Tum Bau Percussion™  is a one man operation established by American born artist and craftsman Blair Avon Martin that specializes in building individually designed and 100% handmade, one of a kind professional Bongos as well as traditional percussion instrument restoration and repair.

Tum Bau Percussion combines solid, durable construction and aesthetic beauty to produce an elegant high quality professional instrument with a sound that inspires. And as I am also a player, I understand what that means. TBP Bongos are handcrafted from Tropical and European Hardwood staves, chrome plated cold-rolled steel & stainless steel hardware as well as top quality natural hides from regional Tanneries. I purchase my wood mainly as surplus material from the furniture and boat building industry.

Tum Bau Percussion also restores and repairs Bongos, Congas as well as many other types of traditional drums and their hardware including of course mounting drum skins. In addition, I can build custom Bongo Shells for your pre-existing hardware and or custom fit my hardware to your drums.

The Bongos currently posted here are available for purchase.

For questions regarding purchases, drum restoration, repairs or skins simply call or write me.

A little about me:

Along with being a visual artist, musician, writer, designer and photographer, I also have 30 years of experience working as a carpenter, wood worker, welder and metal fabricator most of which freelance and self-employed.

I studied Design and Illustration in New York City in the early 80’s; worked as a carpenter and furniture maker in Boston and honed my welding and metal fabrication skills in the desert of Tucson, Arizona in the 90’s while designing and building for architects and contractors with the renowned Hotel Congress being one of my regular clients.

My exposure to and appreciation for Latin Music and African Caribbean culture reaches back to my early days in New York. And although I've played mostly wind instruments, drumming was always a part of my musical tendencies. Those tendencies began to actualize themselves more prominently in 2011 when I began playing Bongos with a focus on traditional Cuban Son. I made good and quick progress which granted me the privilege and honor of playing with many of Berlin’s best Cuban, Latin/North American and German musicians. And it wasn't long before the passion and interest that I have for this Music along with playing traditional African Caribbean drums quickly fused with my love for designing and building beautiful things from two of my most favorite materials, wood and steel. 

Since then I haven’t looked back. And with the exception of picking up historical and practical information from other musicians as well as form the library and online sources about these instruments, I am a purely self-taught drum maker.

I first began with mounting new skins on Bongos and later Congas and that quickly developed into doing drum repairs culminating in my building my first Bongo shells in 2013.  And in order to realize my ambition to design and produce an instrument completely and uniquely mine, I had to design and build the bending machines necessary to make my own custom hardware. With that all accomplished, I am able to produce and offer unique, one of kind professional Bongos; Hand-Made in Berlin. 

About the Name Tum Bau Percussion:

Tum Bau is a Homophonic play on words or a pun on the Cuban musical term Tumbao which is the basic rhythm predominantly played on the Bass and Conga in Afro-Cuban music.

The root word Tum which references the act or sound of something being plucked or struck  is here separately paired with Bau the first syllable of the German verb bauen which means to build something.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Good Vibrations!

Deutsch:

Tum Bau Percussion™ spezialisiert sich auf das Bauen von 100% handgefertigten Unikaten, und einzigartigen professionellen Bongos sowie traditionellen Percussions Instrumenten Restaurierung & Reparatur.  

Tum Bau Percussion kombiniert solide, haltbare Konstruktion mit ästhetischer Schönheit, das ein hoch-qualitatives und elegantes professionelles Instrument mit einem inspirierender Klang hervorbringt. Da ich auch ein Perkussionist bin, weiß ich was das heißt. TBP Bongos sind  handgefertigt aus tropischen und europäischen Harthölzern, verchromtem-kaltgezogenem-Stahl und Edelstahl-Beschlägen sowie hochwertigen Rohhäuten von regionalen Gerbereien. Die Holzer erwerbe ich hauptsächlich als Restmaterial von u.a. der Möbel und Bootsbau-Industrie.

TBP kann Ihnen auch die fachmännische Restaurierung von Bongos, Congas sowie viele andere Arten von traditionellen Handtrommeln, deren Beschläge und dazu die Bespannung von Fellen anbieten. Außerdem, kann ich Ihnen meine handgefertigten Beschläge oder Bongo Kessel für Ihre schon existierenden Trommeln oder Beschläge  individuell anfertigen.

Die hier abgebildeten Bongos sind zu erwerben.

Beim Kaufinteressen oder fragen bezüglich Reaturierungen, Reparturen und Felle, mir bitte schreiben oder anrufen. 

Ich freue mich von Ihnen zu hören.

Good Vibrations!

Contact:                                                      

Blair A. Martin                                              Gerichtstraße 12-13                                      Hof 4, Aufgang 4, DG                                  13347 Berlin                                                      

Tel. 49 (0) 178 511 7760                                Tumbaupercussion@gmail.com                                   

Die Texte, Fotos, Logo und Design dieser Webseite unterliegen dem Urheberrecht von Tum Bau Percussion. 

All photos, texts, design and logo by Blair Avon Martin