congaplace.com

Where can I get high quality water buffalo skins?

Any drumshop/music store that carries LP products.
I think you can order the flat heads too if you want to
mount them yourself.

With that in mind. I decided last night to keep the original heads on my LP, and one Toca congas for the time being. Just going ahead and letting them be what they are.

I run the original water buffalo head on some of my conga drums and they sound good.
Sometimes I have problems with LP hembra bongo heads, some of them don't get me
the low thump I like to get on occasion.Besides congas rawhide heads are kind of expensive
nowdays, so I do with what I have.

Thank you guys for responding. I was wondering if there was someone/place that sells flat WB skins, other than LP?

Kaban wrote:Thank you guys for responding. I was wondering if there was someone/place that sells flat WB skins, other than LP?

Rhythm Traders but it looks like they are out of stock at this time.

http://www.rhythmtraders.com/Skins-Heads-c86/

Saludos, I wouldn't waste money on factory type chemically treated water buffalo skins. Their sound is dull & lifeless. Look at all those Bongos mass produce, the Hembra skin is paper thick, you will not get good sound out of them. Try L&H percussion, they have mule, steer & cow skins of superior quality.

Kaban wrote:Where can I get high quality water buffalo skins?

Somewhat a contradiction in itself...
I wonder why someone would reskin a drum with water buffalo
at all if loads of better cow and mule skins are abundantly available.
I could not agree more with you, Caballoballo.
TBH I detest water buffalo skins on most
bongos and congas. They simply do not sound
the way skins should sound.
Every now and then there is an the exception that proves the rule.
Each to his own though, this is just my personal opinion.

Mikie, I did try cow from a highly recommend source, from this site, great skin, but in my opinion, my LP Classics sound better with WB. LP water buffalo have improved, and they aren't those paper thin skins from the past. I've heard that some place sells better WB skins, and I was hoping someone here would know.

Kaban wrote:Mikie, I did try cow from a highly recommend source, from this site, great skin, but in my opinion, my LP Classics sound better with WB. LP water buffalo have improved, and they aren't those paper thin skins from the past. I've heard that some place sells better WB skins, and I was hoping someone here would know.

No prob, Kaban, if water buffalo skins work for you, that is just fine.
Perhaps I have just made to many bad experiences.
In the end, it is a matter of processing and cutting the skins which
decides their tonal qualities. As you say, LP used to make them way too thin.
BTW I have heard that there are people in Germany who actually raise water buffalos
in an ecologically sound environment, and their skins are available here, also thicker
ones. Still - I simply like cow, steer and mule better.

Thanks for the lead Mike, will do some research tonight. Maybe because LP does their research using WB skins; they sound good with them on. I had a Patato set with cows I mounted and they sounded amazing with cows; just not happing with my Classics. Again, thanks for the lead.

You´re welcome.
As to German water buffalos: they are to be found in the south - but unfortunately I do not know any details.
But FWIW I have been offered a thick water buffalo skin by Banux at http://www.banux.de/?SID=d8f5e85fd5906b ... re=default
(for my Meinl Woodcraft tumba), which I declined
On demand they can supply you with those skins, they are not listed in their regular online store.

What is it that you are not digging about the cow sound? Is it the particular skin as in too thin or too thick? Maybe you should give it some time to break in if you haven't already. When I first got my sonocs it took about a year before the skins finally settled in. Did you get a clear skin or white (bleached). I've had some bleached skins I didn't like, the steer skins Jaisen has to me are
Some of the best I've used, they sounded great right after the tuck, almost like they are broken in already. Put one on an old pp with some rim damage and it sounds awesome, and two on some old oak gon ops. Great sound.

The WB skins on my new drums sound great.

PC, I liked that my Classics sounded dry, with darker tones. The cow brought up the volume up, way up, and the tone was a stronger fundamental tone; most would be really happy. I bought my Classics off the floor because I liked its sound, that sound was with WB, dry sound over all, crisp slaps, and the open tones aren't loud, but their a nice ringy tone that I like. I think cow is a much better skin, but for MY Classics, it's the WB sound that I fell in love with. Peace.