WANTED! In an effort to craft PreMounted heads for members of our drumming community that own Gon Bops congas, we are interested in purchasing one of each size and style of modern metal Gon Bops Conga Top Rings. That will make 14 modern top rings- basically one of each top ring that Gon Bops offers. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Gon Bops “Contour” Top Ring for: 9.75″ Super Quinto, 10.75″ Quinto, 11.5″ Conga, 12.25″ Tumba, 13.25″ Super Tumba

Gon Bops “Traditional” Top Ring for: 10.75″ Quinto, 11.5″ Conga, 12.25″ Tumba, 13.25″ Super Tumba

Gon Bops “Tear Drop” Top Ring for: 9.75″ Super Quinto, 10.75″ Quinto, 11.5″ Conga, 12.25″ Tumba, 13.25″ Super Tumba

Made of 5/16″ 304 stainless steel, these custom formed tuning lugs are cold bent into a variety of shapes and lengths ranging from 4″ to 7-1/4″. We can match most conga or bongo lugs. Each one includes high strength cadmium coated washer and 1/2″ nut, as well as a black rubber thread cap.

I have such an affinity for natural skins with a great deal of character. Before mounting, I used carbon osmosis to color this steer skin and highlight the natural mottling/color variation. The process is absolutely non-toxic and sustainable.

‘Manito’ fabricates every Moderna Crown from 5/8″ 304 stainless steel half round bar, and TiG welded for added strength and comfort. Each crown is custom made to order to fit any sized drum, and includes a complimentary flesh hoop. Available in matte or high polish finishes.

Caught ‘Manito’ beginning the roughing process for a spalted maple solid shell bongo hembra.

We recently mounted new amber Middle Eastern Steer skins on this set of Manito Percussion solid shell congas for a friend/customer in Atlanta.

‘Manito’ recently fabricated a stainless steel Moderna Crown and custom stand, and I upgraded the skin to thin steer for a customer’s Barril de Bomba.

Need a flesh hoop? Our flesh hoops a.k.a. “skin hoops” are fabricated from either 3/16″ round, 1/4″ round or 3/16″ square 304 stainless steel, and TiG welded for added strength. They are available in outside diameters from 7″ to 17-7/8″ in 1/8″ increments, and will never rust.

Pliable or floppy? While we stayed very busy this summer, there was still time for experimentation and innovation. Occasionally, I would end up with a skin on a conga that had a recess/dip in the playing surface. Drying skins with drums on their sides with a fan blowing on the underside worked pretty well. The biggest success came from soaking the skin in cold water until just pliable- not saturated and floppy. My typical soak time for a 2mm skin is now down to 4-5 hours. In this state the skin retains more strength, as the collagen proteins are still tightly wound. Cold water allows the skin to retain most, if not all, of its tallow for a supple feel and warm tones. I discovered mounting a dryer, yet pliable skin with a collar/neck height of 1/2″ allowed for greater tension. At 72 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% humidity, I increased the collar height by 1/4″ (1/8″ every 24 hours).

These solid shell spalted maple bongos were made with wood sourced from Athens, GA. They feature our handmade stainless steel hardware and steer skins.

Wood: spalted maple

Height: 6-3/8″

Width: 7″ macho, 9″ hembra

Bridge: spalted maple with carbon inlay

Skins: 1mm amber steer on macho, 1.7mm amber steer on hembra

Hardware: 304 stainless steel, half round Moderna crown

Weight: 11.5 lbs