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Hi,as a conga newbie (but intermediate level bongo player),I was wondering if you need to tune/ detune conga heads,as you would the macho head of the bongo??? I would think not,due to the thickness of the skins...but I don't want to take any chances...I have no experience whatsoever w/conga....anything I should know about,tuning and maintenance.,would be greatly appreciated.I just bought a LP classic 11.75'' conga (top tuning) on ebay,store demo,for $ 280 w/shipping(dark brown colour) ...I think it is a decent deal based on quality and your feedbacks,unfortunately I was not able to get traditionnal rims,to match my many bongos...oh well,at least I should have decent sound,which is definetely a priority over looks...and I just realized cause it is top tuning,I probably won't be able to switch to trad.rims later!!? Thanks for all of your help so far and God bless!!!J6.

Two words: search function !
Thsi topic has been dicussed ad nauseam in the last 10 years...

Never detuned my heads for years...No problem whatsoever

In cold climates detuning can prevent damage from the contraction of the head. I remember a friend had a Bongo that the head popped off due to extreem cold transport in the winter.

If there aren't climatic concerns then the detuning is not as critical in most cases.

Johnny, welcome. Tons of threads here on this. All comes down to personal preference. I always tune up/tune down before/ after every gig/practice (whether skin or synthetic) because I believe putting any tub under continual strain for extended periods (weeks,months,etc) can't be good for the shells. Again....personal choice.

Johnny6, where are you located? In some climates such as NYC a real conga skin can go from too low to too high in a few days when the humidity changes. This can cause damage to the shell or the skin when the skin shrinks and tightens and the pitch goes way up on a very dry day. While extreme tuning and detuning is not generally useful or necessary, keeping the skin in tune does require some adjustment most days in some climates, so it is easiest to just routinely detune the drum one or two half-turns all around, and then retune it when you play. Many people choose not to detune and retune because they have never developed the skill to tune the drum quickly and correctly for the music they play, but not detuning won't save you in climates where the humidity changes a lot. That is what plastic skins are for, if you can live with all the downsides. Tuning your drum is an art and a skill worth learning.

Thanks you all for your feedbacks!!!I have a better idea of what to do.Jorge I live in Miami,Florida...so very humid most of the time( 8 months of the year,a little less for 4 months),but definitely less extreme humidity variations as NYC.So I suppose I probably could get away with not detuning...but will do it anyway,just to create good habits( as I already do with my bongos).Best Regards to all,and the drumming Gods be with you!!!!