VINTAGE GON BOPS 7''/8" with dull hembra....?

[JOHNNY6]

Hi gentlemen,I own a vintage GB 7"X8",it currently has very old skins on it that are due for replacement...the macho sounds good already but the hembra has no boom bass sound to it( very dull,lifeless),this bongo has great potential (based on macho sound),if I could only resolve the hembra issue,which I was wondering if it might be due to smaller than usual size to it(8")....maybe I need to use thinner skin on hembra for that reason??? Anyway I was wondering if any of you had similar issue w/8" hembra,and any suggestion on what type of skins and thickness to go with,in this particular case.Thank you for sharing your expertise on the matter !!!!!Best Regards.Johnny6 .(by the way anybody know if L/H skins have uniform/even thickness troughout?)

[jorge]

The bongo hembra should not have "booming bass". How it sounds depends on what kind of music you play and is largely a matter of personal preference, but for salsa or band music most people like a dry tone tuned a bit above the conga tone. How does it sound when played with the conga? Can you play melodic patterns off the tumbao or is the bongo hembra too soft or much too different sounding to be heard as another tone similar to the conga tone? It is helpful to record a few songs from a distance to hear the balance between the conga and the bongo, sometimes what you hear while playing is very different from what the audience hears. If you just play along with guitar, tres or other instruments with no conga, you may prefer a different type of sound.

[JOHNNY6]

Thanks Jorge,you are right booming was wrong terminology on my part...I like to play bongo with all music including classical....and sometimes play with friends that do play congas,and I use another bongo for that,but this one has a dead tone,way too dry(does not sound good at all),I still want it somewhat dry but with somewhat of a little ring to it...any suggestions???Thanks.J

[pcastag]

Bongos originally used goat skin, you may want to try that or maybe some calf skin on there, it will keep the drum dry but add a nice ring to it. Are those gon bops the mahogany ones? If so they're going to be a bit drier than a walnut or oak drum anyways. I've bought LH skins for my bongos before, they are very nice however he's on vacation until spetember.

[JOHNNY6]

Thanks PC,these are oak,I like your idea , but do you know what approx thickness you would put on hembra for calf skin?txs again.J6.(i don't have much experience w/ natural skins)

[Psych1]

I've got one of those old mahogany IB-3000 7/8 also. Opposite end of the spectrum from the HR bongos! Nice and lightweight, very easy to hold and play. The old GB is kind of frail - needs thin skin on both shells. I have a thin goat on macho and kip on hembra. Always tune and detune this one to prevent cracks.

[jorge]

My personal preference for sound on a bongo hembra is an old used played out conga skin, maybe a little on the thin side for a conga, but played until it is dead sounding on the conga. They usually work fine even if ripped at the bearing edge or flesh hoop, since the bongo diameter is much smaller. Some bongo rims have too little clearance for this, but most work ok. If your wood shell is not pretty sturdy, I would not try this because even a thin conga skin is thick for a bongo. I don't know anything about HR or old GB bongos, your call on the strength.

[JOHNNY6]

Jo,old conga skins would definitely be too thick for this particilar set,which as P1 stated are on the delicate side,but that is certainly good to know for other cases.P1 ,I just check mine and they show"IB3001", it sounds like '0" was fro mahogany and "1" for oak.What are the odds that you were the 1 answering my questions on my other post,but that you also are able to answer my questions on this post,since you basically own the same vintage GB model as i do...I agree with you they are on the delicate side,but they are so comfortable to play.That's the reason for which iwant to upgrade these skins so bad...But I also need a workhorse bongo set,and it sounds like that is when the HR come in.How do u like your GBs w/goat/kip combo,are you happy w/their sound??

[Psych1]

Jorge is right! What we hear playing is not what others hear listening. The goat/kip combo on the Gon Bops is perfect for that bongo. But, I much prefer listening to the bigger deeper sound that comes from the bigger heavier bongo. But, in cars the Saab is my favorite!!! Go figure!!