This is a great value for the money. The bongo is of higher quality than the lower end models. You can tell the difference in the tone.

These are all the giant pro's choice. Only when you first get them remove the heads and soak in lanolin on triple paper grocery bags for three days. lightly Vaseline the upper edge of wood drums where the skins will make contact before replacing. Wipe off Lanolin with paper towel only, then reassemble and tune. Thank me later for this secret professional tip Meho babalu Lopez

I have had these for 3 years now. They are built to withstand being carted around, and though I have never played more expensive bongos, these sound great. I don't detune and re-tune (though I should) and the heads are still in great shape, with room to tighten them still. I have even gotten them wet and they have pulled through (this is NOT recommended however). All I can say is I like mine.

I've owned these dark brown matadors for about five years. They are the best. I really don't know why anyone would spend a ton more money on Galaxy or Giovanni bongos. If you know how to tune and detune, and know how to play, these babies will do the job and sound just like more expensive ones. Massage the heads a couple times a year with lanolin for better response, and remember to detune, old heads sound pretty cool if you take care of them.

I traded up from CP bongos to a dark brown set of wooden Matadors. As another reviewer noted, I don't know why you would need nicer drums than these - they are well-made, with very sturdy tuning hardware. The only knock I had was that my Matadors NEVER sounded as GOOD as my CP set! Something about the heads was just dead, no matter how I tuned them. One day, one of the heads popped, and I took that opportunity to replace both heads with LP heads - with top-of-the-line heads, this drum sounds SO good!You may have better luck with your heads than I had with mine, but - be prepared.Definitely worth the money. Even with new LP heads, I came out ahead. Four stars, until you replace the heads, but then five stars for sure.