CONGA MAKEOVERS

[Ernesto Pediangco]

The Gio's after. The photo on the bottom of the page is the way they looked when I got them

Now thats what I call a great makeover ! At least you can use your own touch up stains since you did them your self. I refeuse to do make overs of Asian made drums since the stains & poly coatings are such a labor intensive process. The only thing i would add to theses shells now, is a rubber bottom to protect florrs, keep them from slipping on smooth floors & add some resonance. GREAT WORK , they are beautiful !

[rob280783]

Hi,

On the subject of rubber bases; I need to put one on my conga. Is it as simple as finding some rubber tubing, cutting a line in it and nailing it to the inside of the base?

Thanks,
Rob

[Mike]

Hi,

On the subject of rubber bases; I need to put one on my conga. Is it as simple as finding some rubber tubing, cutting a line in it and nailing it to the inside of the base?

Thanks,
Rob

Basically yes, Rob,
except for the fact that I would fix it to the base
of the conga with epoxy.

[rob280783]

Ok perfect. Thanks very much.

[Jerry Bembe]

I would try using only epoxy for this function first, and then if it comes off then would I consider the use of tacks or nails afterwards for this application in addition to the glue/epoxy. I would like to limit the impact of penetrations on the shell.

Just my 2 cents

[Ernesto Pediangco]

salseroboricua....

thanks for sharing the photos...I myself and working on putting some life back into an old gon bop that has seen its share of rumbas and has the battle scars to prove it....it originally belonged to a brother named Kwe Yao out of NYC....my friend Danny Diaz inherited his drum when he passed, and it has seen better days...apparently Cali had retrofitted a rim, and possibly an alma...(for some reason I am under the impression that Gon Bops did not make there drums with almas at the time) in any case, there are a couple of cracks at the bottom of the drum that seem to have been repaired as good as can be, but before the cracks where still really obvious...i have sanded them down along with the rest of the drum and will be sanding some more this week. Also the metal bands were brown and rusty, that too I sanded down as best I could...anyway i figured I would post my progress so far......I am thinking of painting a dark brown, and finishing off with a marine varnish...I want a real glossy finish...I will be getting new lugs...and if the skins doesn't work possibly a new skin...

Hey does any one know a good source of quality lugs that are easy to get as the lp lugs but maybe a little cheaper?

Every drum company has its own alignment profile of the tuning hook to line up & fit properly between the crown & side plate lug on the shell. They seldom are interchangeable. Gon Bop hooks for Gonbops of same model / generation. I am not sure if NEW Gon Bops are the same as Old Gon Bops in this case. The brand called " TIMBA " is actually the original Gon Bops which was sold out to Timba ( just not the name ) and the drum sizes & hard wares are the same except for the improved side plate lugs ( which I hope Skin on Skin, Ritmo Studios, Resolution & other brands take note of ) Timba...may have the correct old gon bops hooks & maybe a custom builder like JCR perc. in the Bronx may make them as well. Competing brands from Asia wont have them, stores wont have them in stock either.

[Ernesto Pediangco]

Hi,

On the subject of rubber bases; I need to put one on my conga. Is it as simple as finding some rubber tubing, cutting a line in it and nailing it to the inside of the base?

Thanks,
Rob

Basically yes, Rob,
except for the fact that I would fix it to the base
of the conga with epoxy.

EPOXY is not needed ! Simply wrapping a rubber or even a nylon tubing around the bottom edge so it actually wraps from out side to the inside will be sufficient. I use upholstery tacks to secure the tubing or hose fro the inside shell. The compression alone fits the hose in place & allows some freedom of movement so the bottom base act like a shock absorber, has enough freedom to allow shell resonance. Epoxy is a mess and is a poor idea.

[Mike]

EPOXY is not needed ! Simply wrapping a rubber or even a nylon tubing around the bottom edge so it actually wraps from out side to the inside will be sufficient.

I do not think this is a durable enough means unless you do not move your conga much.
So you need some fixing like the one you describe:

I use upholstery tacks to secure the tubing or hose fro the inside shell. The compression alone fits the hose in place & allows some freedom of movement so the bottom base act like a shock absorber, has enough freedom to allow shell resonance.

Epoxy is a mess and is a poor idea.

It depends if you are experienced with handling that stuff, but not a poor idea per se IMO.

Here is an example of how neat and clean the result can be:

BTW this is my Delaporte supertumba.