West African Goat Skin - Ultra Thick, Shaved

We are proud to offer a large selection of natural goat skins from the Africa Heartwood Project cultural artisan network in West Africa. Replacement goat skin djembe drum heads are available in four thicknesses (Thin, Standard, Thick, and Ultra Thick), with hair on or shaved. Each skin we ship is selected from our on-hand inventory of all-natural goat skins imported from Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Ghana, and Burkina Faso. Before shipping each skin is inspected for natural flaws or defects that could affect sound or longevity of the skin. Hair color and skin pigmentation vary, with the majority of top layer skin pigment being greyish-brown (shave deeper for whiter skin color).

Skin Warranty: Before shipping each skin is inspected for natural flaws that may affect longevity or sound, and we will accept returns of new skins if a natural blemish is found upon arrival. Because the shaving, soaking, mounting, drying, and tuning processes are subject to the skill of the drum builder, and to the natural strength of the skin, we cannot warranty skins once they have been soaked or shaved.

Available Skin Features:

Thin Thickness - The light weight African goat skins are suited for smaller djembes, or for creating the unique "thin skin" sound (good bass, weaker tones, and high, fast slaps). Thinner skins are typically from smaller goats, so the size of the hide can be expected to be smaller than thicker skins. And, because they are thinner these skins would not be suitable for maximum high tension or for djembes larger than 12". The thin goat skin can also be used for talking drums, frame drums, dumbek, darbuka, and other smaller hand drums. Typically from Ghana.

Standard Thickness - The standard thickness goat skin is suitable for most small and standard size djembes, and will provide the classic djembe sound with low bass, medium tones, and high, clear slaps. From Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso.

Thick - The thick goat skins are well suited to higher end djembes where the best sound and longest life are required. Professional djembe drums are usually tuned very tight, which requires that the goat skin drum head be strong enough to withstand the tension. The thick goat skins will produce stronger open tones and more tonal slaps. From Mali and Guinea.

Ultra Thick - Our ultra-thick goat skins comes from a full grown African male goat, with neck thickness similar to calf skin or belly skin of a cow, and is thicker than antelope. The sound quality produced is different from standard goat skins, bringing in more overtones and wetter slaps. This thickness is best suited for ngoma drums, smaller bugarabu, and for djembes that require that unique, thick-skin sound. Often these skins are large enough to head two 12 inch djembes. From Mali.

Shaved - These goat skins offer the convenience of simply wetting and installation, saving you the time and hassle of shaving the hair. There is usually a reside of hair bristle or stubble, so additional fine sanding or shaving may be required for a perfectly smooth finish. Washed, shaved, and dried flat.

Hair On - Our hair-on goat skins are washed and dried flat, with no hair removed or clipped. In order to use these skins on a djembe drum they will have to be shaved prior to installation.