Hi, This is Isaac. I'm a percussionist, mainly congas but
also bongos, timbales, framedrums, doumbek, pandeiro, etc. I've
been playing since 1978.
I've always mounted my own cow heads
that I purchased myself. In the early 90's I started going to the JCR
percussion company in the bronx, to get them to mount new heads for
me and also custom repairs. They are a small family run business
that caters to the who's who of the the NY and Puerto Rico Salsa scene.
Cali Rivera, the owner and skilled craftsman was also a Timbalero
that has played with the late great Arsenio Rodriguez, ( the Architect
of Son Montuno) and also plays with Cuatro master - Yomo Toro.
He recommended to me the loose mule skins he imported from Venezuela and Colombia. I tried them but thought they were
a bit ugly (untreated with odd markings from the animal and the odd bit
of animal hair). Last year I left my full time day gig - a career in advertising design and art. ( I still do it freelance) and began importing
and selling percussion instruments. When asked where they come from
I say " Asia, Africa and the Bronx!" I became a rep. for the JCR
products - bells, bongos, timbales, which had built up a great word-of-mouth reputation since 1978 when they began. Cali's timbales and bells were formally inaugurated into the Metropolitan Musem's permanent collection last month (Dec. 21/04).
The reason for the prevalence Buffalo heads is really a business issue.
Not only are they cheaper to manufacture, but the labor costs
of preparing them is so much lower than in the USA, which is why
TVs, Cameras, PC etc are made in Asia. Drum manufacturing is likewise
a business that wants to be profitable and to survive and grow. For the
workers that make them, they don't know the difference in sound,
since the conga is not part of their culture's musical sound spectrum.
The wood on the Asian made drums (Toca, Pearl, LP, Meinl, etc)
is very good. For better hardware or heavier wood you pay more,
but essentially all these drums are "good enough" for most players.
To upgrade your instrument, there's a vital component easily removed
and switched - that's the skin. If your drums came with the cow or steer
from the USA ( ie. like LP used to offer when they were manufactured in New Jersey), the price would easily cost an additional $120 for a set of
two drums.
Just like a guitarist upgrades to better strings or pickups, it's
up to us individual conga players to make sure our instrument sounds
as best as possible. Good technique is first and foremost - without
it , excuse me for saying - you'll suck, no matter how good the
instrument. Vice versa, a good player will bring out the musicality
from the crappiest of surfaces. It's also a subjective matter for
the developed ear., and I don't want to sound snobbish about it.
I spent a bit of time in Cuba in 1988, and the quality of instruments was
dismal. Yet, everyone sounded great on them! I should add that the whereas the drums were flimsy, they played on great skins - cow
and mule.
My personal feeling is to play the hell out of whatever you've got,
until its time is up, then work your way up to somthing better.
By that time you'll have earned it.
~ ISAAC ~
Percussionist / Writer for World Percussion & Rhythm / Rep. for JCR
funkytradition@yahoo.comps. I'll be at the NAMM instrument show and let you know of any new
developments in the percussion world.
