Advice on synthetic skins

[michi]

A student of mine wants a drum re-headed with a synthetic skin. The drum is a small (11") Indonesian copy and will never sound great, no matter what you do.

He uses the drum only as a spare, to play when his main djembe needs to be re-headed, so he plays the spare only once a year or so. The problem is that, last time he pulled that drum out to play while I was re-heading his main one, he found that the skin on the spare had popped too. Hence, the request for a synthetic skin because they last a long time and don't pop while the drum is not used.

I admit to never having fitted a synthetic skin before, so I'm looking for advice on what brand to get and where to best source it from. I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Also, I assume that a synthetic skin will stretch very little so, presumably, I will have to set the rings pretty much at their final playing height when I fit it. Is that the right idea?

Thanks,

Michi.

[Rhythm House Drums]

I've done quite a few synthetic head djembes.

I use the Remo NuSkyn heads that come preformed in 13" (with the flesh ring already in it). I have to find a shell that fits the head. I've contacted Remo and Toca about being able to get sheets of their material so I can fit it to drums a little better, but they both say they don't sell it. I haven't looking into other materials. I have used the fiberskyn heads as they look better (at least more natural).. but they sound too plastic. They have 13" and 14" heads for djembe, I've never tried the 14". They have this skin for other drums, bongos and congas that is a thicker mil, but available in more sizes under 13". I've used the NuSkyn "tucked" and the "weatherking" same material but the tucked looks more natural.

http://remo.com/portal/products/3/12/116/263/specs.html

They don't stretch at all and I have never broken one. I've put some crazy amount of tension on one to see where it's breaking point is.. just never did break but did start sounding like a doumbek.. so maybe was thinning out?? not sure. They sound their best cranked up as solo drums, as the tones aren't so hot with the thinner material, and with the bearing edge a little flat on top it helps mute some of the overtones.

I don't think you can buy direct from remo if you want to go that route, but I bring in a few synthetics every so often and can get one to you...

On another note... I work with some banner material as well at a sign shop, it's no rip material with fiber inside. I'm not sure if it stretches or would hold up to drum tension, but I eyeball that stuff all the time wondering... I'm guessing it probably stretches though.

[sakuntuquaye]

Some Bongo players use x ray film for the small tightly "macho" drum. I've also heard of that material being used for gwo ka drums from guadaloupe. If all fails i would get a large drum set bass drum head , cut it off the flesh ring, lace it up and try that out. obviously it may have some folds in it (when looping around the flesh hoop) but it just might work..... I saw a dude in jamaica using a drum set tom tom head on a djembe shell...

[michi]

Thanks to both of you for the advice!

Kevin, when it says 12", what is that measurement actually? The diameter of the flesh ring center-to-center? Of flesh ring inside-to-inside, or flesh ring outside-to-outside? Or is that measurement where the pre-formed skin has the bend it in it where it goes horizontal?

I assume that you do not remove the skin from the ring it comes with, so you need a crown ring that pretty much exactly matches the flesh ring? If so, I don't like my chances… The crown ring on the drum at the moment is about 11.2" in diameter, center-to-center. (That's not a precise measurement because I haven't pulled the drum apart yet.)

The idea of buying a larger drum head and cutting the flesh ring off seems a little more promising. But it's not clear to me how I would form the skin around the flesh ring. I guess it will end up with some folds, inevitably…

Cheers,

Michi.

[sakuntuquaye]

Michi, Heres the web article about putting a synthetic skin on a gwo ka.

http://www.mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/v ... e&start=15

Also to minimize folds in the plastic i would due what conga players due when they rehead their drums. get some pliers and pull up in the excess skin once it fairly snug on the drum. this may help alittle, although i don't think there's a way to get rid of all the folds being that its plastic.

[michi]

Thanks for that! Makes sense. I've headed congas before, without instructions, and ended up using pliers pretty much automatically when I realized how hard it is to get the skin snug

Michi.

[sakuntuquaye]

Tom head on djembe

photo-7.jpeg (124.03 KiB) Viewed 73 times

Check this out....anybody ever tried this? Ill bet it sounds super "tinny".

[Paul]

Yes.. I've had a bit of experience of x-rays and drum kit heads, long time ago. Made a few cactus drums x-rays before, as far as I remember we slightly heated the rings to get the plastic to form around them a bit and then pulled like hell with pliers.

The drumkit head on djembes I have seen a lot in the Yucatan in Mexico where there is salty humidity in the air that murders your djembe (and skins were hard to find). Generally the guys put a bit of masking tape on the underside of the skin to take away the ringing.

All of these were done out of necessity and I wouldn't choose to do it.