Noob conga player with head question

[busyflyin]

I'm in a small band of 4 and I'm playing congas 50% of the time. I have no drum experience.. period! We have a loaner set of 10 and 11in Toca Player series. They have stock heads and they sound kinda dead. I have two choices.. step up an buy some good stuff or just replace the heads. I'm not sure I'm ready to drop the big $. Suggestions? Remo heads?

[Jerry Bembe]

Good choice!

I recommend Remo Fiberskyn, Nuskyn or Skyndeep heads. The majority of the tone is from the head anyway. New heads are the most cost effective choice compared with new drums. Remos are easy on the hands, project well and are easier to achieve the tones with compared with skins. Remos are more durable too and do not need frequent retuning that skin does.

For Remo heads and matching the right one for your drum see 32-33 in the link below:

http://www.remo.com/portal/pages/abo...+Catalogs.html

The toneof the head can be adjusted underneath with duct tape to reduce overtones and potential ringing. This is a tone/taste thing.

This is just my opinion anthere will be some that will agree and disagree.

Keep it fun,

Jerry Bembe

[frquent flyer]

I played a great Remo fiber skin Djembe about 16 in diameter. It had a terrific sound.

[bongobro]

I'm in a small band of 4 and I'm playing congas 50% of the time. I have no drum experience.. period! We have a loaner set of 10 and 11in Toca Player series. They have stock heads and they sound kinda dead. I have two choices.. step up an buy some good stuff or just replace the heads. I'm not sure I'm ready to drop the big $. Suggestions? Remo heads?

Welcome aboard, busyflyin! I'm not sure to tell ya where to start, dude--because your question can go in several different directions, each of which could cost ya big bucks if you're not careful. I'll answer them in order of appearance.

"I have no drum experience...period!" Are you playing with a set player or are you the only source of percussion? If you've got a set player in your band, you might check with him to see what tips, if any, he can give you.

"We have a loaner set of 10 and 11 in Toca Player series. They have stock heads and they sound kinda dead." If these congas belong to someone else, check with him before you even think of replacing anything. If they are loaner drums from a drum shop, don't be afraid to ask questions...but talk with the dealer before you do anything yourself!

Have they been tuned lately? You don't say if they have, but if you haven't tuned them for a while, they can detune themselves (particularly if you're playing them where temperature and humidity fluctuate wildly). Sometimes a good tuning is all it takes to make dead-sounding congas sound great again. If you need help, check the Net for help, or, better still, see if that owner can tune them for you or have someone who knows congas do it for you.

I have two choices.. step up an buy some good stuff or just replace the heads. I'm not sure I'm ready to drop the big $. Suggestions? Remo heads?

If you're serious about buying some "good stuff," test-play a variety of drums before you decide on anything. You'll be living with and playing those new congas for quite a while. I like Remo heads (in fact, I play a Pancho Sanchez Tumba with a FiberSkyn II head that sounds great and wears like iron) -- but other congueros on this site swear by just about any kind of animal skin available. Here again, shop around before dropping the bucks...

Good luck in your search, and rock those congas!