Ep. 3 The Truth About Calf Skin Drumheads
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- Опубліковано 26 бер 2018
- Many drummers casually refer to the nostalgic sound of calf skin drumheads as "dry, dark, warm, rich," and a myriad of other vague and subjective terms. Calf is often written off across the web by "experts" as extremely difficult to work with because of its temperamental nature. Not surprisingly, many of these people haven't spent much time actually playing on calf.
In this episode, we provide an overview of calf drumheads, demo one on a modern Ludwig COB snare drum, bust a few myths, and talk about why we like them and which situations we prefer to use them in.
👂🏼👉🏼🥁
0:30 Section 1: Overview
2:05 Section 2: Tuning & Demo
3:21 Section 3: Performance Attributes
6:03 Section 4: Myth Busting
7:47 Section 5: So Why Not?
8:59 Section 6: Why We Like Calf
Leave your questions, comments, suggestions, requests down below!
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What's your experience with calf drumheads? Have you played them? Have you heard them? Any horror stories?
I have owned a few calf heads... I like the sound, but they definitely are a little bit of a pain when the weather changes. They are awesome though, especially on 3 ply drums. Great video!
Very cool! They definitely require some maintenance but it gets to be second nature to detune them after playing and retune when it's time to make some music. Great thing to include as part of your warmup ritual when getting behind the kit. Cheers & thanks for watching!
No problem! I appreciate the high quality, professional feel of the channel. One thing you didn't mention which I think is very interesting has to do with another main source of humidity and head-stretch. If you have seen old drum sets from the 1920s and 30s, some have lightbulbs mounted inside the drums themselves. Contrary to what some may assume would be a purely aesthetic thing, they actually served to combat head stretch mid-set. As the night went on in these often small, cramped and jam-packed clubs, the drums could detune mid-performance due to the humidity and heat created from people dancing, sweating and breathing which dumped more moisture into the immediate atmosphere.
Also, without mylar drum heads, we wouldn't have standard drum sizes. Drum companies before mylar came along pretty much interpreted their drum sizes somewhere in the ball-park of inches, however, when Remo Belli and Chick Evans came out with their respective products around '54, it inadvertently forced all the drum companies to conform to fit those heads. Sorry for the long winded post, but drum history is so interesting when you get into it, and I actually did my Senior Presentation for my BS in Music on it. :)
Yes! Those drums are quite cool and there are still some to be found at vintage drum shops and on Craigslist/ebay. That's an excellent point with regards to the purpose of the lightbulb to maintain tension throughout the set.
It's always interesting to see where the influences came from with regards to product development. Many of the popular companies had already established their standards for sizes in the early 1900's but the development of Chick's first synthetic drumhead in 1956 definitely changed the game in a variety of ways. It's ironic to think that Remo himself actually offered to sell Evans heads in California in the mid-50's after being so impressed with the first samples he ordered from Chick. This actually led to him developing his own version and a bit of a patent war. Lots of history there that hasn't really seen the light of day.
We'd be very interested to see the elements of your presentation if they're available anywhere online!
Awesome sauce, I have the whole thing here on youtube, unfortunately the camera isn't great but I got pretty decent audio and put lots of work getting it edited for online. ua-cam.com/video/X3gnPaX_vAg/v-deo.html
I’m a guitar player, if I played drums I’d have two kits, one with Evans hydraulic heads, the other with calf skin heads. It would be like having an electric and acoustic guitars
Great Vid. I do Vintage Banjos, have installed 100s of hide heads (Use Stern too) and you are spot on as far as all of the things hide heads offer, and require.
I know you have seen as I have Rogers heads that are 60-70 yrs old that were still in perfect playing condition, maintained properly and the sound of them after they turn into vellum is unmatched. We know plastic heads will be hard pressed to make it that long, even unplayed.
We have in our banjo realm, "head heaters" from the 30s, Im guessing Drum guys had lights as well to keep the humidity down.
If I am in my shop and its humid, I grab my heat gun and blow it a minute and you can watch the string action rise.
I always caliper the head to see its think and thin areas, and put the thick on the bass side of the banjo, sort of like the grains of spruce on a guitar. Thanks for sharing
VM
I'm loving this channel and so thankful I found it. Thanks for your informative and well produced videos.
Glad to hear it! Please be sure to share the videos and channel with your drummer friends. Cheers!
Great channel guys! Quickly becoming my favorite drumming you tube destination...any plans for lessons, how-to guides, etc?
Dang your brush playing blew me away.. soooo sweet.. TY
This was one of the best videos about gear I have ever watched, excellent work gentlemen. I have always wanted to experiment with real calf heads, but as you so eloquently mentioned I have been scared off of the experiment but stories of woe and heartache. I have a 5.5” Ludwig Black Magic that I will now try fitting with one of these heads. The most impressive and important fact of the video for me was the durability; TEN YEARS! I am primarily a jazz player so not to much heavy pounding there. The sensitivity and traditional brush capability are both very, very appealing. Thanks for opening my eyes to the possibility of calf skin. BTW, I play the Evans Calftones on my drums currently, so you can see why this was such a great video for me.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Raymond! Glad to hear that this opened up the idea of actually trying out calf heads on your own drums. It definitely sounds like something worth investigating based on your playing. Be sure to watch our video on the Kentville kangaroo hide drumheads- we've really been digging those as of late: ua-cam.com/video/wYsoQZPMDCM/v-deo.html
calf heads are awesome. So easy to tune, and so musical, it kinda sounds good in every situation without much hassle.
When your head has some wear, you can simply make it wet again, let it dry, and the dents will be gone again. I use litik calf heads on many drums, and we use synthetic calf heads as regular head on all our drums, because we love the sound. If you want to check them out - they have all the advantages of the mylar heads, plus the warm tone as the calf heads - look for adoro heritage heads. We just updated our heads to a single ply head with no lamination and no coating, so the heads not only look awesome but also last really long, give you nice brush sound (the heads are roughened, but not spray coated, so that also will last longer!), and give your acoustic drums a bit less attack for a sound as mic'd. We only sell them in europe so far unless you get our drums too :) contact me when interested, you know us from the adoro silent sticks BTW.
Great video! Would love to see one about Gut Snares.
omg, weatherking. WEATHERking. Drumming since more than two decades, I feel so dumb right now. :D
It all makes sense, right? There's some really interesting history with all of that too.
Still super into this! Keep making stuff! :)
Great video! Very articulate explanation. Thanks!
Thanks so much for watching, Jeff! Help us spread the word by sharing the channel and videos with your drummer friends. Cheers!
Very enlightening video! Loved your brush work too...
Thanks! Glad to hear that you got something out of it. Thanks for the compliment too!
Thanks man!
Nice! Another nice thing about calf is, if you have an old snare drum whose shell or hoops have gone a little out of round, the calf head will gradually conform to those abnormalities. Also, since they are a bit outside the norm, and the quality of modern calf heads is all over the map, it'd be nice to know the brand and type of head in this video. Thanks!
Been meaning to look into the pros/cons of calf heads recently. Awesome vid!
Glad to hear it! Thanks
Keep these videos coming. Series is great
Will do! Glad you’re enjoying them. Help spread word to your drummer friends!
My experience with calfskin drum heads on one of my snare drums is: they are loud, rich and full, and great with brushes. They also feel slightly softer and springier under the sticks than Mylar heads, kind of part-way towards a mesh head feel. I love them on the snare drum. I now tend only to use plastic heads when I want a little less volume.
I now have some calfskin heads from earthtone on my 10" and 13" toms (on batter and resonate). It has taken a couple weeks to get them dialed in. The first week it rained every day, so I had them just over finger tight until the weather cooperated. They are beautiful. Rich, warm, full, and they hold tuning amazingly well. I'm sold on them. Next up I'll take care of my snare. Thanks for this video because it was a perfect explanation on what to expect.
Awesome! Glad it got you on the right track :) The humidity in NYC is starting to abate, so i'll be calfing it up again pretty soon :) - Cody
Really nice videos dude
Keep em coming
Thanks so much!
Papa Jo Jones is my favorite drummer. Great video and channel.
thanks for sharing, I've learnt quite a lot from this video :)
Excellent! Glad to hear it.
Great Video. I swear by Calf Skin. Earthtones is my go to. They’re a bit pricy but they last (given a controlled environment) and I use them tuned way low with no Bottom heads on my toms and top and bottom calf skins on the snare. It’s a recording kit that’s being bottom mic’d and they sound great.
Kick?
Literally the only thing I miss since going vegan is goatskin drums. I played em every day for years.
And having friends of course.
Haha, nice one.
lol under rated thread.
What do you think about heads if they were made from animals that lived good lives and died naturally? I'm vegan too. I would buy from a company that made the heads from animals that die naturally but I'm sure thay isn't very economic. Idk. I'm surprised to hear they last so long that's actually ecological in a way.
@@rafaelestrada1846 No point in thinking about it as it's not going to happen. And of course they last a long time it's because they're made from skin lol.
Great video, Well thought out, your visuals are crisp and clear, great stuff! Just curious: what is your name? Maybe it’s just me, but I sort of like introductions and to know who’s speaking and making such a cool presentation. Thank you.
Just found this, great video. That Ludwig is already a great drum and sounds great with the calf head. What head is on the bottom? Calf or plastic? What is the name of that calf head company again you mentioned? Do you use calf on toms or bass drum? Thanks
I play in a jazz band, and would love to use calf heads. The problem is in the Washington D.C. area it gets very humid in the summer, and most of our summer gigs are outdoors. I'd be worried about taking the drum in and out of A/C. I've played calf heads on other drums, and nothing feels like them for their give, their muted attack, the way brushes sound on them. Looking for a calf-like sound, I've tried all the "synthetic calf" - Remo Fiberskyn, Skyntone, Evans Calftone - the closest I've found are the Aquarian Modern Vintage. Not the same, but about the closest I've been able to come in a polyester head.
I never played on calf heads so thank you for the experience. I use an Aquarian modern vintage on the snare, and I find it close to the Ambassador, but way better for brushes and it lasts longer (I use Fiberskyn on toms, less harmonics).
Ask som pow wow drummers from your area. How they treat their drumheads.
ESP the big drum, finding a skin that's suitable for a big drum is hard.
Thanks for the great video. Really intrigued where you are buying your calf skins? Any links appreciated.
You guys should do a comparison between these heads and the various calfskin-emulating heads on the market! mallet playing, sticks, brush playing, etc.
That’s definitely something we’ll be covering in the future.
Great job guys. Have enjoyed all the videos I've seen so far. My experiences: None with calfskin on drum set drums. In the past and with the help of others, I have changed out some conga heads - untucked. That's a 2-4 day affair including soaking the old head off the hoop and the new dry head until pliable, installing those heads, trimming the extra skin down around the rim, letting dry and then slowly tuning up after dry. Makes me tired just typing that. :). Also regarding humidity - this was and is a real issue. I've personally seen older timpani with heat lamps installed inside! Nice to have alternatives these days. A few years ago, I also bought a cheap bodhran that had a tight goat skin on it. I wet it down too much so I put it out on the patio on a dry, hot Southern California day. Split right down the middle after a few hours. LOL! Couple of questions because I love to play brushes and have found the 'faux calfskin' choices (with one exception) lacking in some way.
You have die cast rims on the Ludwig snare used. Is that a purposeful decision because of tone control? I wondered if you had equal success with other types of rims and calfskin heads (or other drums as well). Also, I have had the most satisfaction with the Aquarian Modern Vintage heads for the calfskin alternatives. The common issues I have with heads like Fiberskyn and Calftone is that they delaminate after playing with sticks. I also don't enjoy the stick sound on those heads as well as the J1 even if I do like the brush sound. Lastly I miss the horizontal texture of a coated head, at least after it's been 'broken in'. Again the Modern Vintage has given me the best average of satisfaction of all synthetic heads. But I still would like to try a calfskin head on my snare - if the the texture is a bit rougher than a Fiberskyn or Calftone. I'd appreciate your opinions on this.
Hey there! Thanks for all the questions, happy to chime in :) Firstly, I had that same thing happen that you described with your Bodhran, but with a tabla of all things. I heard it split and it sounded like a gunshot in my room! I guess the move from west coast to east coast was too much for it... I haven't had anything like that happen with a snare head, but I do de-tune them when not in use. Anyway, 1. The die cast hoops are absolutely an intentional choice, but not a sound choice per se. With calf heads that are tucked onto square wooden flesh hoops, the hoops have a tendency to roll when under pressure and press into the shell of the drum (one of my maple drums actually has indentations in the shell from this because of my ignorance about these heads), and flanged hoops have a rounded corner pressing onto the edge of the head which makes this happen pretty severely and quickly too. With a die cast hoop, the edge that presses on the flesh hoop is sharp and squared off in most cases, so the pressure is distributed flatly and reduces this issues to almost nothing. Additionally, once the flesh hoop is rolled inward, the effective diameter of the head is decreased and it may not fit on all drums once that's happened. 2. I agree with your critiques of faux-calf heads in general, and for me they have their place when I want a darker sound but know that i'm going to be abusing that head aggressively. The texture of calf (or the Kentville kangaroo heads) to me feels like a perfectly broken-in coated head, but somehow both smoother AND more textured. There's little resistance against the brushes, but at the same time the sound is beautifully present and really easy to manipulate. The stick sound (and maybe more important, the feel) on natural heads is also really something special and i'm not sure anything synthetic can really match it 100%. If you do decide to take the plunge, I'd recommend the Kentville heads because they use alumium flesh hoops that won't roll regardless of your hoop choice, and they also offer different standard weights so you can dial in your preferred sound and feel. Also, the owner is a super sweet guy :) And just so you know, I don't have any affiliation with the company at all, I just dig the sound! Cheers :)
Thanks so much for that explanation and again great job.
Would you say that the kangaroo heads feel/sound identical to the calfskin in sound and feel? I went to the Stern Tanning site and see that they offer calfskins tucked in metal hoops. Does that circumvent the 'rolling' issue? I may end up buying another snare (poor me, right?) to have as a dedicated animal skin snare. The Ludwig brass seems like a good choice but I'm open for recommendations on any drum that seems like a good, quality choice for that purpose.
Thanks!! That’s great that Stern is doing metal hoops, I didn’t know that and it will definitely help the rolling issue. I find my stern heads to feel a bit more spongy and flexible overall (may be a thickness thing though) and the kangaroo heads are a touch more articulate and feel a bit more sturdy. Honestly I love them both. :) I’ve had good results on several different drums with natural heads and usually keep the COB snare in this video with calf and a maple drum with the Kentville on it. Good luck!
I’ve always rubbed some lanolin into my conga heads once in a blue moon-let it soak in well-and they don’t seem to be affected by the humidity much out here on the west coast of Canada.I think I’ll give these heads a try-thanks for your time and efforts on this☮️
Is there a big difference or advantage to using a calfskin on the resonant side on a snare drum?
Asmr starts at 9.28. Awesome!
OMG, that brushwork is positively EROTIC, both to watch and listen to. I feel like such a ham-fisted caveman now...
Thank you for explaining why I love calf skin head. Tuck and Roll.
Blows my mind this came out four years ago
I love them! But use them exclusively on my wood hoop Craviotto & Lang/Gladstone snare drums!
Some fine drums! Bet they sound fantastic with calf. Cheers!
I got the earthtone 18 for Bass drum, was very carefull putting it on. It broke after about a week of playing it in my house, I didnt leave it tight. I don't use wood beater or hid particularly hard. It's broke though where the beater hits, I'm going to try and repair. Is it just that you need a patch on where beater hits? was just about to order one!
+soundslikeadrum *As it turns out, one Billy Gladstone designed a coaxial tube lug* allowing independent tensioning of batter and resonant from the top via a specific design of drum key - +stevemaxwelldrums has more info on Gladstone's 3-Way Tuning System, a real hand in the days before Chick Evans' plastic revolution. Gladstone's snare strainer system has broad enough and hard enough clamps on release and butt to take a dozen individual snares, so a "golden-age" set-up with Irish heavy calfskin batter and slunk resonant and ten twisted sheep-intestine cords is doable.
Indeed! Those Gladstone drums are quite impressive.
I'm generally not a fan of the snare tunings you get on these videos but, this one sounds great. This time the impact & the result were nicely melded together, whereas it usually sounds like an impact followed by a result.
Have you tried experimenting with the methods? We’re aware that some people don’t like as much snare wire presence but that’s a pretty simple adjustment from where theses methods get you. Glad you enjoyed this episode. -Ben
Yeah, I've been at it a long, long time. To me (& we know what opinions are like) the Supra you use most of the time is kinda boxy & dry with a slightly delayed snare sound. Could be many factors but, the COB with the calf skin had doesn't seem to have that. Doesn't effect the validity of your tutorials, just a quirk of mine.@@SoundsLikeADrum
Hi dude, cool video and drum channel. It is well known that Ginger Baker and Ringo used calf skins drum heads on their drums, and that´s tne reason their sound so dark, warm and rich they had. I got a the beatles tribute band ( you can check The moondogs on youtube), and therefore, i'm thinking to buy some to test on my drum set. Which brands of calf skin do you recomend?
Hey! My go-to was Stern Tanning (also the only one I knew about that was available at drum shops), but now I’m really all about the Kentville kangaroo hide heads - check’em out for sure :)
I would love to hear 1 hour of brushing on that nice calf skin! It would be a perfect ASMR video! ;)
It's rather soothing, isn't it?
It is, indeed! Cheers!
great video with very interesting informations about the calf drumheads! Could you tell me the brand of the spesific drumheads ? Thank you!
Sure, these are from a company called Stern Tanning 👍🏻 -Cody
What kind of drum material steel or wood, would work better with a calf skin head? Or is there any difference? I'm worried about humidity and if a steel drum would work better then wood in that respect. Also I just received my Earthtone drum head today. It came with a crease in the skin from the edge to about three quarters of an inch away from the rim. It will be over the bearing edge. I was wondering if that will affect the tone and should I send it back? Awesome videos guys! Very very informative!
Hey there! I don’t have a shell preference for calf/natural heads at all - they do their thing beautifully either way. My favorite so far has been on a COB Ludwig :) Regarding the crease, hard to say without seeing it but natural heads are very very stretchy and pliable so it’s highly likely that it’ll flatten out if it’s not too severe. -Cody
Hey guys! I want to ask your opinion(s). I've got a 1959 Rogers kit (12,16,22) and I am considering using calfskin heads on them. These are the very early Rogers drums with the near-flat roundover bearing edges, built for calfskins, so there's one huge pro to that! My only concern is the drawn brass lugs are very fragile, so I have to keep the tuning low to not risk cracking the lugs. I currently have on a set of Aquarian American Vintage heads and they have difficulty staying in-tune with low tunings (might be due to me not stretching them out first on a drum that can tighten higher). I'm considering getting a set of those calfskin heads made by EarthTone - my question is: do calfskin heads hold low tunings well? I would love to get them set up on my kit correctly, but I want to make sure that they would be able to function well tuned lower.
Thanks fellas!
Oh man, what a great kit! Firstly, I know what you're talking about with those old brass lugs. I had a '61 kit with the Bread-N-Butter lugs and they cracked all the time. I wouldn't want to steer you toward anything that could risk the integrity of the lugs, but I will say that I use calf tuned VERY low quite often, and that particular sound is what will usually make me reach for a drum with calf. Natural heads at a given tension will generally produce a lower fundamental pitch than an equivalent synthetic head as well, so you may find yourself being able to get a solid tension on the head to where your lugs won't be coming loose, but that will also generate the sufficiently low note you're looking for. I don't have much experience with Earthtone heads myself, but I imagine they'll behave similarly to the natural heads I use from Stern (calf) and Kentville (kangaroo). These will all experience some pitch slippage from changes in temperature and humidity, but it'll be small adjustments since the tuning will be so low. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions!
Sounds Like A Drum Thank you, Cody! Those bread and butter lugs sure are finicky, but they’re surprisingly strong with my regular playing and gigging with them. I’m not getting as much residence as I would like out of them, and I really think I would dig the calfskins for the lower tunings I’m sticking with for this kit. I’ll have to do some shopping once I get my next paycheck and see how those heads turn out! Thank you so much again, it’s really refreshing to see such a great page as this for drummers, keep on keeping on!
Oh our pleasure man, it's great to get to share all this info with the community and hopefully help some people out :) Cheers!
Any recommendation on a company that makes calfskin heads? Would love to get one for my vintage walnut ludwig.
For sure, check out Bovid Percussion! -Cody
Is it useful to take measures to protect calf heads from humidity when they're not on the drum? Or even to take them off the drum and protect them when not in use? For example, putting the head in a Ziploc bag with a silica gel sachet. I suppose you could even put the head through a kitchen vacuum packer if you have one with a wide enough intake...
Hey there! Can’t say for sure, I don’t know anyone who takes measures like these but I definitely always tune natural heads down a LOT from the pitch I play them at when storing the drum for any amount of time. Repeated stretching and loosening by the weather will shorten their lifespan somewhat, though mostly just as far as how stretched out they get at the bearing edge contact point. Cheers!
Kentville packages their heads in a vacuum sealed package, but they are shipping internationally.
Really, as long as the head isn't under tension (which it won't be in a ziplocking bag), ziplocking wouldn't save you anything. Once you take it out of the bag, it has to adjust to the ambient air and it will do so within the first 15-30 minutes. Actually makes setting up the drum harder rather than easier.
brushes do sound great!
We absolutely love how they perform on calf. There are lots of great coatings out there for synthetic heads, but nothing does it quite like calfskin. Cheers!
What about the faux calf skins? Calftone 56', Fyberskyn... What's your take on those?
We're a bit partial to the Calftone, as Ben was involved with some of the early development of the product. Still, there's no 100% true substitute for the performance qualities of calfskin. We'll likely be doing a bit of a shootout in the near future with the faux calf vs. true calfskin options.
Sounds Like A Drum fuck yeah that would be a good watch
Sounds Like A Drum Hi guys! I heard some people say the Evans J1 has a similar sound to a calf skin head. Do you have any experience with this one or would you consider adding the J1 to your shootout? Thanks for the videos, I really enjoyed the first few. Keep it up! :)
Hey there! Yes we've used those a fair amount and like calf and faux-calf heads, they do have a softer stick feel and smoother overtones. I'd consider them more of a half-way point between a standard coated batter and a Calftone/Fiberskyn kind of thing. I've had success with etched-surfaces heads like the J1 in orchestral situations and also use them on large toms sometimes when I want an almost timpani-like sound and response. Hope that helps!
Sounds Like A Drum yes, your answer was very helpful. Thanks a lot!
Really informative vid! I had no idea on the potential for durability.
Thanks, Buck! You can often choose between different thicknesses as well. Kentville Drums does an awesome job of making these available within their range of Kangaroo hide drumheads.
Sounds Like A Drum I should check one out.
I think I can hear the drum resonating sympathetically with your voice
Sounds amazing with brushes
Same deal with banjo heads. WeatherKings!!
How do these compare to Kevlar marching heads?
Pretty much night and day- polar opposites.
I bought a Carlton drum from the 1930s recently. It was only a modestly priced wooden 14 x 5" snare, but it still had calf skin heads on it, plus the original style snare wires. It was like someone had placed it in a cupboard in 1938 or something - and fetched it out and sold it 80 years later. I was really excited to try it out. I have used several calf heads before, but always on modern drums with modern reso heads and snares. This was the first drum I'd tried with calf top and bottom and original snares. And it sounded..... BLOODY AWFUL!! No matter what I did, I just could get a sound that was anything other than grim. I've spent a while tuning it in several different ways, nothing works. Maybe the heads are just past it. As far as I can tell, the main issue is the bottom head - despite being a really 'thin' (by calf standards) slunk calf skin, it is still quite heavy compared to a modern reso - Also the snares. They are individual wires and it is impossible to tension then evenly. Some wires rattle around loose whilst other are digging into the head. Maybe there is a knack or skill to adjusting these that I don't know about. Or it could just be that I am trying to get a modern sound out of a 1930s instrument. Maybe I'm chasing a sound I can't get? Putting a calf head on a modern snare with modern reso and snares - and all these problems go away :)
Two things: Did you tuck the head yourself, or did you buy it on the flesh hoop, and what brand? Next, you said "New York". Me too! Where are you based?
I have a calf skin head on my snare, and I mostly love it. But surprisingly, I have trouble with brushes, there is so much texture that the brushes are much to loud. I wonder if I could do anything about that?
Hmmm, interesting. I've never had a calf head that was textured to that degree. I think the guy to talk to would be the owner of Kentville drums (perhaps through their facebook page) since he makes natural skin heads. I imagine there might be a way to buff or sand the head suuuuper gently to take some of that texture away but I wouldn't advise doing anything until you talk to an expert in that department. The heads they make aren't overly loud with brushes, so whatever they're doing definitely gets the right sound. Hope that helps! - Cody
@@SoundsLikeADrum Can I just say that I think it's incredibly cool that you answer the questions that comes in to your channel! I'm very impressed with both your content and how you engage the community. My head is a Litik, so I should probably ask them if there is something that can be done. Sanding it sounds a bit scary, but perhaps that is the solution.I used to have an Evans Calftone and the difference is significant.
No problem, talking to people about drums on here is my favorite part. I'm unfamiliar with that brand, might have to get one myself to see what they're like! Certainly worth talking to them directly and see what they say. I do like calftones but there's no replacement for the real deal :) -Cody
Have you ever treated the skin with leather conditioner like Skidmore's Leather Cream?
No, can't say I have. Not sure what sort of effect it would have on a drum head sound-wise, but I do keep it around for my boots :) It may cause the head to stretch prematurely, especially if it's applied near the bearing edge, so that's something to consider. Over-conditioning shoes can definitely screw up the structural integrity of the leather so it seems like that could be a real risk here, given the tension the skins are under. - Cody
Ok, just found Stern Tanning calf drum heads.
I would try to play heavy metal on a drumhead like this. For experimental purposes.
Let us know how that works out for ya!
Maybe store them in a plastic bag, but throw in those things they put in the medicine bottles to keep moisture out.
I’m not going to ever buy a head like that as i don’t want animals to suffer for my drumming. Plus I don’t believe the sonic benefits really do matter in a pop/Rock situation where you bury your drum sound with lots of guitars, bass, synths and what not. But if I ever come across a drum that has a head like that on there I now know how to deal with it and to appreciate it. Thanks.
That's a perfectly reasonable position to take on the use of natural hide heads, and glad that the information was still useful to you. Honestly I feel somewhat similar to you, which is part of the reason why I found the Kentville kangaroo heads interesting as an alternative since they are a byproduct of a culling program by the Australian government to keep the exploding population of the animals in check. It results in more of the animal getting used and less goes to waste. Having said that, its great that there are quality synthetic alternatives out there so that no one ever has to compromise their ethics to get a great sound. Cheers!
By the same logic, aren't Stern's drumheads are a by product of the beef industry? Buying a head doesn't kill an animal. It was already dead and someone took the skin for a head.
the animals don't suffer for your drummimg They use skin that would otherwise be discarded and the whole animal is being used so it's actually better for the environment
Hard to see how the industrial plastics industry is better on animals and lifeforms. They are polluting horribly from extraction of oil all the way down to shipping the product. In the large scale I don't see a difference as far as the suffering of lifeforms is concerned.
Great response my friend. Just thought the same.
It sounds like a drum!
Indeed!
Well, definitely not where I thought the video would go, given the thumbnail. Good to know, nevertheless.
Make mine a crocodile skin! And make it snappy!
😂
my "truth" is they're HORRIBLE! as 10 yr old child, my first snare (KENT, 6 lug - single tension, ?mahogany shell?) was outfitted w/them, & drum NEVER sounded good...
That may have more to do with the 6 lug single tension construction...
Meat is murder
Plastic heads sound like plastic heads. Most people who prefer them do so because they have gotten used to that stilted shallow sound. People who grow up on processed chicken nuggets prefer them to real chicken when they get older...that doesn't make them better.
Something about beauty in the eyes (ears) of the beholder though, to a certain degree, right? Plenty of sounds (both on a micro and macro level) came out of necessity or simple availability and that’s what makes them interesting.
Happy to ignore skin heads i dont like animal killing for making heads. Even my djembe has synthetic head
Fortunately, there are enough sane people descended from the eons of eating meat (which allowed our brains to get to the size that we could even contemplate NOT eating meat because ???) that you don't have to worry about a calf being killed for a skin...they are slaughtered for the meat and the skin is a responsible way to source the rest of the animal out. You will not stop the 'normies' (I use that term endearingly) from eating meat, so not buying calf skins is really a moot gesture. But hey, do what you do...I cancelled Netflix and HBO bc of their 'politic-ing' so I can sympathize with you...it didn't do much to them but I have my convictions and you have yours.