Well from what I am reading in The Slingerland BooK by Rob Cook.. these must be 1979 or later. The book indicates the Congas sold by Slingerland from 1949 through 1976 were 27"x12".

"In 1979 Slingerland introduced a line of professional Latin instruments", however the dimensions of that line are not given in the book. They do appear to be the #289 Congas.

That's just a guess... my favorite pawn shop has a set just like yours up on the shelf.. They also have a bunch of NOS heads in there to... I'll see if any of them indicated dedicated Conga use.

Cool old drums.. Santana-esque I would imagine.

Well...after reading your post and measuring, my congas (?) actually take 12 inch heads...I just stuck a head on and assumed 13. Oops!

And, one is 27 inches deep and one is 22.

They're definitely cool. I just don't know if I'm ready to explore my latin drumming side yet!

T

My college (Tulane) had a set of those in the back closet. They were in really terrible shape, though, so I never made any attempt to use them. In fact, there were a lot of really great old drums back there that had been beat beyond recognition. If only students could learn to care for the "community" instruments.

No kidding, regarding students and caring for "community" instruments. I only did band way back when in junior high, and it seemed like every kid thought they were a drummer before class....we all ended up hiding our sticks to stop the abuse, but equipment still got destroyed. It got sort of embarrassing going to band functions with falling apart snares and keyholed cymbals.

Our band director way back in the day was a guy named Tim Swinehart, just out of Capital University in Bexley, Ohio.. this guy would rip your head off if you didn't treat your instrument with the upmost care. Of course, I dropped the damn triangle on the band room floor in the middle of junior high band practice and 36 years later I can still remember watching in slow motion as it fell and seeing my life passing in front of my eyes.

I joined the football team because you were less likely to get injured.CryBaby

These Congas appear to be a matched pair similar to yours in very very good condition.. but no stand and I couldn't see the mounts on them either.

If you decide you don't want to explore your latin drumming side.. let me know.. I might want to explore mine.

I go to a lot of soccer games here in Columbus and there is a Hispanic fan section (El Turbina or something close) that just goes wild on drums for the entire game. I'd love to have some cool Congas and join that party.Walking