LP

Innovation has always been a part of the LP story. In building his first patented instruments, Cohen used durable modern materials to replace rare and fragile instruments without sacrificing sound quality. Cohen was also one of the first manufacturers to build fiberglass congas, which gained favor with Latin dance bands because of their great volume.

Cohen’s early innovations included an instrument that would replicate the sound of the traditional horse jawbone with rattling teeth. Cohen’s Vibra-Slap, became the company's first patent. His second patent was a sturdier cabasa designed to replace the traditional coconut shells covered with fragile wire lattice. This became the LP Afuche/Cabasa, the company's most successful patent.

Cohen officially started the LP company in August of 1964. The company's first workshop was in Cohen’s garage, and their first endorser was Afro-Cuban and jazz drummer Willie Bobo. Today, LP has over 500 endorsers worldwide, including Karl Perazzo, Raul Rekow, Giovanni Hidalgo, Armando Peraza, Travis Barker, Chris Pennie, Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine and many more. Latin Percussion now has a staff of research, design and product developers, and a cutting-edge manufacturing facility in Thailand that employs over 250 people. What started as a small family operation has grown to become Latin Percussion, the world's largest producer of hand percussion instruments. Close>