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I came across a salsa cowbell that sounds good to me and which I intend to use handheld.

The only thing is that it is a "mountable" cowbell.
So on the bottom it has a clamp bracket with the diamond-shaped holes, on which the eye-bolt assembly is supposed to come.
But I have removed this eye-bolt assembly.
So the bracket is left empty. But still, the bracket remains as it is welded to the base of the bell, whereas normal handheld cowbells have nothing there.
I chose this bell because for some reasons the comparable handheld models just didn't seem to sound as good to me.

Am I going to run into problems (musical or otherwise) if I use handheld a "mountable" cowbell ?

Do you know of examples where a musician uses handheld a mountable cowbell ? Or is it a thing that just isn't done ?

Hi Beatnik,

(Didn't we have this subject before?)

My first bongo bells that I played in the 1980's were LP bells. They all had muunting devices of some kind. And at some point in history, all the bells that were used in Latin American percussion had those U-shaped holders, because they were all cowbells that were meant to hang from the neck of cattle. Even ritual bells have something that sticks out at the end.

I cannot think of any grip where a mounting clamp could possibly get in the way. It's completely egal. If the bell sounds great, take it out and play it!

Thomas

Hello guys.

Am I going to run into problems (musical or otherwise) if I use handheld a "mountable" cowbell ?

I second Thomas here : if you like the sound of the bell, use it. The "U" shaped holder shouldn't bother you at all. And if you feel it does though, just move the holding hand slightly aside till you find a comfortable position.

Thanks Thomas, Chtimulato !!!

Hi Beatnik07. The guys are right!! Thomas is right on the money with his feedback. What matters is the sound at the end of the day. You may also be able to remove the mounting bracket if you so like. A grinder with a metal cutting disk should do that nicely for you. Like Thomas said, I have an original LP Bongo bell that has a bracket on it. Although very different to the ones on Timbal cowbells now a days. It has a bracket. I used it on my timbales cause I loved the sound and it paired up nicely with a salsa bell. I chose to keep the bracket just cause I wanted to keep it original.

Juaort

Here’s a pic of that bell for your reference. The chrome LP on the left. BRW, it’s a beast!! The sound is amazing. But it does weight as much as a semi truck lol.

You can also find a sweet spot to hold it just like Chtimulato said. I’ve seen Bongoceros in a recording studio use Timbal bells to record their Bongo sessions.

You can also find a sweet spot to hold it just like Chtimulato said. I’ve seen Bongoceros in a recording studio use Timbal bells to record their Bongo sessions.

You can also find a sweet spot to hold it just like Chtimulato said. I’ve seen Bongoceros in a recording studio use Timbal bells to record their Bongo sessions. Good luck with your bell.

Hi Juaort,

The sound is amazing. But it does weight as much as a semi truck lol.

I have the same model. It is bulky and awkward to grip and hold, but my Cuban Sonoc bell is even heavier in weight.

You can also find a sweet spot to hold it just like Chtimulato said.

The Sonoc and my principal, favorite bell, a JCR, have some disharmonic frequencies, so they may not be of the A grade. However, I can grip almost any bell so that the interferent overtones are muted by my hand. (Otherwise the JCR wouldn't be my favorite.) That would be the "sweet spot" for me, grip-wise.




Thomas

Thomas, the Sonoc looks interesting!! Was that made from old car steel bumpers? I know that in Cuba at some point they were using old car bumpers to make cowbells. Also, how’s it held together? Was it welded?

Hi Juaort,

I examined the Sonoc bell again, and I couldn't find a single trace of welding. The flanges overlap and have been riveted with four rivets on each side. Only at the handle the edges are soldered and filed to provide a comfortable grip, or rather to prevent the player from injuries. The material is relatively soft, heavy and about 2 mm thick. As can be seen, the bell is chrome-finished.

Actually you had to expect some buzz or rattle from a bell that is only riveted, but this is not the case. However, I haven't used the bell a lot; perhaps it would develop an unwanted noise after long and extensive playing. By the way, the bell is anything but precision-made. And it is not exactly easy to hold. As I said already, it has some disharmonic overtones. It is a bell that you don't want to open too much. It sounds best when gripped tightly and kept muffled. Then it has that dry and funky sound that I know from contemporary Cuban Son bands.

Interesting that they made cowbells from car bumpers. By any means, I can't tell you what this bell had once been made of. I think Cubans could take a single bumper, repair it and turn it into a driveable vehicle again

The LP bell in the middle of my photo is the so-called "New York" model bongo cowbell LP206C. It has a silvery grey finish with a hammered look. I don't know whether it's paint or whatever.

Greetings,
Thomas

I have seen several salsa cowbell players hitting an handheld cowbell at the very bottom end, right on the flat rectangular bottom end or on its edges.
Is this an important strike when playing bongos bells ?

Asking this, because with mountable bells the welded mount bracket at the bottom, one of course cannot hit that area. And also I just can't imagine myself sawing off that bracket and grinding it off: too messy and dangerous for the bell:

You can strike on the left or the right of this bracket. You can also strike higher, on the outer edge/corner/ridge ("l'arête" in French) of the bell, as long as you still have the 2 sounds (high on the ridge and low on the mouth). That's what many bongoceros do when they have to play a quick tune. As long as they still can play the 2 tones. You've got to try it out.