practice pad for congas

[martingoodson1]

Thinking about making or buying a practice pad. Moved into a new living situation where real practice is not an option. Is there anything out there that can duplicate the feel +bounce of real congas? At the moment I'm using a towel over the congas but the slaps are still cutting through.
thanks
martin

[randyc]

I would try 'Sound off pads' they are a 1/4" foam/rubber pad that I use when I teach/play my acoustic kit when a quieter surrounding is preferred.
They come in many sizes and due to their material stay fairly put on the drum heads.
They work extremely well on the acoustic kit with a limited loss of feel (when using sticks anyways).
You may also try placing the congas on an anti-fatigue mat. That should absorb a lot of the vibration from passing out the bottom of your drums onto the floor.

Cheers, Randy

[Derbeno]

I tried pads on top of the head but they I found that they mess with the feel. I've cut upholstery foam to size and put it inside the drum right up to the head. Works great for me.

http://www.congaplace.com/cgi-bin....41;st=0

Here are some other threads with members suggesting T-shirts on the of the Conga to playing with gloves on

[Paqui]

Check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :IT&ih=006

[CongaTick]

Paqui, those look like they'll fill the bill on all counts but $200!!!!. Out of their minds. You can make something like that for a pittance.

[Paqui]

CongaTick, that's what I thought. There is a store on eBay that sells the wood, I'll you need are some bungee cords.

Here is the link to the store:
http://stores.ebay.com/Got-Wood-Domestic-Wood-Turning

This one will fit a tumba:
http://cgi.ebay.com/12x2-Beech-Wood-Tur ... m153.l1262

Getting some ideas!