Manito fabricates every 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.
We specialize in the craft of PreMounted heads for modern congas.
Premium PreMounted™ Conga Heads are natural skins that are mounted on 1/4″ round stainless steel flesh hoops. They are designed to fit drums with specific shell sizes and crown types right out of the box.
A wide variety of skin types, thicknesses and three color options make your PreMounted™ heads fully customizable to suit any application.
Production times vary based on thickness, color and order volume. The typical required drying time for a 2.2mm skin is one week.
White glove customer service available. info@manitopercussion.com
We service the following brands.
LP
Gon Bops
Meinl
Toca
Pearl
Tycoon
It’s an honor to work on special drums. We recently upgraded the flesh hoops and skins on this 80s set of JCR bongos for a customer. Manito fabricated the flesh hoops from 3/16″ 304 stainless steel. They are very strong, and will never rust. I mounted steer- 1mm thick on the 6-3/4″ macho, 1.6mm thick on the 8-1/4″ hembra. I also cleaned and lubricated all the tuning lugs.
Here’s a time lapse of how I mount skins on bongos. A customer dropped off this set of 80s JCR bongos for an upgrade to steer- 1mm steer on the macho, 1.6mm steer on the hembra.
Get a free “SOLID” t-shirt with every order over $100 for PreMounted™ heads or flat skins until February 17, 2025. Colors: Forest Green, Charcoal Grey, Texas Orange, Antique Sapphire, Antique Cherry and Military Green. Sizes: Medium, Large, XL, 2XL and 3XL. Let us know the color and size in the customer notes section at checkout.
Are LP Matador congas the “workhorses of the industry” or what?
We just received a shipment of beautiful Middle Eastern Steer skins. They are available as PreMounted heads and as flat skins from 14″ diameter to 24″ diameter in thicknesses ranging from 1mm to 3mm in natural, amber and chocolate colors. For more information, follow the link.
Ever wondered about the differences between synthetic heads and natural skin heads for hand drums?
Synthetic heads are made from petroleum by products. They are not affected by temperature or humidity, and will stay in tune. Synthetic heads are great for live applications where projection is needed. They produce a very bright and resonant sound with very crisp slaps and a great deal of overtones.
Natural skin heads are made from rawhide harvested from animals. They are susceptible to temperature and humidity, and require more attention in terms of tuning. Natural skin heads are great for live and studio applications. At the proper thickness relative to the shell size, they produce a warm and classic sound with crisp slaps, round open tones, rich bass and controlled overtones.
I recently replaced the skin on this Toca doumbek for a customer in Florida. I mounted .4mm thick calf skin for a bright and resonant sound. This is the same skin we use for timbales, drumset, frame drums, tambourines, pandeiros, djembes and other drum types.
We recently upgraded the flesh hoops and skins on this Valje Itotele for a customer in Nashville. I mounted chocolate steer- 1mm on the chacha, 1.6mm on the enu.
