RockJam 7" and 8" Bongo Drum Set with Padded Bag and Tuning Key, Natural

My little granddaughter took a music class. During the course of it, she really liked the bongos. I ordered them for her. They are very well made & nice. One of my better purchases!

For the price they're pretty nice, if I had one complaint it's the neck strap being cheaply made but that's to be expected. Even most expensive saxophones come with crappy neck straps, so I don't really care about a cheap pair of bongos. The sound is nice, keep in mind sitting them on your lap mutes the sound just a bit. Have fun with them I guess.

First of all, I'm a hobbyist musician. I play a variety of instruments and have bought from many manufacturers. I'm used to buying on a budget, since it's a hobby, not a career. However, I recognize the good qualities of a product pretty often, and I think I'm pretty fair about the not-so-good qualities.These bongo drums are, first of all, a great deal. They play well, they sound good, they feel right. I can't compare them physically to any other bongos, but they seem pretty comparable to lots of the drums I've seen in videos while doing research. They sound about the same, too, after you tune them up properly. As for that, DO NOT EXPECT PERFECTION OUT OF THE BOX! These drums have been tuned a little to keep them from falling apart during shipping. I'll add brief tuning instructions at the end of this review, to help people who buy these drums get them playable in short order.Now, where was I? Oh yes. They seem comparable to other bongos out there. They're a good size, sturdy build, and with a surprisingly snappy sound. If you hear an overtone in the drum, you can minimize that somewhat by properly tuning the instrument. However, even pro-level bongos have this overtone aspect, so it may just be a thing all bongos do. (Overtone is a high-pitched ringing that occurs when you strike the drum.)Now, as for the bag, it's a pretty standard toat bag, although it has some padding to protect your instrument from bumps and bruises. It comes with a strap, allowing you to choose whether you're going to carry it by the handle on the bag or by putting it over your shoulder.The fact that this drum comes with a tuning wrench is pretty awesome. I've heard that many do come with it, but it's nice to see them putting in all the extra effort to get people playing right away.Now, if I like this so much, why did I give it 4 rather than 5 stars? Well, it's because I noticed several small but significant issues with finish and with the drum head itself. If I could, I'd give it 4.5 stars, but I can't, so let me describe what I noticed. First, there were some small areas of the wood inside the drum where the wood hadn't been checked for splinters. Several specimens came off when I rubbed them gently with my thumb. I didn't have to put effort into it, and the wood of the drum, while somewhat unsanded inside, isn't poorly put together. It just tells me that they didn't take time, at least with my drum, to check to be certain the wood was ready to leave the factory. The other issue with the drum head is equally small. Basically, there are little spots of either glue or extra skin or what have you hanging off the underside of the drum head. Not a deal-breaker by any means, just something to be aware of. I chose to leave them alone rather than risking the head's integrity by picking at it.Why do I care so much about the inside of the drum, the underside of the head? Basically, it's because I believe you can judge the quality of a product by how well-done are the parts you weren't meant to see.Thus, I give the bongos the rating of being well-made, highly-playable, and a good all-round value, especially at this excellent price.Basic tuning instructionsFirst, turn the bongos head-side down in your lap.Next, use the included wrench to loosen all of the bolts significantly. Loosen them in quarter or half turns per bolt, in order to prevent damage to the drum heads. Loosen the bolts in a circle around each drum until they are loose enough to turn by hand (using your fingers, not the wrench.)At this point, tighten the bolts back up using your fingers until you can't turn them by hand anymore. At this point, the drum, if you tap its upside-down head, would make a dull unbongoish thunk.Tighten all of the bolts around each drum one full turn. Remember to move in a circular pattern around each drum.Once you've given each bolt a full turn, the tone will begin to sound more like what you'd expect from bongos.From here, tune the hembra, the larger drum, up slowly using half and quarter turns to get the right sound out of your drum. Remember to turn your drum over and check its tone by striking it after going around all of the bolts on it. If you have a tuner handy, I suggest tuning it somewhere between middle c and the e just above it, to your tastes.Now, you can tune the macho, the smaller drum. This drum will need a little more tightening to get it to the higher, snappier pitch desired for this drum. Use half and quarter turns, turning the drum over and tapping it regularly to check for tone. If you have a tuner ready, I suggest tuning this drum somewhere between e above middle c and the a just above that.For a final fine adjustment, hold the drums rightside-up. Pick a drum, and place your thumb lightly in the center of the head. Then, strike the head near the lugs, where the tention hooks hang down. You should hear a ringing. Repeat all around the head. Tune each lug slightly to match each lug's ringing overtone. Repeat this process for the second drum. Then everything should be ready to play The Martillo!

Great for price

Very nice bongo set. I don't know why this is a frequently returned item. Mine is well built, nice head skin, beautiful wood finish and sounds great. Comes with tuning- tightening key, case, and strap. Excellent value!

Thankfully I looked at this before giving it as a gift, because one was destroyed already. They need to use better quality materials or at minimum, better packaging for shipping.Really good size and quality otherwise, but I will be returning this!

I did not imagine that this penguin would be so wonderful, powerful, and have a wonderful sound as well. It was sent quickly, and when I received it and opened the box, I was surprised to find that it was identical to the musical instrument used with large musical bands. It has an extremely excellent sound, as well as a beautiful shape and ease of adjusting the skin , Thank you.

If you're looking for an inexpensive child's drum and you don't mind that it has a paper head that will break soon after you start playing it then this drum might work for you. Otherwise spend a bit more for a new drum or spend about the same amount for a used drum that will sound better and last many years longer.