Tumbadoras made by Gonzalo Vergara - Cuba

Tumbadoras (Congas) made during the 1950's and 1960's by the Cuban master drum maker Gonzalo Vergara are the "gold standard" which the two best American drum makers; the late 'Nataly "Junior" Tirado Ruiz' and 'Jay Bereck' of "Skin On Skin" based their drums on in both style and shape.

(The major difference between "Skin On Skin" and "Junior" Tirado's drums is that Jay Bereck "steams" the wood into shape, and Nataly "Junior" Tirado Ruiz used horizontal "cuts" to bend the wood into shape, which is what Gonzalo Vergara did.
The third American drum maker currently making drums with "root retention" going back to Gonzalo Vergara is Matthew Smith of "Ritmo".
(though his drums are more an "excellent hybrid" of both "Skin On Skin" and "Juniors")

Two Drummers playing three tunable tumbadoras made by
 Gonzalo Vergara. Photo in the Panart recording studios
in Havana with José Fajardo on flute,1950's.

"Jabuco" de Conjunto Roberto Faz,
playing a 10½ inch Vergara.

Fajardos drummer playing a 10½ inch Vergara.
 Oscar Valdés Sr. playing a 10½ inch Vergara.
(Father of Oscar Valdés Jr. ex Irakere singer)

Rogelio "Yeyito" Iglesias
Posing with a 10½ inch Vergara 1950's.

The late Luis Abreu
with a 10½ inch Vergara 1963.

A young Beny Moré playing
a 10½ inch Vergara Mid 1950's.

Beny Moré with two Vergara's in the car.
The original RCA LP cover 1960-'61.

A Vergara on a Celina y Rutillio LP cover.

A 10½ inch Vergara on the cover of Sensacion's LP.

Enrique Lazaga from 'Ritmo Oriental'
posing with a Vergara 1959 or '60.

Juan Claro Bravo from 'Ritmo Oriental' playing 
a Vergara (and wearing "The Eyeglasses")
 Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaria playing 
his Vergara's 1950's with Tito Puente's band.

Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaria playing 
his Vergara's with his band 70's.
 

Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaria in his house,

his two Vergara's behind him on the right.

Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaria with Tjaders quintet

'59-'60 with his two Vergara's.

 

Mongo with his two Vergara's
  Mongo with his two Vergara's, the red
one he had covered in fiberglass in the U.S.

Cuban drummer Marcelino Valdés
playing two Vergara's, early 60's.

Ernesto Tito Puente,
posing with a 10½ inch Vergara.

Ray Baretto

With his two "old beat up" drums made by Gonzalo Vergara.
They were given to him by Mongo Santamaria.
(Info via 'Dario' "El Rey de las tumbadoras Cubanas" en Miami)

Ray Baretto
(con "Los Espejuelos" de verdad)

An Oak wood Vergara, restored by
master drum maker, Matthew Smith. 

Photo: Matthew Smith, Ritmo Drums.

Cuban style Tumbadoras & Bongoes made by Matthew Smith

Matthew Smith master drum maker's web site.
http://www.ritmostudios.com/default.htm

"These are my own personal opinions,
I am not telling you what to buy, or what not to buy"

In my opinion, these are the best Congas "made anywhere in the United States, even the tumbadoras currently made in Cuba can't touch 'Matt Smiths' drums.
The shape of the drums are excellent, with the "belly" of the drums in the correct place.

Unfortunately, since the death of Nataly "Junior" Tirado Ruiz, the only place to find a drum made by "Junior" is either once a year on Ebay, or at a yard sale/garage sale (If you're lucky). Jay Bereck' master drum maker of "Skin On Skin" is still making drums, located now in upstate N.Y., though there is a waiting list as is expected for any "custom made" musical instrument of high quality.

I have played Matthew Smiths Congas and have a student who owns four of them. They sound great and look immaculate. Truly "custom made" drums.

My own views and "personal experience" with other drums:
Congas made by "J.C.R." (Bronx, N.Y.) to me are based on "Junior" Tirado drums.
"Junior" Tirado used the back area of Cali's shop to make his drums during a period when he had no other place to make his drums, Cali learned how to make tumbadoras using some of Junior's techniques. Cali Rivera' of J.C.R. is a great metal worker who makes a nice line of cowbells, timbales and bongoes, makes repairs, re-glues, flesh hoops, crowns, lugs etc. and is a very friendly and humble person.

My personal experience with drums made by "Isla" (Hollywood, California) is the crown tends to bend out of shape after only six months to a year and have an unattractive and horrible looking weird "ridge" in the belly of their drums.

Tycoon Percussion = incredibly ugly assembly line crap... made in Bangkok, Thailand by workers who are paid bull shit wages.

"Moperc" (Canada) , ridiculously priced "designer" drums that weigh a ton and look nothing like the "classic Cuban" shape which I personally prefer. I love Canada and Canadians, but not these drums.
"Sol" (San Francisco) and "Volcano" (Hawaii) exotic, but visually...no thank you.

"Bauer" (Brasil)... bloated bowling pins, visually unattractive and look like they need to be on a low fat diet.

"Meinl" (germany) assembly line drums that look, feel and play like a child's toy drum to me.
I recently found these two videos on YouTube... I feel sorry for this guy who bought "Meinl" drums that were complete garbage. Video 1 - Video 2

"Lp" Matador / CP's aren't even worth mentioning unless you're a "beginner" or own a summer camp for kids. And "Lp"..... plastic and fiberglass sounds just like "plastic and fiberglass".
The "Lp" so called "Palladium model"... crap made in Asia by workers who are paid bull shit wages. Visually unattractive drums "roughly stylized" after Jay Bereck's "Skin On Skin" and "Junior Tirado's" drums. But musicians who get them for "free" ("endorse") will never complain.
Some people will play rubber, plasic, fiberglass and "mystery materiel" (composite), if it's "given" to them free.

In the world of the "classic acoustic violin"... there is the 'Stradivarius'... in the world of the "tunable acoustic Cuban tumbadora" there was Gonzalo Vergara , Candido Requena then "Junior" Tirado then Jay Bereck's "Skin On Skin" and now Matt Smith's "Ritmo".

Both Natalio "Junior" Tirado and Jay Bereck's drums have "roots" that relate back to the "classic gold standard" shape, size and look created by Gonzalo Vergara in Cuba "over 50 years ago".
Sadly, most "young" drummers have never even seen a Gonzalo Vergara drum, or one made by Candido Requena, another Cuban classic drum maker.
This is still the shape that Matthew Smith's drums continue to retain the "roots" of in his exceptional "custom made" drums.
Matthew Smith's company is called "Ritmo".

"The classic"

Below are two drums made of Oak, the one on the left belongs to a student of mine and made by Matthew Smith ("Ritmo"). The one on the right is one of mine made by Jay Bereck ("Skin On Skin").
You can see that the "belly" of the drum made by Jay Bereck ("Skin On Skin") sits slightly lower than on Matt's drum, and Jay's drum has thinner bands that are not highly chromed, instead have a "clean looking" brushed finish.

Tito Puente "The Complete 78s" Vol - I, II, III, IV - N.Y.C.

Many of the original 78rpm records that were used for this four volume set, came from my fathers record collection that he sold to 'Joe Conzo' in the early 1980's.
Featuring 'Vicentico Valdés', 'Mongo Santamaria', 'Willie Bobo', 'Manny Oquendo' and 'Charlie Palmieri'

On these early recordings, Mongo is playing a 'tack head" drum (a drum that needed a can of 'Sterno' to heat the skin head to tune it) and later especially in Vol-IV, you can hear him playing his two drums made by 'Gonzalo Vergara'.

'Mongo' playing a "tack head" tumbadora.

'Mongo' playing his two 'Vergara's' with 'Tito Puente'.

(((Vol - I)))

(((Vol - II)))


(((Vol - III)))


(((Vol - IV)))

Photo: Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria

Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria

playing one of his drums made by
Gonzalo Vergara.

Mongo wearing a very hip lightweight
Seersucker jacket, a hip hairstyle and
do you notice something about his hands...

Photos & video: Marlon Brando early 1950's

With a nice pair of early Cuban 1950's "tack-head" bongoes.

With an early 1950's Cuban "tack-head".

Marlon playing a 'Gonzalo Vergara' drum.
Late 1950's.
(Photo contributed by 'Geordie Van Der Bosch')

Marlon playing bongoes with band.
Tunable with metal lugs.
(Photo contributed by 'Geordie Van Der Bosch')

After Marlon Brando died, many of his personal possessions were auctioned off publicly about ten years ago. Included were a pair of bongoes given to him by 'Mario Diaz' in 1956.
I bought a pair made like these on Ebay five years ago on Ebay, I made the mistake of selling them.

These styles of bongoes (typically with red and black bands) were commonly sold in music stores in Havana in the 1950's, many sold at the well known 'Solis' music store in Havana.
Drums sold by 'Solis' usually had the stores sticker on the inside of all their drums.

The reason why Solis put a "disclaimer" sticker on the inside was because the majority of drums were bought by tourists, who would then take them back to the U.S.A. where the climates were very different than in Cuba, in cold weather the wood often would contract, sometimes causing the 'stave's' to separate and the drums to then fall apart.

Below: Marlon's "tack head" tumbadora, with a "custom made" travel case with his name on the top. It was also auctioned off.
(Photo contributed by 'Geordie Van Der Bosch')

Video: Marlon "jamming" with 'Jack Costanzo'
Interviewed by 'Edward R. Murrow'.

Orquesta CMQ 1950's - Cuba

The CMQ studio-house band.

Joaquín Mendível Guerra at the piano, Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar: trumpet, Oscar Valdés Sr. playing a 10½ inch tumbadora made by Gonzalo Vergara'.

(I like the baritone sax players sneakers)

1. Fiesta En El Aire-C.M.Q. Presentacion