by jorge » Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:34 am
I have left the hembra (larger lower drum) tuned for years on bongos with no bad effect, there is not a lot of tension on the hembra. The macho (high drum) is different and the skin will really stretch much faster if left tuned high between playing sessions. The macho skins stretch and wear out much faster anyway and I actually am experimenting with a plastic skin on the macho. Generally I dislike plastic skins on congas and bongos but this one sounds ok and does not change pitch much if at all if left tuned. I took Caballoballo's advice (gracias mi hermano!) and tried a Remo Skyndeep tucked M9-0715-S4-SD003 7.15" on the macho of an LP Matador bongo and it plays easy and sounds pretty good. It looks like much better build quality than the stitched M6-S675-S2-SD003 6.75" but you may have to choose one or the other based on size. The 7.15" does just barely fit the Matador ring. I still like the sound and feel of real skin better but the tradeoff is that the plastic skin is is less hassle, is vegan and doesn't require killing a cow or mule, will probably last longer and feels a little easier on the hands. Let's see how well it gets through the New Jersey winter.