Head Size of Cuban Bongos

[Marcus]

In the Cuban youtube vids I have been watching I noticed that the Cuban bongos have a seemingly larger head sizes than virtually any Bongo sold in the US. The hembra is about 9 inches or larger and in the US I see them stated at 8.5 inches. Might be off in the exact measurement, however will someone please explain to me why the difference and why the US market has the smaller head size.

peace, marcus

[caballoballo]

Saludos, all mass produce manufacturers have a model with a 9" hembra Lp has 2,toca 1,meinl 2. With boutique type bongó it is your choice for them to make it to your specs. Anyway a bigger Hembra does not necessarily means better sound. As Cali from Jcr told me once, the correct skin would make a smaller hembra sound as good or better than a 9". In my experience I found that to be true.

[Marcus]

Hey Caballoballo,

thanks for the response. Just doing some research here.

peace, Marcus

[El Magnifico]

Saludos, all mass produce manufacturers have a model with a 9" hembra Lp has 2,toca 1,meinl 2. With boutique type bongó it is your choice for them to make it to your specs. Anyway a bigger Hembra does not necessarily means better sound. As Cali from Jcr told me once, the correct skin would make a smaller hembra sound as good or better than a 9". In my experience I found that to be true.

That's right, Josean. My Timba has a 9" hembra and in order to avoid the sound to be like a "caja de cartón" I installed a conga head. The sound of a 9" is not necessarily better, but it's fuller and the volume is higher. I mainly use this set for "alive" jigs.

Saludos!

[Raymond]

Nothing official about this but what I've read and heard, is that the original Cuban design for bongos was 7 macho drum and 9 hembra drum. However, the first popular mass produced brand, Latin Percussion or LP, made the macho drum 7 1/4 and the hembra 8 3/4. Since they became so popular, practically every mass produced company went the same sizes. However, during the last decade there has been a comeback to the 7 and 9 sizes in some models by some companies. The 7 1/4 and 8 5/8 is the most common and most popular size. Regarding sound, it is true the head, thicker or thinner heads, of a bongo is an item very important in the sound. Tuning is another aspect.

The most common modern tuning in Iatin music people tend to go for sharper macho and deeper bass sound. Therefore, conventional wisdom tells you that a smaller drum will give you a sharper sound and a bigger drum will give a deeper sound.