
shell by only two screws, helping to further maximize the shell's resonant
character. These two screw holes are placed below the point where a 5/16"
tension rod pulls up on the plate, offsetting the upward pull and eliminating
the need for any other holes. The lug plate is backed by a 2 ½" square
backing plate on the inside of the shell. All of the hardware is finished
in a subtle powder-coated gold and black crackled finish, referred to
as "gold vein" in the Sol catalogue. The floor ring is attached without
using any extra screws or hardware. The ring is forced around the base
of the drum and is recessed to mount flush with the shell. |
|
| The
bongos we tested were super duper. They were built in the same fashion
as the congas, except the drums were made of walnut. (Normal Sol bongos
are made of oak but can be ordered otherwise as a custom job.) The hardware
was attached in a typical bongo fashion with a floating ring around the
bottom of each shell. |
|
| I
liked what I saw at first glance, but was pleasantly surprised when I
put them between my knees. They were very comfortable. Was it the weight?
No, they weren't much lighter than other sets I've played. After comparing
them to another set I noticed that the lugs had a straighter pull and
came down to the bottom ring at much less of an angle than most bongos.
This allowed my legs to wrap around the drums in a more natural position
and hold them up with little effort. |
|
| Features
like these make me believe that sol put a lot of time and research into
engineering these drums. The drums have just the right amount of flash
without being too flashy, and enough metal on them to do the job without
adding extra weight. Both the congas and the bongos are equipped with
a Comfort Crown, which adds strength and rigidity. It was also my saving
grace through a four-hour merengue gig. |
|
| The
Test. After checking out the drums at home, I used them in two situations
that I thought would really put the drums to the test. The first was with
a very traditional Cuban dance music group, playing mainly son and danzon
music. The drums did very well. The conga's mellow sustain and body of
the open and bass tones very much suited the genre and complimented the
music. It was very easy to coax tones out of the cowhide heads, which
offered a great deal of separation between the tones. Projection was optimal,
which usually isn't a problem in a band equipped with string players rather
than horns. |
|
| The
band was miked appropriately, but, of course, the congas had only one
mike for four drums. Sadly, this is a common situation in which certain
drums are more amplified than others. But Sol Rumba congas did fine. Coverage
was decent for all four drums, once we got the mike placed high enough.
The projection was not only easy on the mikes but also easy on the hands. |
|
| Normally
brightness isn't something that a conga drummer would complain about,
but in this case, the timbale player used calfskin heads and taped his
bells for muffling. Next to the muffled timbalero, the slaps and muffled
tones were a little bright on the quinto and the conga. The problem was
easily remedied by focusing most of those strokes to the larger drum,
which gave me a deeper, richer slap that wasn't overbearing. |
|
| The
bongos really passed this test with flying colors. Tuned just a tad bit
lower than normal, the drums spoke in a way that fit the music like a
glove. The 7" macho had a mellow pop that you could hear miles away. And
when tuned down, the 8" hembra gave a bellowing tone that was reminiscent
of the much larger, more traditional tacked head drum played in early
dance music of Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic before the addition
of tumbadoras. Since this particular set was a custom order, it was fitted
with a horse skin head (normally equipped with calf) on the macho and
cowhide for the hembra. The horse skin offered a great compromise between
thin, overused goatskin and calfskin, which sometimes can sound too flat.
Sol conquered another situation that required plenty of projection and
less brightness. |
|
| I
next played the drums with a loud, big dance band whose material consisted
of about 25 percent salsa tunes and about 75 percent merengue and pop
tunes. They had four screamin' horns and a ton of percussion. My first
instinct when jumping into a situation like this is to make sure that
all of the different percussion instruments are distinguishable, especially
the congas in relation to the tambora and drum set. |
|
| In
a perfect world, I would first check their tuning and characteristics,
then EQ them in a sound check. I unfortunately had neither opportunity,
but to my surprise, the problem never arose, which is where all of that
brightness and projection cam in handy. Luckily I had better miking, but
regardless, the drums were pumping like crazy. During a descarga jam the
drum set player dropped out and sat down behind a couple of the smaller
Sol congas while I was on the larger ones. The bass tone out of the tumba
was monstrous and was literally driving the group. |
|
| Unfortunately,
I wasn't able to pick up the bongos at this gig. But after tuning them
back into range, and playing them at a couple of salsa gigs, and even
an acoustic rock gig, I was convinced that those are the most versatile
set of drums I'd ever brought out. I've never been able to cover bases
so extreme, and without comprise[sic], with just one set of bongos. |
|
| New
Sizes: Pro and Con. The fat bellies of these drums offer a number
of trade-offs. When playing seated, the drums sit about an inch further
apart from head to head. However, you're less prone to scratch your shells
because the drums touch at a point lower than the hardware mounts. The
only other problem was that the soft bags I use to transport my drums
fit pretty snugly on the Rumba congas. So if you plan to pick up a set,
be sure to get cases with ample room, since Sol hasn't begun to offer
any for their uniquely sized drums. |
|
| Our
review drums were uncompromising in both looks and tone, and suited my
philosophy of function before form and sound before looks. In fact, the
beauty of the natural wood was really the only finish and look I could
picture to match the natural tone of the drums. |
|
| I
got the chance to see the manufacturing process firsthand, and the meticulous
care that goes into building each drum, from gluing the shell to creating
each lug plate. I felt a true sense of history. I saw a building process
that has evolved through years of trial and error for the benefit of the
professional musician. The sound, the look, the craftsmanship can all
be described with too words - phat and fat (literally). |
|
