congaplace.com

Posted: **Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:32 pm**

I'm currently lummoxed with a pair of not so great, entry level "Stagg" Conga's. Due to financial constraits at the time they were my best option and for the price they're really not so bad.

My question though is.. Will fitting a higher standard set of skins be beneficial in the short term whilst I save for new Conga's? And to what degree?

Many thanks in advance..

Posted: **Thu Oct 20, 2005 1:47 pm**

a good quality skin will most definitely improve you conga, maybe even beyond your expectation...alot of mass produced drum, may have good shells, but the skins are usually always of inferior quality this is especially true for lp drums. so change the skin, you'll be able to tell the difference....

Posted: **Thu Oct 20, 2005 2:53 pm**

I suspected as much, many thanks for your input on this ralph.

Posted: **Thu Oct 20, 2005 3:02 pm**

Alafia Charangaman!
I hope that you are well and in an abundance of blessings!

I might suggest that you try to contact Isaac who is on this forum, but is a representative for JCR percussion. His email address is: funkytradition@yahoo.com

He would be very glad I'm sure to give you some advice on the type of skins they offer.
I personally have ordered some great skins from Moperc (they are located in Canada). You could find them online at http://www.moperc.com, the owner of the company is named Michelle Ouellette (sp?). Either way, brother Ralph is correct, that in some cases if you change the heads of your drum, more than likey, it will improve the sound of it from the previous.

Below is a shot of the skins I purchased from Moperc! They really sound incredible on the Patatos.

Many blessings!

Onile

Edited By onile on 1129828663

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... _Model.JPG

Posted: **Thu Oct 20, 2005 7:17 pm**

Charangaman!
Skins are 50% of your instrument. So improvement
in your sound is a guarantee over commercial
heads.
I sell Mule Skins, which you can find out about in
some our past forums. Over 100 players have bought
them in the past year, and they're very happy.
I have both premounted in standard sizes and
some thicker ones that are flat circles in
18 & 22 inches. Also for bongo sizes.

for more info contact me, I'd be happy to advise you..

ISAAC
Percussionist / Rep. JCR Percussion Co.
Handmade Bells, Timbales, Congas, Bongos
Since 1972
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(732) 432-0609

funkytradition@yahoo.com

Posted: **Thu Oct 20, 2005 7:21 pm**

Alafia brother Isaac!
I hope that you are well and in an abundance of blessings!

Great timing!

Peace!
Onile

Posted: **Fri Oct 21, 2005 10:04 am**

Many thanks fella's, I appreciate the help

Posted: **Fri Oct 21, 2005 11:10 am**

charangaman,

New mules from Isaac for my LP Ardiente's took them to a different level

Posted: **Fri Oct 21, 2005 2:06 pm**

Yes, I have a set of LP Perfomers that sound great now that I got mule for "funky tradition" on them. The difference is amazing, they have that "old school" warm tone, and crisp slaps. I want to get cow for my quinto soon. I'll have to get a hold of Issac soon.

Peace Drum Bros.

tfunk

Posted: **Fri Oct 21, 2005 3:37 pm**

Thanks,
Is that you Theo?
I saw Samuell Torres' group
again this week. Incredible. For those of you that
havn't heard of Samuell yet, He composes and plays
5 congas with incredible speed but with an overall
relaxed and melodic concept that's very cutting edge.
He's also played the whole gamut of Salsa as a teenager
in Colombia working with Alfredo de La Fe and his uncle,
pianist Edy Martinez. He just released his first CD last
month.

ISAAC

Posted: **Fri Oct 21, 2005 5:52 pm**

Yes, It's me...I almost got to the show last night, but something came up. I did see him a second time at the Triade on 72nd about a month ago. He's amazing!!! Although he is FAST, I think he is taseful with his use of speed, and he bulids his solos nicely. He plays congas with the mind of a composer.

I'll be in touch with you about a cowhide skin for my quinto soon.

Peace,
Theo

Posted: **Mon Nov 28, 2005 9:49 pm**

Hi ya gang!!
Okay, so it is established that adding quality skins to drums makes alot of difference. What about adding quality skins to a set of LP Aspires? Mule skins would probably be "too much" if you know what I mean, but what about some good steer skins or something. Don't worry, I am still saving for new drums. I am a recreational player but would love to actually hear the drums do what they are supposed to do, and you folks have said that the skins are very important. Advise?

Posted: **Mon Nov 28, 2005 11:12 pm**

Hiya,

My first congas were secondhand Meinl Livesounds, which I still have to this day. When I first got them, and was learning, I couldnt get the sound I wanted or heard others getting and messed around with different skins and eventually after two years decided to buy some 'decent drums' and invested in some LP classics. I then bought a whole bunch of skins looking for the elusive good tone and settled on some Bauer skins which were thicker than anything LP use and look some time to bed in and get used to, but eventually they started to sound good and now I am very happy with the way they play. That was about four years ago. Recently, I dug out the old Meinls and tuned them up, and guess what...they sounded great with the original skins.
Two, unconnected morals to this story........
1. technique has a lot to do with getting a good sound, make sure you check that out first, Giovanni can get a good sound out of a cardboard box!!
2. Try Bauer skins, they rock!!

My twopence, hope it helps
Diceman

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2005 7:32 pm**

Hi diceman,

where do you get bauer skins.
Do you have alink or contact?

Have good hollidays and lets hook up in 2006

peace

tone

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2005 10:53 pm**

quality cow skins can cost the same or more than
mule skins. Be sure to avoid low budget
cow skins from Pakistan. They look great
but are dead sounding. You get what you pay for.
Also consider how long you expect the skins to last.

~ ISAAC ~

congaplace.com

Quality skins - making a difference to average shells?