Musikmesse 2013
Gon Bops the sound of legendary percussion
Gon Bops
the sound of the most legendary and authentic percussion in the world
Musikmesse 2013
The Gon Bops legend began in early 1950’s California. During that era, Mariano Bobadilla and Tom Flores were the most highly regarded conga builders in the percussion industry. Tom founded Valje Drums and crafted some of the most sought after Afro-Cuban instruments in the US, while Mariano founded Gon Bops, one of the oldest and most respected manufacturers of Latin instruments in the world.
Flores concentrated on small, handcrafted wooden stave selection, and moved his design away from the original Cuban shape of the instrument. He focused heavily on air drying the drum staves and scoring the interior to prevent cracking and allow flexibility. He was certainly at the forefront of the industry and his drums were quickly in demand by the best players in the world.