What about Evans Conga heads ?

[Conuno]

Hi,

Recently I have bought a set of Evans Conga Heads. I play actually with them. I must say it is really a good product but I'm not 100% satisfied but may be my vision is a little short.

I would like to know your opinions and discuss details.

greetings

Conuno

[JohnnyConga]

Hello Conuno...for me Evans heads are ok. Nothing like real skin of course,but they do have something new out there called NuSkyn conga heads which are a step up from Evans heads. They feel almost like real skins and the sound is nice and bright, so you might want to check that out....At your Service....JC JOHNNY CONGA

[Conuno]

Hi JOHNNY,
You mean the NuSkyn from Remo is better.
I thought the opposite, as far as I know the heads of Evans are focussed to avoid the overtones (Tri-Center dot), and in this sense they are better than Remo heads. I'm wrong?

But what about the overtones?

Lp is selling now the heads of Evans, of course more expensive than Evans. I think it should be more than an economical reason.

PRICE COMMENT:
The LP heads (Evans Head with stamp of LP) cost allmost 30 dollars more than Evans Head (Evans Head without stamp of LP) and they are exactly the same !

Regards Conuno



Edited By Conuno on Sep. 02 2003 at 12:57

[kmmurrdog]

Who makes (made) the synthetic heads on the early giovanni's? I have a 1996 and a 1997 and both are synthetic.

[Conuno]

Hi people.

According to the post in :
CongaForum > General Forums > Open Discussion > What's you set-up? writen by Raymond

I don't know if we are talking about the same reference of Evans heads called (three-center-dot). I have the set of Evans heads(tcd) mounted on LP Galaxy fiberglass (quinto, conga,tumba).
I really happy with the results but not 100% due to the overtones in a close room (most of times when I practice).
When I decided to buy these synthetic heads what I tried was to solve the tuning problem on stage, and I did it !!
I also wanted to get the most similar sound as if the instrument had a good natural head. Is exactly this point were I have still doubts.
When I play open air, what I get through the microphones is beautiful, the overtones doesn't play any role, because they are absorbed by the other instruments. I'm really satisfied and the volume is louder.
But when I can really notice the difference is when I'm practicing at home or in a close room. Here the overtones come direct to me and I get again the doubt.
I would like to be in a soundcheck where another conguero is, and ask him to play the conga for me, to appreciate the effect.

I have already recorded some live concerts and the sound of the drums is very good, it is not possible to notice the difference -synthetic or natural heads-.

With respect to the touch of the head, I think is only to get the custom. This is not really a problem.

Regards Conuno



Edited By Conuno on Sep. 05 2003 at 14:36

[Raymond]

Conuno,

In my post, yes I am referencing to the "three dot" Evans conga heads. Personally, I do not like them. Their sound is too opaque for me. (Maybe is me)! I prefer the Fiberskyns overtones.

LP use to sponsor/endorse Remo Fiberskyns when they first came out. There is still some Fiberskyns with LP logos out there. When Evans came out with their synthethic conga head their main endorser was Giovanni Hidalgo, who is LP's "premier" endorser. From then on, LP changed to Evans as their "synthetic head provider." Regarding the question on 1996/1997 Giovannis, I believe that is the year Evans came out with their conga head. If you cannot tell, it is easy to spot...Evans heads are white and Remo Fiberskyns have that beige/yellowish color with brown on the edges. Look at it and you will be able to tell. Back then, Evan Tri Center and Fiberskyns, were the only synthetic heads out there!

Nu Skyns have to try them or see somebody who has them to ask them. So far they have been moving slow since it took awhile to get them everywhere. (Nu Skyns have been out for almost two years and now is when they are getting to stores). Like I mentioned before, seen more people with Fiberskyns and some people who got Evans when they first came out who have changed back to Fiberskyns.

Saludos!

[congabebe]

Hi,
I have Toca Premiere Congas, they came with Remo Fiberskin heads on them. If you turn the head over, it has plastic staves that are glued to a ring. When the head breaks the staves pull out of the ring. When my quinto head went bad, I couldn't get it to tune right so and I finally noticed the head pulling up away from the rim and reallized it had busted. I went shopping for heads and tried the LP custom head and it won't work on my congas cause the skin sticks out about 1/2 inch and becomes a bad place to hit. I had to conga players sit in on my congas during a gig and they both bled from hitting the skin by accident. I loved the sound of the real skin more than the Fiberskins, but they don't make a real skin head for my congas. Toca recommended Evans and Remo Nuskyn for my congas. I looked at the Evans and it looks like it is made like the Remo Fiberskins, so I went for the Nuskyn heads instead. I like the sound it is warmer to me and you don't have to hit the drum has hard to get it to sing. I still have a Remo Fiberskyn on my tumba and I really have to strike it harder than I do the other heads. PLus, I like the way the Nuskyn head is wrapped up like a real skin would be but edge of the skin does not come up over the rim and interfere with my hands when playing. Like the LP's head did.

The only problem I have is mounting the head. The instructions say to put the head in the rim and press, it appears that the head would snap in place and fit right in the crease of the head where the collar/rim fits down on it. I couldn't get it to snap into that crease, so I had to be very careful to tighten down rim evenly. The ring of the head did not fit the comfort rim all the way around so it will shift over to far and cause the head to fit unevenly around the rim. The tuning lugs did not feel like they all had the same tension on them, and still don't but I got the heads on there as straight as I can get them. Remo advertises that the Nuskyn will fit Toca, Lp and Meinl congas. But I think they fudge alittle, I really believe the ring of the head should have fit the comfort rim to the curve like the Fiberskyns do, but they don't. And as far as sound, they do sound much more warmer and I like them better than the Fiberskyns. I have not tried the Evans heads. Next heads I get will be real skin, that really was the best sound over all, so I am waiting for Toca to come out with real skin heads on Premiere congas. I have contacted them and they are supposed to re-introduce real skin premounted heads again. I don't have funds to have rings custom made and by skin separately right now so the Nuskyns are the best option I have. That's my 2 cents.

Peace,
Congabebe

[Tonio]

The problem with different manufactures are that they have varying sizes of the "flesh hoop" and rim. Toca's hoop is a lot bigger than say LP. And of course thay have different sizes
of the drums too.
If it doesn't fit take it back. Sorry but its hard to find any heads currently.

Tony

[RitmoBoricua]

(Nu Skyns have been out for almost two years and now is when they are getting to stores).

I had my NuSkyns for well over a year, I bought them at my local Guitar Center. They probably were slow getting to Puerto Rico and overseas. Saludos!



Edited By RitmoBoricua on Sep. 08 2003 at 19:24

[Raymond]

If I recall correctly, Nu Skyns were "out" at the beginning of 2001. The conga version were first. (Bongo versions were out at the beginning of 2002). I went to the states in the summer of 2001 and looked for them in Chicago and New York and could not find them...

You are right that things get here slower but not that slow...

[RitmoBoricua]

Hi. I got mine in 2002.