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I´d just like to share my latest vintage grab I am very pleased with,
namely a 12-15-year-old Raúl-Bongó with 6.5 and 8" heads, heavy, but
easy to hold due to the smaller than usual size. The hardware is bulky,
let alone the 5/8" nuts, very strong, perhaps I need to replace the macho
head one day.

The only thing I might improve is to insert a more stable plate inside the shell at the
center block connection, the small washer seems flimsy to me.
The beautiful cedar wood is in very good condition, no cracks at all, and I smell
the sweet, slightly stinging cedar scents right now
Most important, the sound is really popping, ultra-dry - highly enjoyable!
The instrument has its very own, special sound, feel and character,
quite different from my LP mahogany or HR guayacan bongos (which
I love).
It is simply fantastic for me to have a completely "new", unique sound.

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leedy2 wrote: I bet sound does not compare to new bongos.

Your quite right there, the bongó has a vintage sound, well I did my best to find my
poetic vein above to describe its beauty
Wish I had ever played Raúl congas which are also known for their
dry yet rich sound.

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The new Bauers seem to be different indeed.
I do not like the comfort curve at all

The only thing that is a bit troublesome about the Raúl bongó is
the thickness of the macho skin, it´s almost as thick as two credit cards.
It does sound good now, but it could be a bit hard on the hands in the
long run and also harmful for the shell (like HR bongó which often has too thick skin).

Cool bongos Mike. What is the bottom hoop made from? Cast aluminum or steel?

bongosnotbombs wrote:Cool bongos Mike. What is the bottom hoop made from? Cast aluminum or steel?

Cheers, Geordie!
The bottom hoop is steel, hence the weight.
You can see that the nut construction is also
fine and solid:


I would never want to give this
sturdy beauty away. As I said, a slightly
thinner skin on macho would do nicely IMO.

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Very nice bongo Mike. Sometimes smaller is better.

And, I definately agree with Leedy2 about the goat skin, especially for the macho. I'm surprised more here don't use it. Goat doesn't last as long but it's cheap, very available, and has that special sound.

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Well, I will think about goat skin, have never used it on bongó so far.
Prices might vary within the usual ranges, from 10 - 50 $...

MIKE,

YOU DID GREAT BROTHER!
THOSE ARE A GREAT FIND.
I KNOW I WOULD FEEL VERY PROUD TO OWN THOSE

GOD BLESS ALWAYS,

CHARLIE.

A late thanks, Charlie!

And here is a little skin update of my Raúl bongos:

Goat skin on macho, thick mule on hembra.
Here are some pics:

And a last one - the waiting is really terrible, but I will try to keep my itchy fingers still

Wow!! They look really really nice. I don't think you will be disappointed with that goat skin. It may stretch a bit for the next few days and you will be doing up and down tuning but I bet you will like the sound. Keep us posted

A little update:
The goat skin is awesome on macho, I would not have thought
that it comes out so well. I recorded the bongó for fun,
and the bongo sound really is like on old Mongo recordings and the like.
VERY crisp, this goat skin, and the mule on hembra gives a fine thud as well.

I made a backing plate for the center block bolts, as the wing nuts had already bitten
into the cedar wood. Of course a piece of rubber now protects the wood,
likewise on the other side.
This bongó, heavy as it is, has something to it...