congaplace.com

Hi. My name is Joe, I am 54 years old and I live in Albany NY. I play many different percussion instruments and hand drums,
but I've never seriously played conga before. For most of the last 35 years, I have played electric bass in various
bands, as well as accordion and banjo. Playing percussion has always been more of a side-interest for me, until now :
as I am now playing percussion in a band called Three Quarter North. This is my first time ever being the full-time percussionist for a band, and I am loving it !

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A couple of years ago, my sister gave me a used pair of Cosmic Percussion congas, as a birthday present. She got them cheap at a 'divorce sale'. The labels say "Cosmic Percussion, presented by Latin Percussion".

They've been sitting in my basement, until recently I decided to do something with them. They are 10" and 11" diameter. I removed them from the crappy dual stand to which they were attached, and purchased an individual stand for the larger one. I took that drum apart and cleaned it up, etc. .. now I want to install a new head.

The replacement heads they sell specifically for CP congas must be for a newer design .. they come 9" and 10", and the crown height appears to be only about 1/2". The crown height of my original heads is more like 1". I have already read the older Cosmic-related threads here ... so I know that CP drums have undergone many design changes over the years.

So is there a 11" head for another LP model that will fit on my CP drum ? Or a synthetic head from Remo that will work ?
Bottom line: what other attributes besides diameter and crown height, determine if a head will fit a certain drum ?

I suppose another option is to buy a skin and mount it myself using the fleshing ring from the old head. I have never done this,
but I see that there are many instructional vidies on the internet. This method would provide me with more options than buying a pre-mounted head. Is there any type of hide that is especially recommended for conga ?

Final question ! When I removed the original head, I noticed that the upper edge of the wooden shell, the section that
comes in direct contact with the head, is rough and un-sanded. My gut instinct is to sand it smooth. Might
that improve the sound, or would it not make any difference ? Or are congas supposed to be un-sanded at that point of contact ?

Lastly, I realize that these are not high quality drums, but they were free and I do not mind putting some time and effort
into fixing one up to have something to learn on. I have an excellent track record for mastering musical
instruments, after applying some focus and dedication to learn my way around them. If I enjoy it and get good,
in the future I would upgrade to better congas.

Any advice would be appreciated !

Welcome to the board Joe, there are lots of talented folks here. I'm sure you will get some solid support and advice!

If you decide to skin the drums yourself, check first to see if you can soak the existing heads and remove the 'flesh hoop' that is in them. This is a critical piece for replacing the heads and if you don't have one you will need to find a metal shop and get one made.

What is the height of your drums, are they a full 30"? If so, they may be an older model of CP percussion. These were OK drums and appropriate to get started on. If they are 28" I would argue that the drums are likely not worth investing much, if anything, into. I would look to find a matching pre-made head, would play the 11' for a while to work on technique but would aim to trade them on a more suitable drums asap. The 28" CP percussion drums really don't have the depth and projection for stage use (my opinion of course). The 10" is also a quinto size -- although many may argue that you can develop technique on a quinto you may find a larger Conga sized 11 3/4 inch to be a more natural fit for your hands when learning slaps and tones. If they are 30" I would look to find a 'proper' sized tumba to go with the conga, something around 12" in diameter with a matching 30" height. You could train, practice and even perform with these 2 drums while you work out your chops. Then, when you find your way to rumba you'll finally have a use for that quinto

I'll leave it at that, I'm sure others will have more to say.

Welcome Joe,

If you are serious about learning and playing Conga drums I suggest not to waste you time and effort on these CPs.
Try to sell them if you can but more importantly invest in a good model 11-3/4" conga and 12-1/2" tumba. No need to buy new btw. Plenty advice on the site to help you choose.
Regarding mastering this challenging but beautiful instrument I suggest you find a teacher to set you off on the right path, it will be most valuable irrespective how an accomplished musician you are with other instruments. This will give you a grounded foundation to work from and avoid bad habits that will stagnate your progress and take an awful long time to correct

Good Luck!

Derbeno wrote:If you are serious about learning and playing Conga drums I suggest not to waste you time and effort on these CPs.

Many years ago I had the opportunity to play some Cosmics. They looked very similar to LP Classics and the quality seemed not to be less than Matadors.



Look at the following pic in a seperate tab!


p.a.dogs1

well, you asked a question, got very good advice, then bad advice, then more good advice. That is what it is like here!

Welcome to the board Joe, check the archives and have fun!

Hey Joe, there is nothing wrong with those CP's you have, they play great. Question: why are you changing the heads? If the heads are not torn, and are not stretched so far as they cannot take tension, use the old heads. They will sound just fine if they can take regular tensioning, ( which is moderate, btw) Don't fix what ain't broke, is my advise