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Hello I've been playing Congas and various other instruments for about 40 yrs. I own Echtone , LP wood and fiberglass, Vintage Gonbops oak, mahagony, and fiberglass wraped, and El Chino congas and have played almost every type of conga out there. Natural hides usually have a limited life span due to the oils drying out. I have found that certain oils work better than others when applied to recondition skins. I used my moms olive oil years ago in Brooklyn and have experimented with vitamin E oil and corn oil and many other types. Go into a Latino area and look for a Botanica or a religious supply store, most carry in small jars Manteca De Corojo Palm Oil. Its a certain type of Palm oil in a paste form . Remove the head wipe of as much dirt if needed and apply the paste working it in as best you can let it set for a day before remounting. This will add some life but as with most things prevention is the best cure. After playing loosen the heads and every once in while apply la manteca. You may also want to invest in better quailty skins, Mule seems to last me the most but I love the sound of steer. On my stage congas I've been using synthetic Evan and Remo heads they tolerate climatic changes better. Nothing sucks more than getting to a gig you sent your drums ahead to and find that some how they got wet or someone decided to use them as a table for drinks etc. . I hope this info helps anyone in need of it if anyone has more questions you can reach me via myspace DOCARROYO. Good luck Rumberos

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13y ago

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