Skin thickness on hembra

[Mike]

Hi guys,
I´d like to know what the thickest skin is that you use on hembra.
The question aims at
a) playablility/reduction of nasty overtones
b) mountability with traditional hardware

Thanks
Mike

[jorge]

I have an old pair of LP bongos that I put a used old conga skin on the hembra many years ago. I remember it was a real struggle to get the thick conga skin on and there was really tight clearance between the outer rim and the bearing edge. Once I got it on and it dried it sounded really clear and dry. I like the hembra to sound real dry with no overtones and a very short sustain. I think the shorter sustain makes the sound more clear and precise when you are playing fast, especially in a venue where there is significant echo. The thick skin may not be as loud as a thinner bongo hembra skin, but does not hurt my hands any more than a thinner skin. That skin has been on there over 30 years (I haven't played them much for the last 25 years) and is cracking around the bearing edge but has not ripped yet.

[Mike]

I like the hembra to sound real dry with no overtones and a very short sustain.

So do I.
Now that´s funny: I also have an old pair of LP bongos, with a medium thick white cow skin on hembra that still tends to ring a bit too much.
The JCR mule skin on macho is perfect though, so I might mount a (thick) mule skin on hembra.

Thanks for the info, Jorge!

Mike

[jorge]

I think one of the things that decreases the ring and harmonic overtones is the fact that the the conga skin was old and used, not just that it was thick. When I took it off the conga, that skin was so old and used that it was almost worn through around the bearing edges. More importantly, it had been played so much that the microscopic fibers of the skin had been stretched and torn, similar to when a translucent conga skin turns opaque after a few years of playing, tuning/detuning, etc. If you just put a new conga skin on the bongo hembra, it would probably ring with overtones just like a new bongo skin, and would take a lot longer to break in.

[Thebreeze]

Jorge, I have to disagree with you. The skin you use for the Hembra does not have to be old and used in order not to have rings and overtones. I have mounted many new skins on bongos and always use a nice thick skin on the Hembra and never have overtones or rings. As a matter of fact, I just recently mounted a nice thick Mule skin from El Greco on my Dominican Mahogany shell bongos Hembra side and it sounds perfect, dry, short sustain, and no trace of overtones, or rings whatsoever. So I guess if you happen to have an old used thick skin lying around, by all means use it for the bongos. I have done that too. No sense in tossing something out that will still work great on something else.

Will.

[Isaac]

I always recommend a bit thicker skin for the Hembra, whether it's cow or mule.
For some people , waiting for the skin to break in is not practical - too many gigs.
In that case I've recommended recycling an older quinto or conga head (if not too thick).
If that skin is already "dead" it'll not really enhance you bongo either.
If the Hembra is too thick, you're also chocking the sounds and working too hard,
so you have to be careful you don't overdo it on the thickness.

ISAAC

[Raymond]

Medium thick or thick to get rid of overtones in the hembra from the get go. Not that you cannot use a thin one but it will need break in.

Medium or thick could depend on the weight your hand puts into it when you play, i.e, how big your hand is, how much of the drum you hit when you play, etc. etc.. For some it will play better.

My 5 cents!

Saludos!

[jorge]

The old conga skin I put on my bongos is about 1/8" to 5/32" thick, way thicker than normal bongo skins. That would take forever to break in if it were a new skin, and would probably ring until broken in. You would probably do best choosing a slightly thinner skin than 1/8", if for no other reason than it would be a whole lot easier to mount. Also, when tuned up the really thick skin puts a lot of extra stress on the shell and hardware.