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Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:25 am**

2 weekends ago, the horse skin on the "macho" of my Gon Bops CA bongos split when I forgot to detune it and left it overnight inside my van which was parked on the driveway outside my home. I had come home from a very exhausting 10 hours of gigging (as a PA supplier and soundman for a live concert) followed the following day by 8 hours of rock & roll jamming.

I'd be very much interested in anyone's recommendation as to the best animal skin replacement. Should I get the original horse skin replacement from Gon Bops/DW or try mule skin this time? I've heard good reviews about mule skin, such as JCR's.

Any recommendation or suggestion would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Edited By mjtuazon on 1185956752

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:45 am**

Hi mjtuazon,
I have a set of GonBop CA bongos with the horsehide macho head and I've owned LP Generation III bongos equiped with a muleskin hide macho head from JCR.

IMO, the heads were very similar in sound, feel and texture, so I if I were to replace the macho on my GonBops, I'd go for the stock horsehide head for convenience and easy fitting.

mco

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:06 am**

Hi mco,

Thanks a lot for your recommendation! I'm leaning towards the stock horsehide macho head myself, but, off the top of my head, I don't know where to get them.

I emailed Gon Bops/DW's customer support 2 weeks ago and haven't heard back from them. I'll probably just call the Gon Bops dealer where I bought it from. Most likely, I'll get a better response from them.

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:26 am**

MANNY, GO FOR THE BONGO MULE SKINS FROM FUNKY TRADITIONS ON EBAY WHICH IS ISAAC OF JRC. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG BECAUSE YOU'LL GET IT FAST ENOUGH, AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO CHECK OUT THE MULE FOR YOURSELF. IT'S AFFORDABLE, AND IT'LL BUY YOU SOME TIME IF YOU STILL PREFER THE ORIGINAL GON BOPS HORSE HIDE.

GON BOPS CUSTOMER SERVICE, NEEDS TO BE TAKING EXAMPLES FROM ISLA-PERCUSSIONS.

BECAUSE GON BOPS RARELY ANSWERS ANY EMAILS, OR CALLS. THE HARD TRUTH IS, THEY DON'T CARE, AND DON'T WANT TO BE BOTHERED BY CUSTOMERS. WHICH IS A BIG NEGATIVE, AND ALSO, A BIG MONEY LOSER! HOW CAN ANYONE, TRUST AND FEEL CONFIDENT OF A COMPANY THAT DOES NOT CARE TO RESPOND TO IT'S CUSTOMERS? IT'S SO SAD, AND AWEFUL! GON BOPS SHOULD BE A PEOPLES COMPANY BY NOW! IT SHOULD HAVE LEARNED FROM IT'S PAST MISTAKES! ENOUGH SAID.

WITH RESPECT FOR ALL OF THE PERCUSSIONIST,

CHARLIE "EL COQUI" VERDEJO

Edited By yambu321 on 1185966699

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:34 am**

MANNY,
ANOTHER UNLIKELY ITEM THAT SOME OLD SCHOOL CUBAN FRIENDS OF MINE USE, IS MEDICAL X-RAY FILM! I MUST ADMIT IT LOOKS COOL BECAUSE IT'S BLACK, LOOKS LIKE STANDARD PLASTIC, EVERYONE WONDERS, AND IT SOUNDS GREAT! IT, OF COURSE, WILL REQUIRE LOTS OF SOFTENING IN WARM WATER AND WHEN IT'S FINALLY THERE, CAREFUL MOUNTING AND CUTTING AS WELL.

RESPECTFULLY,
CHARLIE. :;):

Edited By yambu321 on 1185964702

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 11:00 am**

Saludos, I also would go for the Mule skin instead. Brother Issac has the touch and eye to select the best skin available at JCR for your Bongó.

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:24 pm**

Yambu, I've heard a lot about the x-ray film, but have never been able to figure out how to get it. None of the hospitals or clinics I talk to will release any of it. How do get x-ray film without having to break a bone and get an x-ray?

Thanks!

Also, as far as the JCR skins go, is that the same as what I've seen referred to as kip?

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:55 pm**

Garvin, many peoples have old radiographs store at home,just ask around. There should be a procedure written by myself in this forum about how to mount an X-ray film,the sound is too bright for me and also the martillo is not at warm as with natural skin. No,kip is not Mule.

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:07 pm**

Thanks Caballoballo! I appreciate the info. I wondered about the brightness of the film. It seemd to me that it might sound like a doumbek or something. I guess it would be good for soloing or accompanying a large salsa band, but too thin maybe for a son group or something more intimate.

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 4:07 pm**

Manny as an alternative, you might want to talk to Mario
of Isla. He makes Bata's so he might have some good skin for the macho.
Just a thought.

T

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:46 pm**

I also saw some rather expensive heads for sale through Timba's website.

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:55 pm**

mco, yambu321 (Charlie), caballoballo, Garvin & Tonio,

Bros, thank you all for your inputs. I think I'm going with the JCR mule skin. I've bought all my JCR cowbells from Isaac, so I trust his selection.

Tonio, re: Isla skins, I've thought about it, too. But, since Mario has chosen (for now) not to manufacture bongos, I'm not sure if he has skins for bongos. Besides, Charlie would most likely have recommend it by now.

Garvin, I've also looked at Timba skins. But, you're right. They're expensive, as all Timba products are.

Charlie, you're right about DW/Gon Bops' customer service. It stinks! Too bad 'cause they have such decent, even great, products.

IMO, there's simply no justification for a lousy customer service. I also hate it and hold it with great suspicion when companies (such as DW, Gator, etc.) won't even make available on their website a phone number and a live person that you can direcly talk to to address customer issues. They restrict themselves to being contacted merely by email, so they can filter whom to respond to or not--at their own convenience and not the customers'.

IMO, no company should be big enough to snub the little guys, like me. And no company should ever make people feel that they value their profits more than their customers. That's idiotic, greedy, short-sighted business thinking. (No offense meant to my French brothers/sisters, but sorry for my occasional "French"!) :;):

Profits should be a company's compensation (i.e., merely secondary) as a result of great products and customer service. Without customers, there can be no sales; without sales, there can be no profits. It's as simple as that. No rocket science needed!

All the Fortune-500 computer companies (GE, Amdahl and Sun Microsystems) that I've worked for in the Bay Area Silicon Valley couldn't overemphasize enough the value of providing great customer service to back up their quality products. It was simply the corporate religion. And we were constantly reminded of it!

Moreover, in the Philippines, back in the 70s, I assisted my late Dad in running our 100-employee family corporation. I know and appreciate firsthand the value of providing great customer service!

OK, now off my soapbox! :;):

Edited By mjtuazon on 1186003056

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:19 pm**

Manny, Did you mail customerservice@gonbops.com?
Allthough I can't remember teh persons name, I got a quick reply when inquiring about the Alex model.

Just wondering because I was pondering about trying horse skin after Charlie's talk about it.

T

Edited By Tonio on 1186003651

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:01 pm**

Tonio,

Thanks again for your email.

Yes, I didn email them--2 weeks ago already--right after my horse skin split. I still haven't received a response.

Actually, I've already emailed their customer service previously, but regarding another product. I inquired about their Alex Acuna Signature Timbales (brass) when I was still in the market for timbales. And in fairness to DW/Gon Bops, they were pretty good about responding to me--the day after.

Perhaps, I'm just being too suspicious (or possibly even paranoid) that DW/Gon Bops seem to be only interested in "big" dollar purchases and not puny little purchases.

To digress, I feel exactly the same way with Gator's customer service. I emailed them several weeks ago regarding the premature tearing (at the top seam and exposing the foam padding) of their percussion/equipment bag which I bought. Still no response.

Edited By mjtuazon on 1186005840

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:10 pm**

OK, not to be nick picky, but did you ask to purchase a head replacement? Or did you ask for a replacement? Not sure if you know but, most company's do not have warranty on skins. I have'nt checked GB's full small print, however.

T

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Best replacement skin for "macho"