Definitely not the best bongo out there, but in my opinion it would completely suffice until you get to Dandy level, after which you'd like to acquire something better. Mine had a slight crack between two of the barrels (all of which are not very well aligned to each other) but I successfully glued it. I like the macho head and sound very much. The hembra head not so much, maybe will be better if I changed it with a natural head, or maybe I just can not tune it properly... Overall very nice bongo for starters, I doubt you could get anything much better for the price. Recommended for the aspiring bongocero!