MULE SKINS FOR BONGOS - LOOKING FOR MULE SKINS

[SIR WIFID III]

Hello everyone. this is my first post. Can anyone tell me where I can aquire mule skins? I plan to replace the skin on the macho head of my bongos . If anyone can help I would appreciate it very much.

[Ivan]

email my dear friend Isaac in New Jersey. funkytradition@yahoo.com

He just got a shipment in from Columbia. Tell him Ivan sent ya.

Paz

[franc]

sir wifid, isn,t better to put the mule skin on the hembra
, rather that on the macho??? just my opinion!!! my best to you and good drumming!!! your, friend franc:cool:

[Isaac]

Mule Heads on Bongos & Congas.

Congratulations to those of you who've stepped up
to mule skins. Not to disparage cow hides - I still use
a combination of both on my congas.

There's a lot of confusion and preconceptions about
mule skin. Firstly, there's a wide variety of mule skins,
just like there are a variety of cow skins. The skins
we get at JCR, are for congas in several thickness
choices. The same goes for bongos. They are very fine quality.

For the macho heads
we recommend a thin/medium. Some of them are
brownish and slightly translucent - indicating a oilier head,
some are a more opaque and will have a slightly drier tone.
Some are translucent but go "whiter" over time. All sound
great and are played by some top players with ie.
Gilberto Santarosa, El Gran Combo, Son Boricua, Johnny Pacheco, and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, among others.

For the Hembra you would choose more of a thicker weight - almost as if choosing for a conga. Too thin, and you get that
annoying ringing sound, too thick and your lows are dull
and muddy.

Mule is stronger than cow
or water buffalo, so for example when doing a slap, the head
(imagine a super slow motion playback) won't "sink" in so
much but will remain taut. This gives a crisper cleaner
sound, as if playing on wood. Does this mean that
mule is "hard" on your hands? I think not. The feel of the
hide is soft and smooth on the hands. At the same time this
skin is less porous to moisture absorption, so less prone to going out of tune quickly. They also can last many years longer
so the small premium you may perceive is in the long run a
saving over the 2 or 3 other heads you may go through in the
same time frame. The bottom line, these skins from Venezuela and Colombia all feel very good on your hands, and will vastly improve mediocre congas or bongos. For the player with both a good instrument and some technique training from a teacher near
you, they will take your playing to a whole new level. I want to emphasize the importance of good clean technique in producing the sounds first. A good sounding instrument may be just the reward you've earned after putting in the time to study.

~ ISAAC ~
funkytradition@yahoo.com

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... ULES_1.jpg

[SIR WIFID III]

email my dear friend Isaac in New Jersey. funkytradition@yahoo.com

He just got a shipment in from Columbia. Tell him Ivan sent ya.

Paz

Hi Ivan(same name as my brother). I emailed him but he does not reply. I will keep trying during the week. Thanks very much for the reply.

[SIR WIFID III]

sir wifid, isn,t better to put the mule skin on the hembra
, rather that on the macho??? just my opinion!!! my best to you and good drumming!!! your, friend franc:cool:

Hello Franc. Interesting that you suggest this. Can you tell me why you would put the mule on the hembra? I am not too much of an expert on this but a friend of mine put a cowhide meant for a quinto on his hembra and a mule skin on his macho and those bongos seemed to have the perfect combination. I would appreciate any input on your point of view.
Will( SIR WIFID III )

[SIR WIFID III]

Mule Heads on Bongos & Congas.

Congratulations to those of you who've stepped up
to mule skins. Not to disparage cow hides - I still use
a combination of both on my congas.

There's a lot of confusion and preconceptions about
mule skin. Firstly, there's a wide variety of mule skins,
just like there are a variety of cow skins. The skins
we get at JCR, are for congas in several thickness
choices. The same goes for bongos. They are very fine quality.

For the macho heads
we recommend a thin/medium. Some of them are
brownish and slightly translucent - indicating a oilier head,
some are a more opaque and will have a slightly drier tone.
Some are translucent but go "whiter" over time. All sound
great and are played by some top players with ie.
Gilberto Santarosa, El Gran Combo, Son Boricua, Johnny Pacheco, and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, among others.

For the Hembra you would choose more of a thicker weight - almost as if choosing for a conga. Too thin, and you get that
annoying ringing sound, too thick and your lows are dull
and muddy.

Mule is stronger than cow
or water buffalo, so for example when doing a slap, the head
(imagine a super slow motion playback) won't "sink" in so
much but will remain taut. This gives a crisper cleaner
sound, as if playing on wood. Does this mean that
mule is "hard" on your hands? I think not. The feel of the
hide is soft and smooth on the hands. At the same time this
skin is less porous to moisture absorption, so less prone to going out of tune quickly. They also can last many years longer
so the small premium you may perceive is in the long run a
saving over the 2 or 3 other heads you may go through in the
same time frame. The bottom line, these skins from Venezuela and Colombia all feel very good on your hands, and will vastly improve mediocre congas or bongos. For the player with both a good instrument and some technique training from a teacher near
you, they will take your playing to a whole new level. I want to emphasize the importance of good clean technique in producing the sounds first. A good sounding instrument may be just the reward you've earned after putting in the time to study.

~ ISAAC ~
funkytradition@yahoo.com

Hi Isaac. I tried emailing you several times but no reply from you yet. Can you email me so that we can arrange for me to buy a skin or two from you? I would appreciate it.
email # 1. willie267@hotmail.com
email # 2. sirwifid@yahoo.com

Thanks very much.
Will.
p.s......Ivan sent me.

[franc]

sir wifid, i said , mule skin on bongo hembra because it has been suggested many times in this forum by great drummers like ''johnny conga, raymond, and other greats. please ,follows isaacs' suggestions. he can not be more right on his knowledge!!!! my best and áche to you and all great member of this forum!!!! your, friend, franc:)

[SIR WIFID III]

sir wifid, i said , mule skin on bongo hembra because it has been suggested many times in this forum by great drummers like ''johnny conga, raymond, and other greats. please ,follows isaacs' suggestions. he can not be more right on his knowledge!!!! my best and áche to you and all great member of this forum!!!! your, friend, franc:)

OK Franc. I expect a call from Isaac at funkytraditions tomorrow evening and I will go over this with him. thanks for replying, I value any imput that can steer me in the right direction. So far the Congaboard has been really great. I wish I had found it sooner.
Willie Perez (SIR WIFID III)

[Isaac]

Thanks Will, I enjoyed talking to you on the phone.
I'll be selecting the right skins for you now that I know
what you like. ~ ISAAC:cool:

[SIR WIFID III]

OK Isaac. Sorry I did not reply sooner. Thanks very much, looking forward to my first ever mule skins. p.s...I just put a nice cowhide on a gon bop tumba of mine and it is really sounding nice. Still can't wait to try out the mules on my bongos and conga.
Will.