Hi,

this is obviously a few years old.

did Ralph Flores ever start making Valje's again?

i'm in the market for Valje's: orginals, SF Made or even LP Amrando Peraza series.

anyone you know selling?

thanks,

felix contreras

[email]fcontreras@npr.org[/email]

I'm hoping someone can give me a little assistance on determining the value of a set of 1998 Valje bongos & congas? 11.75" & 12.5" conga and tumba. The congas have a few nicks from drum chatter. The bongos are in mint condition. No cracks. Cherrywood.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

They are LP, so whatever an LP set of that era sells for, you should be able to get for your "Valjes". Sorry, but it is what it is, another takeover by bloated corporate America, cheap junk Made in China...or Mexico, or Taiwan, or Korea. or where ever, but NOT Made In America....by real craftsmen, trained to do it by hand, not by computer program.

Hope you get at least half of your money back.

I've found a set of three used valjes on craigslist for $1200 ($1000 for quinto and tumba) but am unsure how much these drums are normally worth. They need a bit of work, but how much do these drums normally go for? I think they are vintage Florres drums from the 3312 Sunset Blvd shop (at least that's what the picture in the ad says) but I'm not sure how to tell if this is true or not.

thanks in advance!

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/msg/3147282068.html

LA Valjes can be found in the range of $600-$750 + - in Exc/VG cond w/ original heads. (the market can be quirky on occasion, last month a single conga went for $1000 on ebay, ). Valjes are best bought w/ a hands on inspection, because there can be so many expensive issues: head replacement, out of round shell, staves are commonly separated, steel bands get loose, bearing edges can be damaged, bottom edges chewed up. $1200 for 3 Valjes may seem like a good deal, but the hidden costs are yet to be uncovered. One photo shows the LA sticker, what about the other 2 ? He also does not photo document the third that need a lot of work.

What are Resolution drums worth used? There is someone selling a set near me for $875.

Resolution Drum is Valje drum regardless of anything said. The name Resolution was created when the company was on lease to Latin percussion so the could continue making drums. Today the Valje drum name is back with the Flores Family and drums are made just the same as the old Valje drum. So with this said look at condition if in good condition meaning you do not have to replace skins, lugs, major Scratches The price of $875 is a great price.

I never did sell my Valjes. But I would sell them to the right buyer.

I'm happy to still own them and they are incredible drums.

It's good to see Ralph Flores is making them.

I think the street value of individule drums like mine are probably $400-$500 per drum with maybe $1000 or so for the SuperTumba. The bongos - maybe $400 or $500....that's around $2500 for all the drums. However, a collector may pay much more for a complete set - which mine is. No collector's have come forward lately.

Todays Valje prices

Quinto 10" $790.00

Conga 11" $ 840.00

Tumba 12" $ 880.00

Suoer Tumba 14 $ 1000.00

Bongo 7" - 8" $500.00

Also lugs made better than the Old Valje Under the new regiem but still made with same concept

I had a funny experience ordering lugs from Ralph. NO disrespect intended for him intended here. I ordered some lugs - Ralph emailed me the price. He wanted a cashiers cheque or a bank draft or a money order. I went to my bank and bought a money order paid in USA funds and made it out to Ralph. About three weeks later I got it back with a red circle drawn around the area of the money order where it says Account #. He returned it because his bank would not cash it because I didn't put my account number there. That is totally bizzar because that Account area is nothing to do with my bank account - it was a money order - not drawn on my bank at all. That space is if you have an account with the company you can put a # there but it has no affect on the value or cashability of the money order. The money order was paid for in US funds and could be cashed anywhere. I never did get my parts and I had a very difficult time getting a refund on my Money Order because it was made out to Ralph.

Long story hu.

I would still like to buy the parts some day....If he accepts Paypal that would be the way to go I guess.