Mule skin is the bomb!!!

[blango]

The way i see it,

each drum has its own skin needed to make the sound the player desires.

I use mule sparingly. I prefer Bull or Cow.

Last year, i purchased a set of Mambizas, cool tubs. They came with mule. The first thing i did is rip them off and skin them with Bull. what a bid difference!

For me, mule is great as a skin for a quinto in a rumba setting. Mule is good for cutting a ring in the sound of a drum.

There is one problem with mule. Since Mule is not produced in the states, the quality control is shotty, at best. They often have cutts from the processing, some may be deep and may cause the skin to split over time.

One, here in the states, cant sort through many mule skins to select a good skin, whatever comes in the mail is what they use, or so im told.

I prefer to hand select skins for even thickness and quality. If i could get my hands on 100 Mule hydes to sort through, i might like them better

Tony

[Isaac]

Hi Charlie,
I sent you a very dark mule skin medium thick for you macho bongo...
but they can come in many shades & colors. Don't forget a Mule is
a neutered half-breed between a horse & a donkey, so there'
a lot of variety. I seem to get about 4 different types of mule.
The darker are oilier and very tough but a brighter sound. I don't always recommend that
shade of skin for congas unless it's the right thickness.
Mule can be identified mostly by it's density and tight pores. If you look closely
you'll see tiny dots where the bristly hair was. Less porous
means it won't absorb as much moisture and will retain it's tuning longer
than cow. It's very strong so one must be patient as it takes 3 months
to break in. If not broken in, it may hurt your hands at first if your technique
is not up to snuff. I don't generally recommend it for beginners.
The Mules are not killed for skins, but are used when they
are retired from duty in the mountain plantations. ( Think Juan Valdez
and his Mule hauling coffee beans - I know someone mentioned drugs, but the
whole world is still drinking a lot more colombian coffee, last time I checked )
The skins are pricy because of the lengthy efforts we go through in obtaining them. ..
but because they last so much longer, in the end you'll have outlasted
2 or 3 other skins. They also have a unique quality.

I compare skins in the same way one compares cigars.
The beginner doesn't recognize the quality difference until they
experienced a few flavors.
In the end it still comes down to what sound you
desire in your mind, or are used to - the right thickness for the drum
you have, the thickness of the wood, the bearing edge roundness,
and ultimately your personal touch & technique. I did not like
my conga mule skin at first, but once it broke in it felt very
good on the hands and the slaps and clean open tones were
effortless. I do about 25- 30 gigs per year and the skin kept improving
over time. The skin really expanded the variety of sounds I could achieve,
and with less effort, especially the slaps became more powerful,
and subtle muffs became more musical as well.

I currently have a lot of flat 22"s and a some 18" available if
anyone is still curious about mule. Temporarily out of bongo
sized skins. I like to get a feel for what
you want so I can make a good selection for you.

~ ISAAC ~
Percussionist / Sales JCR Percussion Co.
funkytradition@yahoo.com
(732) 236-8148

[109-1176549166]

Hi Isaac,

Can't wait to get my mule skins to replace the horse skin of my Gon Bops CA bongo "macho"!

Oh no! Are the bongo skins being temporarily out going to affect me? I'm kinda anxious 'cause I've been bongo-less for weeks now, probably more than a month already!



Edited By mjtuazon on 1187732327

[109-1176549166]

Isaac,

Please completely ignore my previous post. I've just read your post in the bongo sub-forum advising me that my mule skin is on the way. Thanks a lot for the update!

I should have read that post of yours first and I shouldn't have posted my reaction on this thread. But, this conga-sub forum is located on top of the bongo-forum on our directory page. Besides, I couldn't help reacting on this thread.

I sincerely apologize!

[Isaac]

MULE RELATED STORY: the NEW JUAN VALDEZ

com/mwt/food/eat_drink/2007/10/16/juan_valdez/?source=whitelist


Mules are still used as the #1 working animal for this vast
coffee growing region that supplies our coffee - Colombian Andes.
Something to think
about as you sip your starbucks.

~ ISAAC

[GuruPimpi]

Isaac!

Please reply to my post and instruct me how to get skins from you...
Thank you!

Primoz