Meinl Percussion Bongos Hand Drum Set 6.75" and 8" with Hardwood Shells and Tuning Key — NOT Made in China — Marathon Designer Series, 2-Year Warranty (FWB190LB)

Let me first say I am not an expert on latin percussion. But I have spent several years playing sax and doing arrangements for salsa bands in Florida where all the percussionists were people who were born and raised in Puerto Rico, so I have a pretty good idea what these things are supposed to sound like. For the past few years I've been leading the jazz band at the community college where I teach, and this most recent semester, (Spring 2017) we shrunk the group down to 4 horns plus latin rhythm section. Since the head band director wouldn't let me tune his set (yeah, he's a dork) I decided to buy my own. These seemed like a good combination of price and quality, so I took a chance and bought them here on Amazon. We used them all semester, and I could not have been more pleased. I have learned to tune these up properly (after watching a LOT of Youtube videos) and I really love the snappy but rich tones that this set produces with the heads that were included. We played a lot of different styles (cumbia, cha-cha-cha, yambu, bolero, boogaloo and bomba-sica) and I was able to tune these drums to work well in all those styles, even though they really don't belong in all of these styles. I learned enough to play these in a very basic way, and then showed a non-musician how to do it, and he played them all semester. By the end of the semester, he was getting a much wider range of tones out of them than I could. When we put a mic on him, these bongos sounded really fantastic. These bongos seem very sturdy. I like to tune them up pretty high, and I always detuned them after every rehearsal/performance, but there was never any problem with the hardware. Everybody loved the rich amber color with red accents, and the hard clear coat over the wood has resisted dents and scrapes really well. Overall I have been thrilled with these bongos. They look and sound great, and I would buy another set if needed some more.

These Meinl bongos sound fantastic. I listen to a lot of percussion from around the world. These bongos are legit and gorgeous sounding. The traditional chrome hardware isn't that important, and it drops the price of bongos, it seems, if you don't buy chrome, and yet the black metal hardware is plenty strong, I don't feel I'm missing anything not having chrome. Super strong hardware around the drums. They look gorgeous. But I never buy an instrument because of how it looks, that's secondary. Looks come last for me, especially if there's a bargain price on a certain color. For me, Sound first! Always! And build quality is a must also. These are built like a tank, comfortable to play and the sound is delicious. I've recorded with them too. They sound as good as anyone's bongos. I didn't even tune them yet! Pulled straight out of the box... what a sound. I'll explore tuning in the near future but they sound so good now, I'm just going to play them. Great job, Meinl. And the finished, shiny rubberwood is just gorgeous. Nice fit and finish. These will last a lifetime. The skins are durable. These came with a wrench and lug lube to keep everything moving easy when tuning. Bravo!

There solid they sound gteatlove the color there heavy but the meinl stand holds them great worth it you'll love them

I bought the Easter (79.00) and did not like them, thin sound, and cheese manufacturing. So I decided to add $60 and get a better Bongo, WOW, I'm glad I did it. These bongos are infinity better, sound, feel, look, everything. If there is a disadvantage over the Easterns is that the Meinl are heavier, but the sound completely makes up for the extra weight. Very glad that I returned those cheapo sounding Easters and got the Meinls. I compared with the Matadors from LP, the floating system of the Meinls seems to provide a richer dynamic range and with a better tone and louder kick. It feels like there are more sounds available, very clear. The Matadors are loud but lack the full fat, mean sound of the Meinls.

The 1st set that arrived the small one had a couple small weak spots in the skin head. Started a return and got a replacement in one day. The craftmanship is very good. The not made in China just turns out to be Sold by a German company but made in Thailand. Still a quality set.

I have just added these bongos to my Meinl congas. Great resonance, impressive slaps and tones. They arrived already tuned to my preference but key is included, just in case. Professional quality at affordable price.

As a beginner, I have to say these are a nice set. I am considering buying a new set of heads due to the ringing issues in these buffalo skins. The amber flame design is awesome, and they seem to be well constructed with the patented free ride system. My 1 year old son has even taken a liking to them 😂. I will continue to practice and advance my bongo playing skills!

High quality and great sound but you need to tune them when you get them. This is expected so not a complaint but just a heads up to prospective buyers. Absolutely love them and the finish only enhances the value as they are great to leave out on display when not in use.

Wie von Meinl gewohnt...top Verarbeitung und Sound.Kann ich nur empfehlen.Ich hab beim "Freeride System" das Gefühl, dass die hässlichen Obertöne die Bongos manchmal produzieren bei dieser Bongo nicht auftauchen. Unbedingt sollte man ein paar Euro mehr in einen guten Bongoständer investieren...lohnt sich !

Heavy. Solid. Great sound.Very pleased with these bongos. Best bongos I’ve had so far. A little more pricey than others I’ve had before but obviously gotta pay for better quality.

Così come da titolo, con questo strumento è possibile avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca! Si, proprio così, perché Meinl costituisce una sicurezza sullo strumento, e poi la qualità del suono di questi Bongos sono davvero impressionanti!

Excellent bongos at exceptional price!

右も左もわからず、単純にボンゴやりたいってことで購入。以前はスルドをやって居ましたが、いろいろ当てやめて居たのですが、やっぱりリズムを刻みたくなって購入しました。使ってみて思うことは単純なのに深みがある、ということでした。週末叩いて楽しんでます。別でスタンドとケースも入手したのでいろいろやってみたいです。