Founded by Roland Meinl in 1951 and initially producing wind instruments, the first MEINL cymbals appeared in 1952 and were cut from large metal sheets, hammered, lathed and drilled by hand by Roland Meinl himself, who then personally transported them, on the luggage carrier of his bicycle, to the railway station for shipment. MEINL has since gone from such humble origins to become a world leader in percussion instruments.

The MEINL Marathon Exclusive Series Congas include many professional features and are ideal for the working percussionist who demands a great sound combined with quality and excellent craftsmanship. The shells are of 2-ply Siam oak and the drums have professional features like mechanical tuning and true skin buffalo heads with gold-tone hardware, 8mm strong tuning lugs and 2.6mm rounded SSR rims. The bottom of the barrel is protected by a rubber cover for when you have to play in a variety of surfaces, and the drums all come with the patented MEINL Steely II conga stand.