congaplace.com

Gon Bops have a combined practice pad for conga, timbales and cowbell, and I wonder if anyone have tried it. It is cheaper than a Pearl travelconga, and I am only going to use it for practice. So if the sound is all right, it should be a good alternative.
Second question: Alex Acuna congas. I have searched the Internet, and have not found any information on what skins they come with. Would be nice to hear from people who are playing them, or have tried them.
casaet.

Gon Bops sells congas with water buffalo (which they call rawhide), cowhide, or NuSkyn heads.
In general the cow only comes with the California series made in USA.
Some of the Acuna series come with NuSkyn but they would state that.

So if you're ordering a drum, either from a dealer or a website, just ask to make sure if it's a synthetic head or a skin. But if it is a skin, it's probably buffalo.

Did you find this page?
http://www.shopatron.com/products/categ ... 1708.0.0.0

iFeliz Navidad!

Lately the Gon Bops are coming stock with Remo synthetic heads.
The California series I got a few months ago came with a synthetic head stock.
The new Alex Acuna's are getting synthetic for sure, in black.

Gon Bops has a special deal with Remo, the heads are printed "For Gon Bops, by Remo"

Gon Bops don't seem to state what heads they are putting on which drums. I was
surprised to get synthetic skin on mine. The California series at the music store had cow.
I had expected cow skin. It was pretty simple to switch to cow, and I could have ordered the
parts from Gon Bops, but I did it myself because it was cheaper. The synthetic skins do not come
with a flesh hoop that you can use for cow skin.

I don't remember what the other Gon Bops have on them at the music store, maybe I will stop by.

Skip the internet and save yourself some time, email GB customer service or
call them.

For Customer Service, please email:
customerservice@gonbops.com
Dealers may request a catalog and price list by calling (805) 485-6999 x261.

I questioned this w/ DW-Gon Bops about this.

CA model is supposed to have "cowhide" but looks like buffalo.

all other models come w/ synthetic, unless you can find a NOS (new old stock) in a store.


T

When I got my first two CA series they indeed had cowhide, peruvian cowhide, not really nice stuff. The third dum I bought came with the plastic head. I think they all (ca models) come with plastic heads stock now.
PC

In Sep I purchased (on-line dealer) the Tumbao Custom Pro series (Q-C-T)

to my (personal preference) disappointment they arrived with NuSkyn..but had

made arrangements with the seller to swap out for "raw-hide" heads.... I lack the expertise

to differentiate the water buffalo from the cow. As seen below , my replacement heads

bear the circular Gon Bop logo stamp. Am truly enjoying the "hide heads" (suspect buff...)

(the replacement heads were drop-shipped from DW...without any documentation of animal of origin).


Peace, Chas

NuSkyn ..on arrival


Hide.. current heads

Thanks for all the good information. If I buy the drums I will just buy new skins from a dealer who sells top quality rawhide. I have two congas that need new skins anyway.
casaet.

Contact Mike from L&H then, one of the best skin suppliers around!
Skins are top-notch!
http://www.landhpercussion.com/products.html

Those Gon Bops skins look like cow to me.

If you replace the plastic skins with skin that does not come
from Gon Bops, you will need to get a flesh hoop. I got mine
from Latin Rhythm Traders

http://www.latinrhythmtraders.com/

Inexpensive and works very well, they have several sizes in stock.
I used one of theirs when I switched the head on my GB from plastic
to cow. I also used one of Land Hand Percussions skins. Excellent skins!

What size flesh hoop did you get for your requinto? Just in case mine don't sell I'm definitely going to put a skin head on the tumba.
PC

pcastag wrote:What size flesh hoop did you get for your requinto? Just in case mine don't sell I'm definitely going to put a skin head on the tumba.
PC

You know I don't remember exactly, I followed Latin Rhythm traders directions for getting the right
size, and they were correct, the ring fits perfectly.

They have tons of sizes in 1/4" increments. They only charged like $6 for the rings and provided
excellent service.

cdldrum wrote:to my (personal preference) disappointment they arrived with NuSkyn..but had
made arrangements with the seller to swap out for "raw-hide" heads....

This is interesting. Did you arrange with them to change the heads before they shipped and they messed up?
Did they just send you new rawhide heads for no extra cost? Did you have to send the NuSkyns back? If not, interested in selling one?
Those heads are $40-$50 each and the NuSkyns are about the same; roughly 15% of the cost of the whole drum, so not a cost they'd want to just absorb as a loss.
Pretty good customer service I'd say.

Jibaro...

I knew I wanted hide heads ..they are sold with NuSkyn, ...I indicated I would only make the purchase if hide heads
were included in the sale price...the seller shipped the drums in original Nuskyn ( prompt ship) ... and drop shipped the
hide heads, I promised to return the NuSkyn when the hide heads arrived. The transaction went exactly as negotiated.
No additional costs were accrued. Very satisfied with the entire process. Not sure which side "came out ahead"... but I do
know I got exactly what I wanted..and paid for...

5 star excellent customer service...http://www.californiapercussion.com/ ...ask for Trey.

Peace, Chas

Thanks, I've dealt with Trey before too, but didn't meet him.
They must be doing well because they just opened a retail store in SOMA... building used to be a furniture outlet; much more convenient than their old warehouse by the airport.