by seisporocho1 » Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:47 pm
Being fair to the Tocas, I have a Toca 11 3/4 conga. I bought the one that have the "burned wood" look. i don't remember what line that is ... maybe the Limited Edition.
Anyway, the skin it came with (even though decent) was not projecting the sound I was looking for. So I put a Bill Confer bullhide thinking it would do the trick. That also didn't work. It was as if there just isn't enough belly on this drum for the tones to sustain. They are much narrower than a matador which is what I'm used to.
Then I changed the skin to a mule skin I had bought years ago from Isaac and had never mounted. I have to say the drum now sings.
Yet, I think this skin in specific would have made ANY drum sing. So regardless of how the drum sounds now, I still think the shape is not a desired shape for me. It lacks belly in my opinion and doesn't have the sustain the matadors have.
And as mentioned above, it is JUST MY OPINION.
I know a few drummers that enjoy the sound of the Tocas.
In the end, I still say Matadors all the way and if looking for traditional rims, buy some from Olsongo. Matadors are so good, you could buy them used and if they are in good shape, they'll still last you a lifetime.
Aiku,
6x8