Jerry Bembe wrote:I am isolating the hardware from the shell to help the shell create a better tonr. The Del celios drums and PM Meniel Floatone were designed for this principal. Think of the conga body like a marimba key and that is part of the picture. I have been testing my congas for thier sympathetic resonance value and then tuning the congas in relation to this value with exceptional results. I have never heard my congas sound better.
Hi Jerry,
Beautiful restoration. Congratulations! It is wonderful that you are very pleased with the sonic results.
I agree with your philosophy about minimizing the negative effects of rigidly mounted metal hardware on a drum shell. As I am sure you already know, the "sound" of a conga is a composite of the drum head vibrating, as well as the air inside the shell and the shell material/hardware resonating in reaction to the initial impact on the head. Every material resonates differently in reaction to a source of vibration. A conga shell's inherent resonance will be damped (and minimized) when the metal lug plates and internal plates are pressed against the shell as they are tightened. Generally, the more metal to shell contact area the greater the degree of damping.
Adding the rubber gaskets as you have done has made the metal on wood damping less apparent and has increased the resonance of the shell. I would suggest to you, however, that the full sized rubber gaskets are also having a significant damping effect but the nature of the damping is different and, in your case, less offensive than without them. I believe that using rubber "O" rings or rubber washers (as small as possible but still able to properly deal with the dynamic torques involved) between the metal plates and the shell would provide even more resonance from the shell as there would be far less direct rubber to shell contact.
If you go that direction however, we must also factor in that the metal plates themselves will not be damped by the shell and they may ring excessively. Keeping the rubber gaskets you have now in place against the plates will minimize this issue.
This just my two cents.
Best,
Barry
P.S. There is no "right" or "wrong" when designing or modifying a musical instrument. Whatever materials or construction methods achieve the sound the musician is striving to attain is what is "right" for that person.