congaplace.com

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:28 pm**

Hello guys

I need to change the skin of my matador bongo. First of all, i would like to know if its easy to do it or would i need professional help?

Is there any different between LP Matador head and LP professional head?

The sizes are the same so can i put pro head on to Matador?

It would be great if you post your comments.

Thanks.........

Product no for matador head is LP M263A and B

For Professional LP 263A and B

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:56 pm**

The only thing good about those skins is the ring. Does not matter what name they write on the skin (Hand pick,premiun ect ). The skins are of very poor quality. Look for mounting installation on this forum,it is not hard at all. Isaac which a member of this forum should be able to supply you with superior quality MULE SKIN.

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:01 pm**

Hi MasterDj,
You would have best results if you opted for flat mule skin instead of LP/Matador products and do the mounting job yourself. I did it myself recently. Well, it´s a bit of hassle if you haven´t done it before but it´s definitely worth the effort: You´ll have another drum! Yes - as Cballoballo has just mentioned - Isaac is the man you want to contact.

BTW the mule issues have been discussed here
http://www.congaplace.com/cgi-bin....le+skin
and there
http://www.congaplace.com/cgi-bin....le+skin

Check out this site as well, it will help you a lot with mounting:
http://www.bongomania.com/eng/articles/newskins1.html

Best of luck!
Mike

Edited By Mike on 1199991847

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:14 pm**

Hey Mike .

The instructions on the Bongo replacement is tops . looks easy dont it ??? .

MDJ , if you are patient and take your time the re skin is not so bad if you get stuck at any time just shout here and someone will help .

Id go for the mule , e mail Issac he will sort you out for sure .

Did you pick up your goodies yet?

marco

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:28 pm**

Hey masterdj, I have some Matador bongos and I can echo what the other guys have already said. Get a higher quality flat head and mount it yourself with the ring from the current stock heads. I think the Matador bongo shell is good quality and the hardware is solid but the heads are just really bad. With some good heads they will sound great, I would not bother putting the LP heads on, you can do it and they are better but not good enough and you will do much better with a good mule skin

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:58 pm**

Thanks guys,

I love this forum, everybody is trying to help the other people.

Hey Marco, no i havent got my staff yet. I am going to picke them up on Sunday.

I have been told thet Matador bongo included my deal needs a new head so iwas trying to get some advice from you guys.

I think bonga can wait until i am confident playing with my congas.

I will definetly go for the mule skin.

Thanks to you all.....

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:49 pm**

masterdj,

LP's Online Catalog says that the LP professional bongos have "handpicked natural rawhide heads", whereas the LP Matador bongos have "natural rawhide heads". I don't know if there's any real quality difference between the 2.

What I do understand is that both of them come from waterbuffalo skins. This isn't surprising 'cause, like the Rubber Wood (which LP markets as "Siam Oak" or "Asian Oak") which are used to make the shells of LP wood bongos (except the LP Valje model), waterbuffalo skins are indigenous (translation: cheaper production costs) to Thailand where most LP percussion products are now being manufactured.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone in CongaBoard or elsewhere hold waterbuffalo skin as being superior over mule, horse or cow skin. On the contrary, it's been the other way around.

I concur with the recommendation re: mule skin. I myself had to replace the delicate original horse skin on the "macho" side of my Gon Bops CA bongos with 1 of JCR's mule skin which I bought via Isaac Gutwilik. I discovered that the horse skin had split the following day after I neglected to detune it after a gig the night before. This was after only a few weeks of owning my bongos.

Btw, changing the skins of your bongos yourself isn't hard at all, as far as I'm concerned. It was even a fun and gratifying experience for me. And I don't have any reluctance at all about doing it again to any of my congas and bongas, if I have to.

Mule skins will do wonders to the sound of your Matador bongos, just as it has done to my Gon Bops. And twice already, I've dared myself to leave the tension on my bongos overnight, just for the heck of it. And it was still intact the following day. The mule skin is indeed as "stubborn as the mule" from where it came from (pun intended).

Best of luck,

Edited By umannyt on 1200002082

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:18 pm**

Thank you for your explanation. You are a working professional. How about the Evans or Remo fiberskyn? I am just looking easy and cheap solution. Like i said bongo can wait until i am confident with my conga drums.

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:45 pm**

Although I have Remo Tucked Fiberskyn 3 Heads on my beater Toca fiberglass quinto and conga, I have no experience using either Evans or Remo on bongos.

My quinto sounds like a tin can and I'm not the only one who's noticed it. My drummer himself said so. I don't know if the culprit is the head, the fiberglass shell or both.

If you're constrained to using synthetic heads, based on my limited experience, I'd say go for Remo. Besides, from what I've read on this forum and elsewhere, Remo generally seems to get more votes than Evans.

On the matter of cost, as far I'm concerned, mule skins don't cost that much more than synthetic (plastic) skins. Remember the often-stated saying about "buying right the 1st time"?

IMO, you won't regret putting mule skins on your Matador. Think about the future, too. You may just become proficient at playing the bongos much sooner than you think!

Edited By umannyt on 1200005497

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:54 pm**

Thank you very much. I will wait and buy a mule skin.

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:32 pm**

Mdj,for the Macho, Fyberskin is a 100% better choice than evans or even Nuskin which is also manufacture by Remo. For the Hembra,plastic skins are IMHO not a good choice. I do prefer a very thick Cow skin (1/8" at least ) for the hembra,that way you get a deep melow sound output.

Posted: **Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:54 am**

I believe for standard sized drums such as the matadors Isaac can supply you with a pre mounted mule skin, I think he has a set of matadors that he uses just for that. Mounting them your self is great and very rewarding but you don't sound that gung ho about the bongos so might want to try that option. I think of all the skins you can mount the bongo macho is one that needs extra careful attention as the desired tones are quite elusive for the inexperienced and the skin you will be using will be the thinest you will use on any of your drums, one tiny nick and it's done for !

Barrie

Posted: **Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:03 am**

I HAVE REPLACED THE SKINS ON MY MATADOR BONGO'S WITH THE SKINS THAT I HAVE TRANSPLANTED FROM MY GONBOPS "CA SERIES" BONGO'S, TO MY LP GENERATION 2'S. THE MACHO IS MULE SKIN, WHICH I HAVE PURCHASED FROM ISAAC, AND THE HEMBRA IS COWHIDE. THIS COMBO HAS MADE MY LP'S THE BEST THEY HAVE EVER BEEN, JUST AWESOME! KNOWING THIS, AND ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT, I'VE DECIDED TO PUT THOSE SKINS ON MY MATADOR'S SINCE THE HEADS ARE THE SAME SIZE, IT WAS AN EASY TRANSFER, AND THE DIFFERENCE IN SOUND IS INCREDIBLE! THEY ALMOST SOUND AS GOOD AS MY LP'S DID WITH THE SAME SKINS.

FOR MY LP'S, I'M JUST GOING TO ORDER A PAIR OF NEW MULE SKINS.

MY GON BOPS "CA SERIES BONGO'S" HAVE NEWLY MOUNTED MULE SKINS, WHICH I HAVE ALSO PERFORMED AN EXPERIMENT WITH. I PUT THE THICKER / DARKER SKIN ON THE MACHO, AND THE SLIGHTLY THINNER/LIGHTER SKIN ON THE HEMBRA, INSTEAD OF THE OTHER WAY AROUND. THE MACHO IS AWESOME, AND STRONG; AND WITH THE HEMBRA AT FIRST I HAD MIXED FEELING'S BECAUSE IT FELT A LITTLE SOFT, AND ODD TO ME ON THE FIRST DAY. BUT, FOR THE NEXT 4 DAYS I ROCKED THESE BABIES. AND WHAT SEEMED TO BE ODD AT FIRST, IS NOW SOMETHING THAT I TRULY DIG, BECAUSE IT GIVES ME A GREAT FEEL; AND THESE ARE WITH OUT A DOUBT THE BEST BONGO'S I HAVE EVER PLAYED AND OR OWNED.

TO SEE THE PICTURES OF MY BONGO'S, CLICK ON
"EL COQUI", IN THE MYCONGAPLACE MEMBER ROSTER, OF THE MAIN PAGE.

YOU'LL SEE HOW GREAT THE MULE SKINS LOOK.
IN THE PHOTO'S THOUGH, THE MATADOR'S ARE WITHOUT THE MULES. BUT I'LL POST THE NEW PICS OF THEM TOMORROW.

TAKE CARE AND GOOD LUCK,

CHARLIE "EL COQUI" VERDEJO

Edited By yambu321 on 1200130162

Posted: **Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:14 am**

Not trying to be anal or pointing fingers at anyone, but shouldn't this topic have been posted on the Special Forum on "Bongos" to begin with?

If so, perhaps, we can either end the topic right here or move the discussion to the proper forum.

Actually, this response of mine is a prelude to a new topic which I'd like to initiate shortly after this. This new topic is actually a spin off from this discussion thread regarding (bongo) skins.

See y'all later,

Edited By umannyt on 1200046549

Posted: **Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:49 pm**

MASTERDJ,

AS PROMISED HERE ARE A FEW PHOTO'S OF MY MATADOR BONGO'S WITH A MULE SKIN FOR THE MACHO AND AND COWHIDE FOR THE HEMBRA. I HAVE EVEN REMOVED THE MATADOR EMBLEM FROM THE SHELLS FOR A MORE EXOTIC APPEARANCE. A SKINS UPGRADE WILL ALSO DO WONDERS FOR YOUR MATADORS AS WELL.

GOOD LUCK!

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... C00013.JPG

congaplace.com

Matador bongo skin