LP Comfort Curve II vs. Traditional rims - Opinions?

[Benjamin Esparza]

I currently own 2 LP fiberglass congas from the 70's. One is an 11" Quinto with red and gold metal flake finish. The other is an 11 3/4" Conga with a solid red finish. They originally came with traditional rims and I "upgraded" to Comfort Curve II rims.

I would like to know which rims people prefer. I've heard purists say that the traditional rims allow for better head resonance and vibration and that the amount of metal on the C.C.II rims hinders this. Is this true? I changed rims because the new heads that I bought for them did not allow for the traditional rims to be low enough. This was before I learned about wetting the heads and pulling them down to bring the rims lower.

What are the various opinions of the C.C. II versus Traditional rim congas.

Big Ben

[120decibels]

Big Ben,

I have grown, over time, to really enjoy playing on comfort curve rims. I didn't like them at first. It took a lot of getting used to. I am not the most expericed player here by a long shot. Some of the more seasoned players can probably give you more sound opinions on the playing aspects.

Acoustically (or vibrationally) there is very little head vibration out at the rim. The key to the head's vibration (on a conga or bongo) is what happens between the center of the head and the bearing edge of the drum. I seriously doubt that the confort curve rims dampen head vibration that much. Now, the extra weight of the CCII rims could change the way the shell responds. I don't know.


I hope this helps,

Zach

[benbaboon]

The problem with the older rims (even the original comfort curve which is what I have) is that all new lp skins are designed for the comfort curve II. if you have the older rims it would seem as though the skins arent' pulled down far enough.
-bb

[120decibels]

What Benbaboon says is correct. However, I am left wondering if the heads that are on the LP Valje series congas, which still have traditional rims, would fit on other LP drums.

HMMMMM............ ???

[Sirhc]

I have LP Valjes, and I don't think the Valje heads are interchangable with other LPs. The head sizes on Valjes seem to run a quarter inch or so smaller.

[Benjamin Esparza]

There is a trick you can use with skin heads that will bring the rim down lower so it's out of the way when your play. Remove the head, place it upside down and pour about 1-2 cups of water into it...just enough to give you about a 1/4" of water level. let it sit for about 1-2 hours...long enough to soften the skin and it somewhat soaks through. Put the head back on the conga with the rim and start tightening evenly. Do this slowly, evenly, and methodically until the rim is down far enough out of the way. Let the head dry on the drum as is over night. This should work for you it you find the rim too high for safety's sake.

Now...anyone wanna answer my first question as to which rims provide optimum performance?

Big Ben



Edited By Benjamin Esparza on Aug. 30 2002 at 21:49