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It does look bleached to me.

Is this bleaching process something you could do at home? I was just wondering, since I usually mount my own skins...

Here is a link to a discussion about bleaching rawhides. Sounds likes you have to use
chemicals so needless to say you have to know what you doing.

http://www.leatherchemists.org/forum/fo ... sp?TID=854

Land Hand Percussion is supplying bleached skin. I do not think it would be easy to do at home. I am sure the "bleach" is not your off the shelf Chlorox. It may not even be bleach at all, but just refer to the white color of the skins themselves. Hide tanning is a very esoteric skill.

The reason I am asking is because that is the skin on my Pearl Folkloric tumba (same as my new conga). I never had, or personally seen a bleached head, so I didn't know, but I knew this is the place to ask.

I am a little disappointed in the company for their play on words, also for not stating that their heads are bleached. I perfer Pearl over LP, so I am a bit angry; I thought I was getting a drum that already came with an American Cow head. They used a play on words, "cow" is any female from a number of species (including water buffalo), and American "style" is exactly that; but then again all the drum companies do this. I like the sound of the drum, but I feel like an ass; I am thinking of returning the new conga, and selling the used tumba in order to buy something else ( I'll mount real American cow myself).

It's funny that on the American website, its "cow", but on the European website it states buffalo. Don't know what to do at the moment. The skins are thick semi bleached female buffalo; so there a cream color, soft, and thick, as to mimic cow I guess.

Kaban wrote:I like the sound of the drum

Greetings Kaban.
This skin is no doubt bleached, in fact this is standard practice for most, if not all, of the popular mass produced drums. This is typically done so that the skins can look uniform in texture and in color.
Why is the head such an issue if you are happy with the sound? I mean, ultimately that is what is important, the sound produced.
...I guess that I do understand the principal issue of the matter though but I must say, the thickness on those skins look just right.
Good luck Kaban

P.S. Would you mind taking a picture of the whole drum and posting it for us Conga Junkies
Thanks.

They look like fine skins to me. Bleached skins are harder to find nowadays, and several of the boutique makers used to use bleached cow. It is pretty much a given that any drum from the big companies in Thailand will use water buffalo on their drums. Bleached would be a nice touch in this case in my opinion.

If I remember correctly the advertisement says the folkloric congas have "south american cowhides", not american.. also I've seen those congas about twice in person and the stock heads are brown with the pearl logo on them. Nothing like that bleached skin you have on yours... a little weird that a mass produced set would come with those heads....did u buy them used or from a music website or directly from pearl?

1. I will take a pic of both drums and post.

2. Like I said, it's South American "style" because they are thick on purpose; I called, they are from Australia Buffalo.

3. Yes, I got my conga from Pearl, you might have seen the folkloric drum with the Elite Model heads, which they do make for them, because those Elite are thin Asian Buffalo.

4. I like the sound of tumba, but don't like the high end sound, nor the feel of conga skin.

Does anyone have any experience with the Pearl Elite Mahogany congas?

Godspeed

Kaban wrote:Does anyone have any experience with the Pearl Elite Mahogany congas?

Them mahoganies should sound about the same as any other Pearl Elite conga since the inner layer is
thai oak and only the outer layer is "mahogany" for the looks. I think they were discontinued a year
or two ago at least here in the states.

Nice looking skin to me.

I had set of LP Valjes (around 1995) that had gorgeous, thick bleached skins and they sounded fantastic.
I wish I still had that set, it was the best LP congas I've ever played.

Here is the picture of the drums, I contacted Pearl about the conga (skin has a cut on bearing edge), they will replace for me.

Rumbero4ever,

Thanks for the education, that's something you can't learn in school... Only in Congaplace.