Black Friday Sale! 10% discount on PreMounted heads and flat skins. Enter promo code BLACK10 at checkout November 23 – November 30, 2023.

Making drums is a dirty job, but ‘Manito’ has to do it!

BEFORE AND AFTER. We received these LP Matador 7-1/4″ x 8-5/8″ bongos from a customer requesting the skins be upgraded to steer. The stock skins were very tired, thin and rough. I mounted smooth and lively 1mm on the macho and 1.5mm on the hembra. Now onto Mexico.

‘Manito’ is dedicated to his craft and safety.

Just added to our specials! This PreMounted™ Middle Eastern Steer Matched Set For LP 11″, 11.75″ and 12.5″ Congas With Comfort Curve 1 Crowns is artfully crafted with close attention to detail. This ensures the tone, color, finish and feel are as balanced as possible.

Skin Type: Middle Eastern Steer

Skin Color: Chocolate

Crown Type: Comfort Curve 1 (Soft Strike)

11” Quinto Skin Thickness: 1.8mm

11.75″ Conga Skin Thickness: 2mm

12.5″ Tumba Skin Thickness: 2.2mm

Sound: warm and classic with crisp slaps, round open tones, rich bass and controlled overtones- ideal for live and studio applications

Feel: medium action, somewhat supple/forgiving playing surface

Need a matched set of natural skin conga heads? We can help! This is one of many matched sets of PreMounted™ heads going to Kelly Clarkson’s percussionist Todd Collins. He requested chocolate skins with a slightly dryer, more woody sound. I mounted Middle Eastern Steer- 2mm for the 11″ quinto, 2.2mm for the 11.75″ conga, 2.4mm for the 12.5″ tumba.

I always enjoy working on different drums. A customer sent these LP Rumba bongos to us for a skins upgrade. I chose amber steer– 1mm for the 6.75″ macho, 1.5mm steer for the 8″ hembra. This is the first time I’ve seen this model. Maybe it was a limited run, as there’s very little if any info on these drums. On the construction side, they remind me of the Performer series, but with traditional crowns.

‘Manito’ has been busy fabricating crowns to pair with solid shell bongo shells. He uses 304 stainless steel to create bespoke hardware for all sorts of drums. 304 is very strong, lustrous and will never rust.

Looking for a great deal on conga skins? We can help. I colored and mounted Scratch and Dent Middle Eastern Steer Skins on these LP fiberglass congas for a friend/customer in Atlanta. They have minor blemishes like scratches or slightly rough surface, but are perfectly functional. They sound warm and classic with crisp slaps, round open tones, rich bass and controlled overtones. Thicknesses are consistent.

Truly Hand Crafted is a series and inside look at how we make our solid shell drums, custom hardware and PreMounted™ heads. In this episode, the focus is on how ‘Manito’ makes a solid shell conga. The video will premiere on YouTube October 13, 2023 at 4:00 PM EST.