Raymond wrote:Answering a couple of questions...
Pearl El Negro Bells???? Yes, I have three...I have the timbale, which I use to substitue for the bongo handheld when I am playing timbales and I am required to do the bongo bell and have a couple of cha-cha's...I have the big chacha that gives a lower tone, which has become fashionable in recording, and the high pitch one...Great bells...although..I use more Cali's because of the overtones..(These Negro bells don't have that much overtone if any and the small chacha is the traditional chacha bell with a higher pitch). Their bronze color looks nice.... I went to Cali in December and his making now high pitch bells that some people are shying away from them...(When Cali gets in a groove of making certain tones...he keeps them until people get sick of them...I wanted a lower pitch and he said he did not wanted..I wanted something like El Negro big chacha bell but he does not have it...)
Cowbell beaters...Cali introduced what eveybody has now which is a thinner cowbell beater that is heavy and made out of synthetic material...Everybody has copied it...LP has one...Pearl has one called the "pheloo whatever..." But is the same theory. These beaters provide a great sound that is not achieved with the old "baseball bat" wood beaters that were out there. I know for a fact that facilitated the recording for bongo players that did not need a "thicker" beater for recordings...With thinner beaters you geat a clearer sound. (Hard to get some of the improvisational beats in the bongo bell with a thick wood beater)...These new beaters provide a "cleaner sound" and the bounce with the bell is great for playing...not too much effort is required. The weight and the thin design is what does the trick. There is still people using the old wood thick beaters but the new "synthetic" thin beaters have become the norm with salsa players...
My five cents here....
I got those Meinl's in a super deal,
12 bells and 4 agogo's in a box for $20. I used to give the bells to my friends kids and stuff, just one left now,
they came in yellow and red and black!
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