Help With Drumskulls

[Carl]

I was just reviewing the board opinion of Drumskulls and it seems like just about everyone has great things to say about them.

Here's my problem, I've had some trouble with them. I really want to like them, but I get very inconsistent results. One order / phone call will go great, lots of info lots of help. Then the next call/order has this resistance to help or detail?

So my questions are, who should I talk with? Who do you deal with? and what is your experience with "bad" calls or orders? why does this happen?

I have an order that they messed up, and I want to get it cleared up and hopefully increase my trust with them as a company, right now they are at about 50%.

Thanks,
Carl

[Dugafola]

I was just reviewing the board opinion of Drumskulls and it seems like just about everyone has great things to say about them.

Here's my problem, I've had some trouble with them. I really want to like them, but I get very inconsistent results. One order / phone call will go great, lots of info lots of help. Then the next call/order has this resistance to help or detail?

So my questions are, who should I talk with? Who do you deal with? and what is your experience with "bad" calls or orders? why does this happen?

I have an order that they messed up, and I want to get it cleared up and hopefully increase my trust with them as a company, right now they are at about 50%.

Thanks,
Carl

c,
sometimes all the phone guys are out and all you have are the guys that head/repair drums or the younger groms they have in their sweeping the floor. they won't know prices and inventory etc. off the top of their heads like the other guys and will definitely not know about your order.

most likely when you call, Scott will answer the phone. ask for Ryan first, if he's not around or busy, Scott should be able to take care of you.

[michi]

I've been dealing mostly with Ryan, and he's been great.

Cheers,

Michi.

[e2c]

I've never had problems with them, but I have worked in retail (small music shops included), and yeah... answers can vary, depending on who's there to handle phone calls.

Ideally, it "shouldn't" be that way, but I think there's always going to be a bit of a gap between the regulars on the floor and those who are either new or doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work. It's something I try to keep in mind when I'm dealing with retailers, especially specialty shops like DSD.

And some folks have better telephone manners/skills than others, in general. (no matter where you go or what kind of store you're calling.)

[jeffduyndam]

Talk to Ryan. Just keep trying until you can reach Ryan.

Over the last 10 years I have bought 9 djembes, (all separate orders) skins, rope, dundun sticks, shea butter, and dvds, all through the mail. Ryan has made sure I was happy with every order.

[Carl]

I did get a chance to work with Ryan. He did right by me.

Part of the problem was that I gave some info to the wrong person (the person least experienced with taking orders) and I spoke with someone who was not completely trained on the situation... So a bit a blame for everyone, and a learning experience for all.

I will definitely use them again, with a heads up to make sure that my order is correct before hanging up...

thanks for your help

C

PS I am very happy with the skins I received. I ordered a couple of the "thick" guinea skins... intending to put on my lead drums. They look like they will sound great!

[Dugafola]

cool man.

glad everything worked out in the end.

[nkolisnyk]

Is it worth it to pony up the extra cash for the thicker skin? I was debating trying one myself...

Also I notice they have discount 'thin' skins. Has anybody tried these? I'm thinking they may be better for those who want a lower sounding drum for drum circles. I usually buy the med/thinck ones, but they may be too thick for all but the ones who like their drums snappy...

[Dugafola]

Is it worth it to pony up the extra cash for the thicker skin? I was debating trying one myself...

Also I notice they have discount 'thin' skins. Has anybody tried these? I'm thinking they may be better for those who want a lower sounding drum for drum circles. I usually buy the med/thinck ones, but they may be too thick for all but the ones who like their drums snappy...

i'd say if you like med/thick drums to stick with those. i'd stay away from their thin skins unless you really like the thin sound.

a thick guinea skin will be comparable to a med/thick Mali or Senegal skin.

[Carl]

I've always sought out thicker skins. This is the first time I've paid extra for them... I'll let you know what I think once they're on drums!

Once thing I've noticed about the Guinea skins is that the spines are thinner than the Ivory Coast skins that I have been getting. And by thinner, I mean in relation to the rest of the skin. I am interested to hear what this thick skin sounds like. It's thickness is pretty even throughout (not a big difference at the spine)

I would agree with Duga, the thickness of your skin has a large affect on your sound. So let your personal preference lead you. I have heard of people wanting the thinner skins for verious reasons, but I preffer the thicker sound.

But then again I might just be "thick skinned" about the whole issue...


C

[bubudi]

carl, your joke is wearing a bit thin

glad to hear you got things sorted out with the skulls.

if you like to play djembe softly, use a lot of fingertapping techniques and have lots of overtones, then stick with a thinner skin. fingertaps sound nice on any thickness of skin, but the thinner skin is more responsive to this particular kind of playing. a thicker skin will tend to give you a warmer sound with deeper tones, but thick skins are unforgiving when it comes to technique. play with poor technique on a thick skin and you will sound flat and dull. you can get away with slightly off technique on a thinner skin.

[michi]

play with poor technique on a thick skin and you will sound flat and dull. you can get away with slightly off technique on a thinner skin.

I'm not sure I'd agree entirely. Agreed, bad technique on a thick skin will dull the slaps. But then, I find that thin skins are unforgiving the other way around: it's more difficult to play a fat tone with a thin skin and poor technique tends to make everything sound like a slap.

So, I'd say both thick and thin require good technique. For thick skin, the focus is on playing crisp slaps, for thin skins, it's on playing fat tones.

Cheers,

Michi.

[bubudi]

very true on the tones produced on a thin skin lacking the depth of those produced on thicker skins. my preference for fat tones is one of the reasons i choose thicker skins.

[drumskulls]

Hi everyone. Ryan from DrumSkulls here. I wanted to drop a quick comment on this topic even though it is now in the past. I appreciate everything that everyone has said on the matter....

As many of you know, DrumSkulls as a business has set a high standard for quality and customer service. We consider both of these things to be our main priorities in everything we do and over the years we have set the bar very high. As we have progressed we have never lost site of these goals and we constantly keep ourselves in check. Though we do everything we can to avoid issues, it is inevitable that on occasion things will happen. I want to assure everyone that during those unfortunate times when things go awry, DrumSkulls goes above and beyond to do our customers right.

Like every other small business out there, we have the constant issues of finding the right people to be apart of our team. I am however happy to say that we have an incredible crew all of who have their hearts into seeing this music flourish. On occasions, things will happen however the bigger picture is that we're all over here busting our butt to provide hands down the best quality instruments in this business and to see to it that we are servicing our community of drummers and dancers with the utmost respect and honesty.

Thanks for all the support over the years!

One last note...since the issue, Carl and I were able to work everything out and in the end he is very happy with what we came up with. Thank for your understanding Carl.

[Carl]

No problem Ryan.

I've re-headed a couple of drums with the new skins and they look great. I can't wait to hear them once they are "played in".

I just put the thick skin on my Mali drum last night. A bit of a fight with tighter rings and only the second time using the 3 ring system. I'm very excited with the result and hope to post pics once it is finished.

Carl