Loosening bongo heads after use?

[Xplora]

How necessary is this for high end bongo drums? I've seen this a couple times and I'd like to know if I'm killing my LP triple bongos by leaving them tight all the time.

[Ray]

Depending on your tuning, you might be killing your natural heads. If you have a high tuning, it will. Specially if it is the macho or small drum.

What happens is that natural heads lose their "consistency" if you leave them tuned and their sound will eventually suffer. We call this in the "salsa genre", "deaf heads." At the beginning with new heads it will not suffer but eventually they will lose their sound if you constantly leave them tuned. (Remember, natural heads tend to have a break in period until they reach their peak sound but eventually that break in will not be necessary.... With natural heads, when I get new ones I tend to leave them tuned for a couple of days to start the break in. Of course, not too tight but just enough). Also, untuning your heads will give longer life to your heads. If you leave your heads tuned, and you have a high tuning, you might find one day when you open your case or bag and find the head broken.

That is the reason you see bongoseros and congueros untuning their drums after each gig.

Saludos!



A way to do that is to get "synthetic heads", however, be aware that my experience with Remo Fyberskins is that if you leave them tuned and they get exposed to the sun, the "glue" of the head and the head rim will give up on you and the head will break.

[Xplora]

Thanks Ray!

Sounds like I'll have to start detuning my heads after use... they are losing pitch after 24 hours, so I guess they just can't take the stress.... I am using drumsticks on them as an extra thing for my kit, and they are tuned REALLY high.

[Ray]

Xplora,

Get them synthetic heads. That way you do not have to detune them all the time.

You might be losing pitch on them because after hitting them for a while the bongos lose their tuning. (Also, natural heads get affected by weather/temperature conditions. You will not have that problem with synthetic heads).

Saludos!

[Xplora]

******, they removed IMG tags!

http://members.optushome.com.au/hardwick7/6-1.JPG bongoes on the right... are they synthetic heads? the male drums are quite browny, the female is a lighter colour, and a bit more furry.

[Ray]

They are natural heads. LP, apparently the ones that came with the bongos from the factory. The difference in color is something "regular" with LP. The white one is the kind they are using sometimes with some "break in". The lighter ones or almost see through, appear still not broken in. (They tend to turn "whiter" when they break in).

Saludos!

[Xplora]

Champion :)
thanks mate.