Tutorial needed: Acquiring and mounting PLACA

[Firebrand]

Bongo masters,

One thing I'd love to learn how to do is to mount a placa head on the macho bongo. I played one in Puerto Rico and, after being mounted an ENTIRE YEAR in someone's closet, I used it again the next year for a concert, and the tuning had remained THE SAME. Nice, high pitch and great sounding.

where can I get placa material (online) for cheap, and how do I mount?

This is something bongoceros would like to know. A detailed tutorial would be appreciated.

[caballoballo]

That is something I use to do during the 70s.

1-Cut the placa about 12 inches in diameter.
2-Set the placa on top of the Macho,put the hoop ring on top
and push it down about 1/2 inch.You need an extra set of hands to help.
3-Start to bend the placa around the hoop the same way you do with a natural skin and use some adhesive(tape) to hold it on place at the center.
4- Insert the placa under the crown and set it on top of the Macho shell, use a set of lugs longer than the ones of the Bongó to shape the placa.
5-After tighten,take it off and put some plastic tape around the hoop to make a cushion to prevent the crown from braking the placa at tunning time.Cut the extra the same way yo do with a natural skin.

That was the way I use to do it back then.To get a placa,most of old people have some in storage,ask them.



Edited By caballoballo on 1155054176

[onile]

Alafia Abure Caballoballo!

Eso suena perfecto! I had a set of Gon Bop Bongoces back in 78' and a friend of mine from Arecibo, P.R. helped me mount one on them. He actually got the 'placa' (X-Ray film) from a hospital his wife worked in. It had already been used, there was an X-ray of a knee on it of all things!

Abure Firebrand, you are right, the crispness of the sound seems to last for much longer than anything else.

The bad thing was that I loaned them to another friend for a gig he was doing, and he dropped them to grab 'el cencerro' and the Macho cracked! :angry:

Suave!
Onile!

[OLSONGO]

Fiberbrand, check with printing shops they use what is basically acetate, to burn their plates, I wouldn't be surprised if a drum set head single ply may also do the trick. Be real careful cause that stuff can cut and scratch your hands up. But the sound, nada igual.

Paz OLSONGO



Edited By OLSONGO on 1155066369