LP Vintage Palisades Park fiberglass quinto a new project!

[Mike]

Final pics after I applied the "El Greco-Oil-method" to this wonderful Cuban cow skin:

I like the amber colour after the "el-grecoing".
Now I am really done!

[onile]

Alafia Abure Mike!
I hope that you are well and abundantly blessed!

Please help me to understand the reasoning for stretching the skin so far down when first mounting and cutting it to fit your drum. I understand that with several congueros that live in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other tropical weather locations the heads are stretched down somewhat drastically. Most of the drums that we see from some of the tropical areas have been stretched to drastic degrees because of the humidity and the need for tuning, but to mount it like that from the beginning is much like buying a brand new pair of shoes and sandpapering the soles down until you are able to feel the pebbles below your feet when you walk. It cuts the lifetime of the product considerably.

I noticed that more than half of the tension rod's thread is already below the point for tuning. Hopefully, you'll be able to get a long lasting tone out of this mounting system all the same.

My question is not meant to be disrespectful to you and others who mount their heads in this fashion, I would merely like to understand why this is done.

Respectfully,

Onile!

[Mike]

Please help me to understand the reasoning for stretching the skin so far down when first mounting and cutting it to fit your drum.

Onile,
it somehow just happened, the distance skin top-crown is about 3/4", so alright,
I could or maybe should have mounted the skin somewhat higher.
On the other hand, I live in moderate if not cold climate, and the skin is really tough, so
it is highly unlikely that it will stretch to an unforeseeable extent. And the way the skin is seated
makes it quite comfortable to play as a quinto.
Besides I usually do mount my skins way higher. But I have also seen many pictures of Cuban congueros with really
pulled-down skins, Los Papines, to mention some. The reason might of course be the one that you mention, the humid climate.

I understand your point though, Onile, thanks a lot, I do appreciate your expert opinion.
Hopefully I will be able to enjoy this skin for a very long time, ´cause it sounds awesome on this vintage drum!

My best wishes and blessings to you!
Mike

[onile]

Many wonderful blessings to you Abure Mike!

Thanks for your response to my question! I know that situations and climate influences some of what we do with our instruments. I live in the desert climate of Arizona here in the US, the problem I always have is not necessarily with the heads, but with the wood. I usually change out the skins myself and mount them to my preference, but drums like Islas, and now I'm noticing even my Ritmos have a tendency of shrinking a bit. Well, not shrinking necessarily, but the wood dries a bit and the "bands" become a bit wider than the drum. Oh well, I guess we each have our demons to fight!

Respectfully,

Onile!

[Mike]

Hey Onile,
given the climate in your reagion, fiberglass congas would be advantageous for you I guess.
Having said that, like you I am a firm believer in wood as the most original and best material for
a beautiful instrument like a conga. However, fiberglass shells can come in handy. That is one of the reasons
I bought this vintage quinto. Now this is the complement - a Matador fiberglass conga going to be used as hembra. You can notice that I did not pull down the skin that far down this time

You have Ritmos & Islas.. Wow, I would give something if I could even TRY or PLAY those conga queens somewhere.
Those beauties are out of my reach financially and geographically.. You are truly blessed !

All the best,
Mike

[seisporocho1]

Hey Mike,

How much did you get the drum for?? I am looking for a fiberglass conga or quinto and was curious how much that beauty cost you! I'm sure you got sweet deal since it's a bit old and unkept... I hope to find something like that!!

Congrats on your acquisition!

peace

6x8

[Mike]

Thanks for your kind words, 6x8,

that LP Palisades Park quinto drum cost me 85 EUROS plus shipping.
It is a rough beauty due to its previous owner and the wear and tear
over the years, but it is a collector´s item all the same!!!
(That is why I was willing to pay some 120 US-$ plus shipping for it.
I really like the idea of playing an instrument that was built when I was a kid. )

I paid about the same price (100 EUROS all in all) for the 20-year-old white Matador
you see in my previous post. Even if the quality is less than the Parks quinto,
it is in much better shape, as the hardware was not messed up and it did not
seem to have been used much at all.
BTW I have just taken a look at the current € to US-$ currency exchange rate.
Whoa, the economy crisis seems to be still deep...

I wish you good luck, hopefully you will be lucky to
find a suitable fiberglass drum second (or third...) hand.

Cheers
Mike

[Mike]

Now I am really done and the two drums are finished, refurbished as far as possible and reskinned.
Inspired by Congalou, I attached a rubber bottom on my own to the Quinto - made by a recycled bicycle
tyre.

And the skins have turned out quite beautiful - after applying El Greco´s oiling method to them...

Now this project is REALLY finished.
The two drums sound awesome, amazingly dry for fiberglass congas.
I use and will use them quite a lot in more private, intimate settings.

Thanks for the various input everybody!

Cheers
Mike

[Sakuntu]

So I just reskinned an old palisades park quinto and conga with some new LP water buffalo skins i had laying around. (I was sick of the synthetic sound and feel). do you think this "oil method" technique would work for the statndard "hand picked" water buffalo hides on an LP drum? Just wondering if it might improve the sound.

[Sakuntu]

Congas.jpg (8.17 KiB) Viewed 9269 times

[Mike]

So I just reskinned an old palisades park quinto and conga with some new LP water buffalo skins i had laying around. (I was sick of the synthetic sound and feel). do you think this "oil method" technique would work for the statndard "hand picked" water buffalo hides on an LP drum? Just wondering if it might improve the sound.

According to El Greco, the resonance of a skin is enhanced by oiling it. At least this is what I have noticed with the 2 mule skins on wood congas and the current 2 cow skins on these vintage fiberglass congas.
Plus I have also oiled a thin water buffalo skin of an Afro quinto with the spare oil that was left (oil recycling ) and I must say the result is nice - even if the skin does not sound much better than before. I only left it floating in oil for 3 days as it is not as as thick as the other ones I mentioned and I did not want it to absorb TOO much oil.
All in all, I am not too sure about the sense of oiling water buffalo skins, but it could be worth a try.

On the bottom side: Nice mounting job, Sakuntu, it might be that our Palisades Park conga beauties would deserve better skins than the standard LP Thai skins in my opinion, as the LP skins are often too thin and they often produce only a tinny sound. But not necessarily of course. I am pretty sure that you knew what you did and yours are fine
The skin issues are really tricky to handle at times.
I can only say that my red and white couple feels and sounds like magic to me with the Cuban cow skin.
Talking of red and white:
Elube Changó!

-Mike

[Mike]

P.S.: The bike tyre-rubber bottom is not beautiful but handy - ready for the road

BTW I contacted the LP customer service: Bottom rings are not done in the replacement part section

[OLSONGO]

Mike they also have L shaped aluminum stock, easy to work with a mallet . After polishing screw in place.
I still like my skillet idea, will be putting it to practice, on a Tumba ....will post pics.

Paz
Olsongo

[Mike]

Mike they also have L shaped aluminum stock, easy to work with a mallet . After polishing screw in place.

That is quite a good idea, too of course!
As to your skillet idea - well I am curious. I am not tech-savvy enough to handle the metal sawing. Please do post pics of your finished tumba.

All the best
Mike

EDIT: BTW the rubber bottom of my quinto is covering only 1/2" of the outer shell, so unless you turn the drum upside down it is pretty inconspicuous and looks discreet, so it does the job alright. I epoxied it for a firm hold.

[Gallichio]

Hello,

Your project turned out great. Enjoy your drums. I remember years ago Latin Percussion had a product called Head Oil. It was really nice to put it on your heads and did enhance the sound. It also smelled very bad but just for a short time. I do not know what kind of oil it was but I would love to get some. Does anyone remember it?