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Hello Forum Members,

I'm wondering about your opinions on head thickness by drum. I've heard some people state that thicker heads should be used on bigger drums, and others state exactly the reverse - that thicker heads should be used on smaller drums (quinto/requinto for rumba and the "center" drum that one uses when playing a set).
I’ve had thick heads put on tumba’s before and found they really cut the resonance and bass out of the drum, so I chose a thinner option. I also have a super thick head on an isla requinto (it’s insane really, probably close to 4 mm or something) and the drum sounds pretty decent. I haven’t heard the same drum with a thin head so I don’t have a comparison.

I play mainly bongos these days and with bongos it is pretty clear that in order to get the right sound you want a thin skin on the macho to get the high pop and a thicker skin on the hembra to get the deeper fuller sound. The tuning also has a lot to do with it.

But I also have a requinto, 9", that came with and still has a super thick skin. And, I also have never heard that requinto with a different skin. That skin is thicker than the one I have on my tumba. And, they sound great together.

So, the right answer is ?????????????????

I have production congas and am wondering the same. Standard heads and looking for a summer project to change them out. Yet I think this issue of skin thickness may be dependent upon many factors such as shell construction, wood, and hardware. Some threads on this forum have said that too thick a skin will not resonate with the shell and will mute various tones and bases. One thread said that Mongo used thinner skins than expected.

My bougarabous with a softer wood have a medium thick skin and in the winter time the skins dry out and do not resonate well. In the summer time they sing because there is more humidity and the skins vibrate much better. So I humidify the house with varying results mostly good. Shell are not as responsive as other harder wood shells so when I do rehead it will be with a slightly thinner skin.

I would read all the threads that mention anything about heads and contact the various skin suppliers and ask for their opinion based upon the congas you are playing. Good luck and please share your results.

….marcus