Well, the photo probably says more than words ever could. But even then, you don't get a sense of all the swearing I was doing as I tried to get this water buffalo hide onto my 9" LP bongo.

Skins intended for bongos never gave me the really round, muted bass pop that I hear in older recordings.One day when I pulled this spent head off of one of my congas, I decided to see how it would sound on a bongo. I soaked it overnight to make sure it would be as supple as possible. Wrestling it onto the bongo turned out to be a complete nightmare. Without the clamps you see here, it would have been impossible. I cannot give you any step-by-step instructions because it was just a matter of balance–that's it. I had to keep the head ring level while pulling it down far enough to be able to catch the lugs onto the threads. With the head being so thick, the tolerance between the rim and the ring barely allowed for the fit. Once I finally got the head seated I was able to pop off the clamps and crank the lugs just enough to snug them and to level the head. The sound turned out to be worth the struggle. I'll get an audio clip to put here on this page, but until then, I promise you that the sound is beautiful!