cowbell - JCR

[franc]

guys,
i just bought a bongo JCR cowbell. this bell is of a high pitch?? i am still looking for the JCR medium pitch. have you guys have tried the JCR bongo high pitch cowbell??? what are your review of the performance of this bell?? i have not tried the bell yet in practice or a gig!! i like the fill of it . it fit nice in my hand. i have not brokened it yet. this bell is 8'' long. the opening is 5 1/4'' wide and 2 3/4'' high. at the close end the measurements are 3'' wide and 1 1/2'' high. thanks guys always my best and good drumming!!!!! franc :;):

[Raymond]

Although models look alike no other JCR bell sounds the same as the other. Some has more overtones, some are more broken in, etc, etc.

Cali makes different types of bells and sometimes he gets into making some models more than others, or stop making others, during certain period.

I've noticed an increase in high pitch bells lately. (Specially the model that is small with high and big mouth). Some "big low tones" but not as many as they were before. I've seen some bells that look like the "low tones" (big handeld) that sound mid and high pitch...This is something Cali showed me during my latest visit but I did not want such a big bell to get me the same sound as a smaller bell.

I have some mid pitch bought about three years. Mid pitch that are not brilliant in the sound. High pitches I've seen two types....One that is very brilliant in their pitch (the overtone of the brilliance is too high for my taste. This bell tends to feel with less metal in the mouth) and a regular high pitch that is not as brilliant. Haven't seen that many mid pitch/dry tone bells

After all that mambo jambo...yes...the high pitch JCR are OK but don't like the extreme high!

The sound of bells are like trends that happen then they go...After getting that low tone, aka Sergio George sound, recordings are going back to high pitch and mid tones bells... Check it out...Tito Nieves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, India and even Victor Mannuelle's lately...all high pitch bells when they recorded low tones in the past...Same bongo players in most the records of each one!

Saludos!

[franc]

raymond,
great to salute you!! hope all is well!! i have the small cowbell which is high with big mouth. i don't know but i don't like it much. it looks like a cha cha bell :^/ tell me which mid pitch cowbell do you have?? which ones do you recomend??? i always can muffled the extreme high over tone on this cowbell that i mentioned in my last post, right?? take care ,mi pana. mucho áche!!! franc

[caballoballo]

Yeah, Raymond
I was yesterday at pure sound store and they had a bunch of high pitch bells by JCR. I was looking for a medium pitch which they had but It sounded too latosa (overtone) for my taste,I know I could dampen the sound but I wanted to have more than a few bells to try in order to decide which one to buy based on the sound,aslo I can get the same bell for $20 instead of $35 at the store. What you mention is true,they have some medium pitch with differ in size and were mark the same,maybe they were mark wrong.

[zaragemca]

Saludos to the percussion brother,I could see and agree with what Raymond is explaining,I just would like to point out that the pitch of the bells is controlled with the type of 'Alloy',used in the fabrication,which would give them the brightness,sustain,decate,etc.,(the same with the Cymbals),but when we are talking about recording, that is a different monster,becouse all those characteristics could be modified with the equalization of the tract,the type of mic., where the mic.,is placed in relation to the instrument,etc...And the last touch is given later with the software which is used for the mixing,mastering,of the project,so only in the live performing you could really appraciate the full chromatic spectrum of those instruments.Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1144511741

[onile]

Huh? :p

¡Alafia Abures!
¡Espero que todo este bien con todito’ ustedes!

I currently have JCR cooking in the sun! La tengo afuera en los elementos pa’ que se cure un poco.
I know that there is always tape, and weather stripping that we can use for the inside of the bell to dampen it, but I believe that I read before that the sound isn't projected as much as we would like when playing live.

Abure Z! thank you and I do appreciate your explanation on the technical side of the bell, but when it's all said and done, we're left with the decision of "to tape or not to tape!" ¡Que Cosa!

Each time I buy a bell hoping that it's the "one", I still wind up leaving it out in the elements (rain, sun, wind) to cure it a bit before taking it out to play. Maybe there's another recommendation, but 'tll then....

Échale semilla a la maraca pa’que suene………

Suave!
Onile!

[franc]

alafia abures! onile,
como estas?? ojala que muy bien, mi bro!!! you know i have a JCR low pitch which i used when practicing our classic salsa music band inside the school. you know in the practice classroom. it is great . i love the sound it projects. i am please with this bell. now, when performing in the open or large open space i use the LP ES 3 bongo cowbell. it is great and it cuts through nicely. well, i bought a JCR high pitch which i intend to use from now on when doing music in the open. i want to replace the LP es3. i have not use my new bell yet. like you said and recomend. i will leave it outside under the elements. i will break it to my liking. i am also in the process of ordering a JCR medium pitch bongo cowbell. i love jCR bells!! of what i have learned with you guys in this forum, i know i will break , condition and achieve a great sound of my bells!! ♪ ahi!!!! áche ,mi pana, franc

[Raymond]

When I buy bells I have to try them and I try them and I try them. (I move around to get an idea of the overtone). Normally, some of those high pitch bells when broken in will lose some of the brilliance or "super high pitch". But not all.

I like mine mid pitch, little brilliance...(Can't deny I have some very high pitch but don't use them that much...As a matter of fact only use it once). The mid pitchs I have, one with more brilliance than the others, are "aplastadas" (small mouth but that look like the lower tone). One provide me a more dry tone, the other one doesn't. Also, have one of the small with big mouth that is also less brilliance that I've used for recordings. (Noticeable in this bell is that the mouth has more metal).

What I do to break in bells...carry them in my car and play them as hard as I can....(Have to high pitch and low pitch right now).

When you try the bell be sure you are in a place with no accoustic, no echo, that way you know how brilliant is the overtone...Bells will sound different in different places...

Saludos!

[zaragemca]

Saludos, the system you use Raymond,and the one used by Onile,are modification by 'oxidation', exposing the bells to the environment,(humedity,oxigen,sunshine,etc.),creates a plaque of oxidation in the metal which maffle the conduction of sound in the bell,and kill some overtone,and brightness,(this is why drummer are recommended to protect the Cymbals),but in this case it works to obtain the pitch we want for the bells.Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1144512475

[Isaac]

There are 6 or 7 different JCR Bongo Bells.
There are two different Lows, two different Mediums,
and in the High pitche there is the narrow one and the small one.
There's also a medium/low made only once or twice
a year. Stores just get the basic ones.
As a salesperson for JCR, I try to find out the
sound an individual is after and play quite a few before
finding the right one. When the best one is played
we all look at each other and know "Aha! that's the one!"
They do also improve over time from being played and
oxidation as Onile and Dr. Z experienced. - I came home
from a gig late one summer night in 2000, and carried
my bongos & congas in. I accidently left a bag with
2 bells in my messy garage. I couldn't find them all summer
and played another bell instead. I ended up finding them in the Fall and they were all brown and rusty from the
humidity. Well they sounded much better than I remembered. I still use them today and those two are my
favorites.

~ Isaac ~
funkytradition@yahoo.com

[caballoballo]

Bongoceros,

There is a new brand on Campanas,maybe not new but I have not seen them before,they are made in Colombia and are available here in the beatiful Island of Puerto Rico at Pure Sound music store in Bayamon. They are hand made and chrome,not to expensive and need to be test to feel the pros and contras. I testet one and IMHO the sound is comparable to JCR ...............................

[neftali.rosado]

Caballoballo,

Whats the name brand of the bell I have a friend of mine that plays bongo with johnny polanco who has a chrome bell made in Colombia I think it was Georges Percussion the bell was not solid chrome because I remember he grinded it down because it would start to slip after playing for a while and you could see a different metal underneath. I inquired about these bells before but know knew hopefully this is the one there selling in P.R.

Saludos,

Neftali Rosado

[caballoballo]

Neftali,saludos

I am not sure of the brand name stamped on the bell,I think is CR. Tomorrow I have to visit Tito De Gracia for my weekly class,he bought 2 Campanas of the same brand for his Timbal, I be able to check the name. The same brand also have,hand made Bongos,solid wood,no staves,heavy hardware,superior skins and the most important aspect= Good crisp sound out of the Macho,Deep sound out of the Hembra,not mass produce. Price $250.00



Edited By caballoballo on 1145367192

[caballoballo]

Neftali,

The brand is named AAA.

[Raymond]

Those new campanas? They are called 3A Somebody long time ago brought me some timbale sticks from them but they had a a problem, they bent or tilted one you start playing them. (He said the new ones don't do that....)

Anyway, I met the guy Alejandro owner of 3A, he was last week in Puerto Rico visiting to "introduce" his products in the island. By the way, he was with guys like Manolito Rodriguez, Sonora Poncena and others.....We talked for hours. (Met him at a club). I recommend him some stores to sell his stuff. (He went to see who is who in regards to percussionists in the island and most, if not all, bought something from him).

I bought a medium pitch handheld from him, a timbale bell and a beautiful clave. He had some great looking and sounding maracas and guiros. I could not get back to him to buy them.... The bongos were great, one piece, but I did not buy one because I have enought bongos...maybe next time..

His products have been brought by a lot of musicians from Puerto Rico that go to Cali who were selling them cheap here...Now he has Puerto Rico prices when he came this time....

The bells are OK! Let me see how they go in the street...

Saludos!



Edited By Raymond on 1145449269