by KidCuba » Thu Aug 11, 2011 5:28 am
Well, there will be no pictures of my prototype "franken-cata"...
I really played around with the first one. I drilled four circular sound holes in it. But since I had no Foster bit, the holes were shabby at best.
Then I took it down to the local rumba, and one of the veteran rumberos swore up and down that the membranes at the ends needed to be hollowed out. There was no discouraging this cat and before I knew it, he takes his tuning wrench and breaks the membranes. It did not sound any worse, but it was starting to look real shabby.
Then I noticed it started devloping some cracks going along the grain. I am not sure if it was because I stored it in the car most the time and it has been in the 90s here in Los Angeles (I played clave on it while I drive), or it is was just poor quality bamboo?
Anyways by the time I made it to the next rumba, it was cracking, and the sticks I was using did not help - Alex Acuna Timbales sticks. In about an hour, there were new cracks and splits everywhere. A rumbero friend of mine took it home and was going to gorilla glue it.
So no picture, but boy, did I learn a bunch.
Since then, I have purchased a miter box, wood saw, and a 1" foster bit;I have also moved all the bamboo into my garage. I also need to find a better stick than timable sticks.
You live and learn, but more than anything - my tendency to be inpatient lurked up again.