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I'm done with mule. After a year with different kinds of mule on two of my bongos, I've decided that I just don't like the stuff. First, it's hard on my hands. I have tough hands, and I broke these skins in, but it just never seemed to get easier. Two it was a little hard on the bongos, the macho skin kind of pulled on the rivets and made them a little looser than before, the mule was just too tough, the skin wasn't even thick, it was a good thickness.

Mainly though, I just never fell in love with the sound. For the macho, the mule sounded just too flat. I prefer the sharpness I can get from kip or cow. Same with the hembra, too dry, I like a slightly wet sounding hembra that I just couldn't get from the mule skins I had.

So that's it. I gave it a try to see what it was all about and the mule failed me. Nothing against those of you that like it, more mule for you now. As they say different strokes. I won't be touching it again.

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BnB,
Funnily enough I changed the hembra skin of my Raúl/Bauer bongó
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5404
quite recently back to the original thick cow skin which I had kept.
The mule skin on macho I mounted was just a little bit too dry.
Now the tone is really fine.
I can understand you felt the same about the mule sound of your bongos.
Conga mule skins are still different.

Yeah, believe it or not I haven't tried or even played mule on congas yet. Mule might be just fine for that.
But mule on the bongos, too dry like you say. Almost sounds like I'm playing a piece of wood.

That is a nice white skin there, another one from Germany's Black Forest?

For me Mule is best reserve for quintos, pa repiquar na mas. Interestingly enough I don't know if it would be possible to determine if it is or not, but the bely of the mule is purportedly the best skin.
PC

bongosnotbombs wrote:Yeah, believe it or not I haven't tried or even played mule on congas yet. Mule might be just fine for that.
But mule on the bongos, too dry like you say. Almost sounds like I'm playing a piece of wood.

That is a nice white skin there, another one from Germany's Black Forest?

No, that is a goat skin from Pakistan, I absolutely love that macho sound.
By the way, my Palisades Park mahogany bongó has had JCR mule on macho ever since
I bought it from Steve aka SalseroBoricua71 and it is brilliant with that thin skin.

pcastag wrote:For me Mule is best reserve for quintos, pa repiquar na mas.

Like I said, to me mule on congas is more than doable.
I have L&H mule skin on my 1980s LP Congas, and they sound surely fine.
The quinto is particularly good with mule, and it is not hard on my hands at all.
And El Greco´s mule on Matador rules!
All my Gon Bops have got cow skin though, best sound there and you do not need
to get frightened about those delicate Philippine mahogany shells..

I've used the goat for macho before. It sounds good, a nice sharp sound.
I stopped using them because they are so fragile. I went through 4 in one
year. I wore a hole in one with my martillo thumb even!

Others tore, I guess I've had 4 goat skins tear on me too. It's a good sound, I
guess I just want my macho skin to last a little longer. Calf/cow is what
I'm switching too.

I don't know I might use goat again. But the mule is OUT!

I put goat on a hembra once and hated it, too boomy. Sounded like a timbale.

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Remember ..something to be consider is from what part of the animal did the skin come from, the belly or shoulder etc.. some parts are thicker others thinner.
Peace
Olsongo

I am in between a practice right now and I noticed this. Bongos, I have said the same thing about buffalo skins that they suck and what not but really, its all in the hands bro. One thing about buffalo is skin persistence and although not the best sounding I'd happily take an endorsement for 6 figures like some other peeps on this forum with those experiences. I want good sound, I want a Requena bongo, I want the best equipment but I'd much rather have the hands and music education to be able to jam anytime, anywhere, anyplace on whatever drum with a random skin. I'm just saying focus on what really counts that's all. Peace.

Tigre77

HELLO TO ALL.

JUST WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I HAD MULE SKIN ON MY BONGOS, AND ALSO EXPLORED THE POSSIBILITES WITH DIFFERENT THICKNESSES AND SO FOURTH. BUT, TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, I AM MOST HAPPY WITH THE HIGH QUALITY CALF SKINS I HAVE PURCHASED FROM MICHAEL OF L&H PERCUSSION. THEY SOUND PERFECT ON MY CA SERIES GON BOPS BONGOS, AND MY OTHER SETS ARE ALSO WELL EQUIPPED WITH CALF AND COW AS WELL.

I AM USING MULE SKINS ON MY MATADOR CONGAS, AS WELL AS MY ISLA REQUINTO. I AM USING COW SKIN ON MY ISLA TUMBA. THE MATADORS SOUND EXCELLENT WITH MULE, AND MY ISLA REQUINTO SOUNDS FANTASTIC. THE ISLA TUMBA IS JUST PERFECT IN IT'S ORIGINAL FORM WITH COW.

FOR CONGAS MY FAVORITE SKIN SET UP IS HIGH QUALITY, UNBLEACHED COW SKIN.

TAKE CARE,
CHARLIE, .

Hey tigre77, I'm just saying I don't like the sounds the mule is giving me. I have 3 bongos and the 2 with the mule just aren't doing it for me soundwise. I wanted to experiment with the mule, but they sounded better with other skins. The hands and the drums were the same.

[quote="bongosnotbombs"]I'm done with mule. After a year with different kinds of mule on two of my bongos, I've decided that I just don't like the stuff. First, it's hard on my hands. I have tough hands, and I broke these skins in, but it just never seemed to get easier. Two it was a little hard on the bongos, the macho skin kind of pulled on the rivets and made them a little looser than before, the mule was just too tough, the skin wasn't even thick, it was a good thickness.

Saludos BNB, have you tried moisturizing your hands before playing your Bongos ? I alway carry some hand lubricating lotion so my hands don't suffer much. The only one of my Bongós with mule skin is the Moperc which I installed back in 2006,the rest are all cow which easy to obtain down here. For the rivets just use a ball pin hammer to hit them on the back of the rim, that will take care of the looseness.

Skin thickness is critcal specially for the macho sound and also the wood type has to be take into account. Some wood no matter what skin creates a dull sound.

By the way, my friend Artisan from Timbas Del Valle is going to manufacture Bongos out of mahogany, cow skins and stainless steel hardware. Should post pictures as soon as some progress is made. They can be made to your specs if that is your choice.

Hey Caballoballo, yes I often use shea butter on my hands before playing. What I meant by my hands being tough is that they are strong, they are not roguh, my skin is smooth and soft, but I can hit hard skins, but the mule was even harder than what I'm used to. Thanks for the tip with the ball peen hammer, that worked very well.

Those bongos your friend is making sound very interesting.