Goat Skin Thickness

[teb]

I have used medium thickness goat skin in the past and thought that I would use something thicker this time so I ordered a thick goat skin. When the skin arrived it looked just like the medium thickness goat skins I have used in the past. When I questioned my provider he said they don't measure thickness and it's a subjective judgement. I was surprised by this. It might not make a lot of difference. It just seems odd they would make a distinction of thickness and it looks just the same.

[shortypalmer]

thickness is very subjective, i have sold skins to somebody before as thin and he asked why they were so thick. with me thicker get thinner as i start to get low. i try to sell what is ordered but from supplier to supplier you will find differences. there is not real standard in thickness. i will say i have started measuring all my hairless cow with a caliper and write it on the skin in mm and on invoices so i know what they used. i know that probably does not help you much. i know if get a call from customer who did not get what they want and can not used it i send another.

[teb]

Thanks Shorty for a reply. Your answer is what I was expecting to hear, and that's ok. I don't want to get carried away with the subtleties of djembe. We are so lucky to have your input to this forum. Having answers from you and Michi is so helpful.

[michi]

I agree with Shorty. I mean, where would "medium" start and stop?

Also, it really isn't easy to measure the thickness of a skin. For one, it needs to be shaved first, but many skins aren't shaved. (And I'm not about to go and soak each skin I get, shave it, and let it dry again just so I could measure thickness.)

Second, the thickness of a skin can vary considerably over its surface. I've come across goat skins where the shoulder end was considerably thinner than the tail end, whereas others are more uniform.

And, of course, the skin is thickest on the spine and thinnest on the sides. And, looking at different skins, the thickness increase along the spine is much more pronounced on some skins than on others. Where would I measure?

How well the skin was scraped on the inside also changes things.

Shorty, I admire your determination, using calipers on your cow skins. But is it really worth it? The calipers will reach only near the perimeter (unless you have very costly extra long ones with curved jaws), so the measurement would seem to be not all that useful?

Basically, I just eyeball my skins. If it's looks thin, it's thin. If it looks thick, it's thick. If it doesn't look like either of those, it's medium I'm afraid, that's about as unscientific as it gets, and I don't see any practical way to change that…

Cheers,

Michi.

[shortypalmer]

you bring up a good point and i agree it is not perfect but i have been screwing around with the perfect cow hide for a djembe for a long time and i am trying to determine what folks are liking. i actually check it all around and kind of a get an average. what i am trying to do is determine thin, medium and thick and a general idea of what folks are liking.

[Trog]

What thickness is the favourite so far?

[rachelnguyen]

I think this brings up the point of what a challenge it is to get skins by mail. I have done it several times and have had mixed results, even with very reputable dealers like Shorty and Nate. Part of the problem, of course, is that they don't know my drums, LOL. And there is no way to know how a skin is going to sound on a drum until you actually put it on. I think, in an ideal world, I would be able to pick all my skins myself... but that would mean having a supplier with a good stock here in RI.

Having said that, I will say that the best thing is to work with folks who will stand by their products. Shorty is willing to replace things very quickly if something isn't right. It means that you can take the chance with ordering sight unseen and know that you will be satisfied.

And just an aside to Shorty, I haven't mounted to the two thick cowskin rounds on my big dununba yet because of the holiday craziness, but they look great, LOL.

[Djembe-nerd]

Yes, all have different perceptions of thickness. I bought skins and custom djembe (with skin preference) from 5 suppliers in US and they were all different.

My solution, I ordered 10, 5 medium and 5 thick from one supplier, and now I have range to chose from to suit the drums I have