20 Best Drum Samples For Latin Percussion (2023 Updated)

To start off, I’m a classically trained percussionist, so I have some experience with fine wood blocks. This is not one of those, however, this really does have a great tone for being plastic. Not only do these sound pretty good, they even sound pretty good whacking at it with a drum stick.

This is important because a regular woodblock sounds terrible being hit with a drumstick (very thin tone, a lot of attack sound, and it destroys your nice block!) I play a lot of musicals and I find I need woodblocks sounds frequently, these mountable LP jam blocks (I own both a red and blue) are just the ticket.

I mount them on my percussion bracket and slide it next to my set. If I have the time I use a mallet to play them and they sound so good, if I don’t, I use a drumstick and I’m happy I got the sound I needed on the fly without damaging my gear.

The ONLY downside to these blocks is that this plastic can make a woodblock sound that will cleave open your brain. IF you play these too loudly, you may need hearing aids after or at least may need to lie down for 30 minutes.

Play with a nice solid stroke but don’t really dig in unless you absolutely need to cut through the mix.

PROS Good pitch. Loud enough. So much better than the no name ones I bought originally, and the Pearl ones are worse than the no names. They have the tiniest sweet spot that lets our real sound, on the yellow ones.

No sound on the green ones. But I have all the LP jam blocks now, and they are ALL loud and solid and have broad sweet spots on the upper lip. So. CONS Come loose in the middle of the song. Even if I use pliers, they come loose after a few takes or songs.

THAT’S LAME LP DUDES. IT’S TOTALLY LAME SAUCE. It’s 2020. Figure out memory locks for all your gear. NOW!!!! It’s not longer 1969. You’re agitating all of us. Why? Someone will come along with locking percussion gear and if it sounds good, you know were all going to jump ship, right? Stop making us look and sound bad on the gigs when your gear falls down.

I wasn’t sure how it would Mix in my rig, I think it is well made. Definitely projects it’s sound and on the first strike I was impressed by how clean it sounds. It has so much of a wood tone, it almost matches the sound of my wood block but it projects better.

Looks good sounds great. I have many cow bells, chimes, ching rings, and I like having this new sound for effect.

First off these are not “oak” bongos. As will the majority of LPs drums, the wood is so-called “Siam oak” or “Thai oak”, which was a name that lumber merchants came up for wood of the rubber tree. While it officially is considered to be a hardwood, it is not the best of tonewoods.

But for bongos, who cares? There’s not enough enough wood to make much of a difference. – You can get a good range of tones from these bongos – a great harmonic pop and a nice ring but the standard strike is a bit dull and lifeless.

– The hardware can be positioned so that the bongos don’t dig into your legs (well, they do, but not too much). Even so, when I moved up to a better set of bongos, I bought some GonBops knee pads (no longer being made, but still available) – which re something that I strongly recommend.

– The heads are made from water buffalo, which is a passable skin. Because of the non-standard head sizes, you can’t change them for something else (and at this price range, mounting your own isn’t worth the effort).

– I’ve used these with a separate stand, playing while standing up with my congas, and I’ve also used LP’s conga stand mount. With the latter, if you have any angle on them, they are about 1/2″ from the conga rims, which is very close.

For seated players, be aware that you can buy a low tripod stand as well as a stand that attaches to a throne. If you have boney knees, try one of these sit-down stands. – I have moved up to a better quality bongo.

Considering that even top of the line bongos are not extremely expensive, my advice is to spend another hundred or so and buy a standard-sized set of bongos. That way you can upgrade the heads if you want.

– If you’re into Latin music, or you’re a beatnik, or you’re into playing scores for classic 1950s detective movies, these bongos will get you there. They haven’t got the “personality” of a higher quality model, but they will get you in the ballpark.

I bought this bongos for my 5 years old son. He likes to drum in every surface. So I figure, why don’t I buy him congos? They’re the real thing. Very good sound. He loves to play them. Good age to start.

They could be use professionally as well.

While some bongos may cost up to five times as much, the Aspire bongos offer far more bang for the buck than anything else in the LP catalogue. These are not “kiddie” bongos and they are not child-sized.

In fact, the macho (smaller drum) is larger than the LP Giovanni Galaxy model. I’m very familiar with tone woods and with acoustic instruments such as guitars and mandolins there can be a huge difference.

When comparing oak and ash for bongos, and the overall thickness of the shells, there is not enough wood involved to make much of a difference in tone. A connoisseur in a quiet room could tell. With fiberglass, you would definitely notice a difference.

As for audiences, there is no way they could tell a difference, especially if a band is playing. As a caveat, I should say that I’m not a full-time percussionist and fill in on congas for specialty numbers, but for someone who is not a full-time hand drum guy, who doesn’t make a living from playing the skins, the Aspire is an excellent choice.

I ordered my LP Timbales while having dinner out at a restaurant. 4 days later they were sitting at the front door Of my home. Super secure packaging, and an amazing quality product, made my day! I’ve shared AMS with all the musicians know in two days!! Thank you so much AMS!??.

Bought item in February. Great sound and good projection. Well constructed with sturdy hardware. Everything you’d expect from LP. Wish they sold as well.

Good quality drums and rims. The heads are resilient and easily tuned. The stand is solid and heavy duty. The bell has a good sound and there is enough space on the bar for a block. Set up was fast.

There is nothing not to like about this fantastic block. It is a big purple beast of a block with a very nice low pitch that is decidely woody in character. The possibilities are endlless. It projects well, as do all Jam Blocks, and has great dynamic range.

I like to play it in tandem with my Piccolo Jam Block as the contrast is very interesting. Highly recommended.

Replaced a cowbell Broken woodblock and added a guiro sound in one piece really like the multi use aspect. Hate the color which is why it did not get 5 stars. Worth the price though and quite versitile.

Be aware it is quite large,.

Most People just look at this percussion piece and say “Where in the world would I ever use that?” The answer is, you can use it in about any musical style from R&b to Rock. It is really versatile to the many ways you can use it; for a side accent to get a lower end, wood-block tone then just flip it over for a great Guiro sound that fills the gap with a new twist the original guiro sound.

I am pleased with the sound of this Guido; years ago I had a great wooden one, and the first time some kid banged on it with a drumstick it broke. I would have bought another wooden one here but I decided to try this one.

The two scrapers allow for a variety of sounds and I would say that if you are a precise player of this instrument it can sound exactly like a classic wooden one. Anyway, I am very happy with this product- the rubber grommets within the finger holes make playing this for long periods of time not painful, unlike some others.

I bought the Super Guiro for recording and initially thought it sounded very plastic and cheap. Considering that it’s kind of expensive for what it is and doesn’t sound as warm as wooden ones, I considered returning it.

I threw a mic alongside it (Sennheiser e609) and used the wood stick, and I got a pretty true to life recording that cut well in the mix. With a kiss of EQ and natural sounding room reverb, it sat really nicely in the mix and didn’t sound cheap at all.

It did the job well, so I will hang onto it for future recordings.

This guiro may sound a little out of place on its own, but combine it with a band playing a song such as Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones and you have yourself a winner. Much more affordable than its wooden counterpart and much more organic sounding than one made from metal.

Latin Percussion even package it with two different sticks for different sounds.

Is this a real instrument? It’s more like a ornament, looks good on my desk. I knew it was small but not this small. Personally will not use as a real instrument more as a toy or ornament

I bought this conga and the mini bongos for my 10 month old son, and he loves them. I’ll play my drum and he tries to copy me and play his. He has awful technique, but we’re working on it ; )

I got this for my toddler not realizing it’s a legit instrument, just small. It’s pretty awesome and now I want to learn to play it properly. As a bonus the customer service is awesome.

Although my ears may not recover, my 10 year old son is very happy with these bongos. I’m disappointed that unlike the picture, the bongos have a large rockjam logo printed on the top which makes them look tacky.

The zip on the bag is also very flimsy and unlikely to last very long. Other than that they are of reasonable quality and are able to withstand being played quite enthusiastically!.

Purchased for my 9 year old they getting good use. Getting him really into making music for reasonable price.

bought these for my son for a birthday treat as he is always tapping away – loves them

I used to own a Vibraslap II many years ago. I seem to recall at the time that it was just a Vibraslap. there weren’t options. Anyway, I wanted to add one back into my arsenal of assorted percussion instruments, so I decided to go for the less expensive one.

It has that classic Vibraslap sound, for sure, but when the rattle portion is rotated flat, which gives the loudest sound, there’s very little sustain. it dies out almost instantly. Turned on the long end, which is intended to give a longer, quieter rattle, it works pretty well.

But of course is a lot quieter. Overall, if you just want a Vibraslap as a novelty or are only willing to spend the bare minimum to get this sound, you’ll be happy with this. But if you are really going for that big, obnoxious Vibraslap sound (since that’s really what this is all about), it’s worth spending more for the Vibraslap II.

Have the smaller version, but chipped it a little, so I upgraded, & this Deluxe has a fuller sound, longer sustain. So now I have variety for just the right accent(s). If you don’t have one, you should.

Besides being a drummer & a percussionist, I add live sound effects (Foley artist) to plays & musicals on stage, & I ‘ve used this sound in the last three shows to wonderful affect. The audiences loved it; got a lotta positive feedback.

I’ve always wanted one of these things. Its a super satisfying sound that a vibraslap produces. No drum kit is complete without it.

A couple of years ago I purchased a set of used Meinl Free Ride Woodcraft bongos from Musicians Friend. They were classified as level 1 mint condition. They were in absolutely beautiful, like new, mint condition as described.

They have a 7in macho and 9in hembra head and are magnificent in both appearance and sound. And the price was great. I just purchased the LP793X Giovanni Galaxy bongos from Musicians Friend, also used and in level 1 mint condition at a very good price.

And as described, they were in absolutely new condition. They have a magnificent appearance, beautiful construction and great sound and playability. They have a 7 1/4in. macho and a 8 5/8in. hembra head.

So its macho is slighly larger than the Meinl’s and its hembra is slightly smaller than the Meinl’s. They are equally beautiful, equally well constructed and both sound and play beautifully. My biggest problem is deciding which bongos to play.

I think the Meinls give a slightly warmer sound and the LPs provide a little more penetration. BTW, I play these a lot, outdoors in Washington Square Park in NYC where we get many good musicians coming down for outdoor jam sessions.

Both bongos sound great handling many different types of musical genres. You can not go wrong with either pair and I wouldn’t hesitate to continue to deal with Musicians Friend. com. Good prices, good service and fast delivery.

These are great bongos. The only reason I gave them a 4 star rating instead of 5 is that the bongos are much lighter in color than they are pictured. They do however sound amazing. While it is more about the sound, I was disappointed that the picture does not represent the true color of the bongos.

Overall, I am very p,eased with them.

LP Galaxy Bongos are high quality and well constructed. Ive used LP products for over 30 years, including a variety of the companys bongos. The Galaxy bongos live up to the brand Ive come to respect.

First off, the good: This udu has a nice bass tone, a bit low in volume but I guess a mic could help that. It seems super well made and packaging is great. It also plays well physically, once it’s in your lap you find that everything is placed very well.

Now for the cons. It’s really heavy. The volume is very low and the highs are limited. I was disappointed with the sound. The old Meinl kinda blows this away.

The first one ordered came broken to bits, these are not well packaged for shipping. Musician’s Friend promptly sent a return label and a replacement drum. The replacement arrived safely, however once taken from the box and handled a few minutes the surface paint began to come off.

I wear no jewelry that could scratch the paint. I thought this would have a glazed finish but these drums are made of terracotta and are simply painted with a thin coat of cheap paint. Easily rubbed off while playing, not the quality I expected from LP and a real disappointment.

I returned this item as well.

Heavy and too thick. Thinner construction would have been more fragile but it would have better tone, resonance, and volume. I used it in the studio for accents but couldn’t see using it live.

I was really impressed with this LP class conga. This is the 11 3/4 inch and it was a nice add on to my quinto and tumba. It produces a nice warm sound. I would recommend to anyone who wants to add an LP classic.

This would of been excellent but unfortunately the tuning spanner and lug caps which are supposed to come with the drum (I have the Tumba & Conga from the set which came with these) but were not in the box.

However, Absolute sold me a great quinto at a very reasonable price and i’m not complaining. Thanks guys.

I have a set of four of these, and I’ve played in salsa bands, latin jazz, hip hop and other styles. These sound great on recordings and live. If you want LP drums but can’t afford them, this is a perfect choice.

I actually prefer these drums to LP’s top lines, the shape is better for overtones and the wider base is more stable. Plus, LP’s are much heavier, which matters a lot when you must carry them up stairs and in and out of cars, etc.

For traditional Rumba I like the really old Gon Bops the best, the metal-banded mahogany ones that always come unglued. They used really thick mule skins or something, and had that sweet dry sound like Poncho Sanchez’s drums.

He plays gon bops on his albums. But Matadors are louder and tougher and available. Gon Bops are now more expensive and don’t sound quite the same.

Perfect for using in the houseroom with a gentel , not to hard style of playing. Hard solos turn a little weak but the warmth en natural sounds are great to really play with lots of differants settings.

My humble mening.

As a professional musician sometimes I need to replace or repair instantly, Sam Ash gives me that back up we all need. I needed a new head but found my exact duplicate bongo. No brainier get the head n a back up all in one shot, plus I finally got an upgraded travel case for it.

Life is easy with Sam. Funk on baba!!!!!!!!.

These bongos sound great but I find they have a slight overtone. They can be used for jam sessions , personal studios and maybe even for small gatherings. A tad heavy but very well built. Great bongos with and even better price.

You can’t go wrong with these.

What we have here is a great set of drum circle, jam band, play-’em-in-the-car (passenger seat, of course) bongos. The tones are crisp and dynamic and the hembra drum sounds neat it- “sings” as it should.

They are built like a tank and they hold tuning well. I am pretty sure that they are Siam oak for the tonewood fans out there. If you like salsa dura and coffee house tones (beatnik sfx), these are for you.

True, you have the option of getting super expensive, hand crafted exotic wood bongos with hardware made of iron ore harvested from a meteor- but for most of us, a neat set of bongos for fun ensemble play are ideal.

I work in human services, and the folks in my day center love to jam on these. You will also.

These bongos are made in India. Which is awesome because most bongos are made in Thailand. I had to take them apart and sand the interior of the shells and add lock washers/washers so the cheaper hooks wouldn’t break but once fixed up they truly sound AWESOME! They seem to be made of Durian wood and goat hide instead of Siamese (Thai) Oak and Buffalo hide which is more common but equally as nice of a sound.

The sound is somewhat like a djembe.

I am an experienced musician but a novice to percussion instruments. These bongos were a perfect choice for me to learn to play. Inexpensive, yet with many features of drums costing much more. Great tone out of the box, fully tuneable (wrench included), and a burlap carry bag included.

I just want to bang on the drum all day!.

Was kind of iffy about buying anything online, but the products are really great! They had o thing wrong with them and my church is pleased with the purchase! Thanks AMS!

Excellent work of ART! Great sound and looks! Absolutely LOVE these TIMBALES! They look and feel very POWERFUL! No defects straight out of the box! They were even tuned to C (deep shell) and G (high shell).

I live these timbales a lot everything turned out great about they and they are really good quality. All that the website said happened. Over all really good service and would definitely buy from Sam ash again.

These drums are 12 and 13 inch which makes it much easier to get around to the side of the shell and play the cascara, I purchased these drums about a month ago and they sound great, I replace the plastic heads with calfskin which is a must, and they sound excellent.

My daughters gave me these for Christmas. I set them up on my High Hat stand next to my chrome snare. The sound is incredible, especially because they have a snare switch, which gives them a versatile snare sound when needed.

Imagine a drum kit with three snares. The possibilities are tremendous. When in classic timbale mode, they sound as good as bigger much more expensive drums. For Latin music you could not ask for more.

For Rock, since I already have four mounted Toms and two Floor Toms, this expands my set to eight Toms all together. What are you waiting for? get on the computer and order these TODAY!! You will thank me when you try these out.

I got my mini-timbales from this site. Their service was excellent, shipping was quicker than advertised. I use my timbales with my Sonor Force 3001 fusion kit, and placed them between my 10in. tom and hi-hats.

They are great for adding different tonalities to the kit. I use them mainly for latin/latin rock music but incorporate them in my solos. The quality of the drums is what you would expect from LP. Very well made, just like their big brothers.

Play them with a 5a stick and you can get them to sound just like the larger timbales, nice dry sound and very good for playing the rims also. My only complaint is that no instructions were provided on how to mount them on the supplied rod.

I figured it out, though. There was a small instruction sheet on how to mount a cowbell on the rod. Otherwise, I’m very happy with them and plan to add a cowbell soon!.

These little guys are amazing. First, the price may seem a bit high. But compare them them to other similar items and these take the cake! Also, the quality is amazing. Sound unbelievable, look cool and are strong.

I bought these as an alternative to Octobans. At a price of 500-700 for 4 octobans, these two blow them away! Great for Latin and a perfect filler for toms. What a inexpensive way to add on to your kit and get some new sounds? Look no further.

A+++ LP! Steve.

I have been playing these bongos hard for many years now and they have a great sound and the best construction I have ever seen. You can drop them on the floor and it wont even effect the drum. I have mine mounted on a stand, but they do have optional rubber feet that come with them.

The only down side I have found is that they are very heavy in weight and are not very comfortable in your lap. They also are expensive but well worth it.

I haven’t played in a few years now, and I really got a great deal on these congas. They did not come with a tuning key but it was easy to adapt and overcome. I had to tune them before I could really get into feeling the right sound.

They do sound great and for the price, the quality is fantastic. I know that I am going to have these around for a long time just playing along to music and going to some drum circles & more. The stand that came with the congas is very well built, sturdy, and adjustable to whatever height is needed to play them.

If you are a beginner or if you are looking to add to your kit, these are a great addition! I recommend these congas!.

Very well made. Adjustable in height with it’s tripod base. I suggest aligning one leg in the front , two legs in rear, and setting the lower chome set-screw and sleeve first then lower the united drum set down to clip onto the lower sleeve.

I only wish I could adjust the drums closer to each other. The skins on top are tightenable with the enclosed wrench.

Good price and arrived quickly. They look really nice, don’t play congas so not sure how good sound is. They sound good to me. Bought for grandson sure he will love them.

I’ve been looking for a good Latin percussion vst for some time. Previously, I’ve been using individual samples from the likes of EastWest and Native Instruments, but this pack, combined with Ezdrummer, is just what I needed all along.

Great sounds and premade rhythms make this a must for anyone looking to add a little Latin feel to their work.

This might be one of the older expansions for ez drummer but don’t let that put you off. The sounds are incredible. I’ve found using a little goes a long way. I use this ezx to just add a little something to a bridge or a chorus and it works a treat.

Toontrack never disappoint!.

Was looking to have that extra percussion capability to complement my existing SD3 eco-system, so picked this up in a sale. Percussion is broken down by type, conga’s, cajun etc but you can use the SD3 Groove part layering ability to build your own unique percussion layers – on top of core drum kits.