I bought these as my first set of congas but quickly out grew them. The sound is not great at all but in a way that's a good thing as a beginner - it makes you work harder to get a good tone, especially the slap, which then makes it easier when you get on a good set of congas. Being LP, they are good quality and can take a bit of a beating (i accidentally dropped one out of the boot of my car and it survived!). I would recommend investing in some better heads though if you're looking to get these as a long term solution, but other than that they're great! They come with a spanner so you can get to tuning them up and playing them straight away!