An Introduction to Pearl Bongos

The Pearl Company specializes in all types of percussion instruments, not just drum sets, and Pearl Bongos are some of the highest quality drums they produce.

For more information on the Pearl Drum Company and their other instruments, please see my general hub on Pearl Drums.

Pearl has modeled its Bongo production techniques off of authentic Cuban designs, and many of its bongos feature real calf-skin heads and wood.

All of these instruments, are high-quality, but to even further ensure the grade and authenticity of their Bongos, Pearl has enlisted the expertise of two world-famous latin percussionists: Bobby Allende, and Richie Flores.

With their help, Pearl Bongos have a classic feel and good sound for modern and authentic Cuban music, alike. The sound of these instruments can be heard on latin music recordings, as most percussionists use either Latin Percussion or Pearl bongos.

Pearl Bongos are currently offered in four series': Bobby Allende Signature, Richie Flores Signature, Elite, and Primero.

Pearl's Bobby Allende Signature Bongos are of a fiberglass shell, and are offered in either a “Cafe Con Leche” (Coffee with Milk), or a “Solar Sparkle” finish. The smaller of the two drums- called “macho” (male) in spanish- is a 7” diameter, while the larger- “hembra” (female)- is 8.5'.

These drums have a full-bodied sound that is great for studio recording because the microphones get everything they need from an EQ standpoint.

Both drums come standard with a Remo Fiberskyn3 head and are adorned with Pearl's professional hardware including polished steel, contour crown hoops.

These beautiful Oak/Mahogany Bongos are some of the best sounding i've heard. The deeply resonant wood choice on these really allows them to sing with depth and warmth, unlike many bongos where all you hear is an annoying high-pitched crack with no resonance.

The Richie Flores Signature Bongos featuring two sets of mounting holes so that you can mount them in either direction with either the male or the female on your left, which can be quite useful when you are playing with a large percussion setup and you want to quickly do “scalar” runs around the whole kit.

Another in the line of Pearl's professional bongos are the Elite Bongos. These drums are unique in that they are offered with two different material and finish options: Oak shells with Cherry Eucalyptus finish, and Fiberglass drums with Burgundy Marble Finish.

The Oak drums have a deeper resonance and a lower pitch that sounds great when in a quiet musical setting or when they are closely mic'ed.

Both sets of Elite Bongos come with gold-plated hardware and the individual drums are slightly more diverse than their Signature counterparts with a 7” diameter for the male, and 9” diameter for the female (as opposed to 7”/8.5” with the Bobby Allende, and Richie Flores Signature Bongos).

Although Pearl produces some very lush sounding and visually tempting professional percussion, not everyone has $300- $550 to spend on Bongos.

For those of you who don't, rest assured that Pearl's Primero Bongos will still provide you with quality tone and all the tunability and features you need in a set of bongos. These drums are constructed from fiberglass, which will give you a crisp attack for live performances when you need to get into the mix.

However, the fiberglass material still does a pretty good job of producing some warm midrange tones and a nice low-end boost, and i've noticed that Primero Bongos still sound pretty full on recordings.

Though they are slightly smaller than their professional counterparts at 6 inches for the male, and 7 inches for the female, Pearl Primero Bongos come with real cow skin heads and professional hardware, meaning that you will sound great and stay in tune!