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Tycoon produce a surprisingly wide range of individual congas and conga sets, and the 900 Series congas suitably represent one of their mid-price sets. The 11¾" conga and 12½" tumba are augmented by an 11" quinto and 10" re-quinto and are traditionally stave constructed from aged Siam oak wood, which has since proven to be very durable.

 

They are available in 12 attractive natural and coloured finishes. We were not too sure at first about the black pearl finish on the hardware and, after much deliberation, thought that it slightly cheapened the look of the drums. We would have preferred a couple more of their hardware options, namely the chrome or brushed chrome.

 

However, this is always a personal area and Tycoon offer numerous hardware options in chrome, black powder and brushed chrome (as well as the black pearl plating), so there should be one there to suit most tastes.

 

Unfortunately there are no ingenious rubber protective strips on the Tycoon set to help prevent knocking seven shades out of the drum next to the one you are playing. We think that, by now, all companies should include these as standard on drums of this calibre. Tycoon use a multi-layer super high gloss coating on these drums which they say produces a mirror-like finish - in our experience though, it's not quite strong enough to take all the knocks, so treat these instruments with respect.

 

There are also no carrying handles on these drums. This may or may not effect your decision in choosing a set, but it is quite surprising just how useful they are when they are fitted.

 

The design of the rims is probably the only main difference between this set and similar ones on the market. The rim is considerably deeper than a lot of other companies' but this gives it a distinctive appearance and, most importantly, it doesn't impede your strokes at all when playing into the head. Thanks to several coats of varnish these drums exhibited a lustre that highlighted the light natural wood grain finish well and each comes with a simple black tripod stand.

 

Thai-made service

 

One of the jewels in the crown was a set of 7" and 8½" 800 Series bongos, constructed from aged Siam oak wood and topped with buffalo-skin heads. They are really affordable, available in a variety of colours and offered in such diverse hardware finishes as black powder, chrome, brushed chrome, black pearl and antique copper.

 

This set was impressive in more than a few areas. The review model came in an attractive, slightly browner Cherry Wood natural woodstain and the chrome rims set the look off a treat. When playing them you realise that you have quite a range of tones at your disposal, from gentle taps, all the way through to loud open tones and slaps.