Drum Making & Reskins

Drum Making | Reskins

Drum Making

Build your own drum! A unique chance to work alongside our experienced drum makers to craft your own djembe. It's an experience which will connect you to your drum for life We guide you through the process step by step at our drum making workshop in St Kilda Flexible times available to fit your schedule - contact us

The Process

First Session (3 - 4 hours) 1. Select your own shell from Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali or Ghana 2. Choose the skin based on the sound you want 3. Choose the rope and accent material 4. Sand, oil and the perfect the shell 5. Rope up and skin the drum, add a handle if you like Second Session (1 hour) 6. Tune the drum & debrief about care and tuning 7. The drum is all yours!

Rates

We only charge for the cost of the materials - your time with the drum maker is free!

Shell Ghana Burkina Faso, Guinea Ivory Coast, Mali

Size 12" - 14" 12" - 13" 12" - 13"

Rate $350 - $450 $500 - $650 $500 - $650

 

Reskins

Djembes | Duns | Other Drums

Yes - we can reskin your drum! When that fateful day comes and your drum's skin pops it can be a bit of a shock. Sometimes it happens silently in the night, other times it goes out with a bang in your living room! Don't despair - we'll have your drum back in action in no time Here's all you need to know

Djembes

How much does it cost?
It depends on the size of the drum, if the rope needs to be replaced and what kind of skin you'd like. We'll need to see the drum to make a final assessment, but for 90% of drums standard prices apply:

Small Drum (9" - 11" )	$80 - $120
Standard Drum (11" +)	$130 - $150

How long does it take?
Approximately 5 - 7 days
We can fast track a reskin in some cases - call us to discuss
(03) 9525 3073

What are my choices for the skin?
Take your pick from a range of skins including hair off finish, or hair on for an extra $10. We also have different colours available (eg: black, white, speckled), depending on current availability

For thickness, you can leave the skin choice up to us and our drum maker pick a skin that is balanced to the shell
Otherwise let us know what kind of sound you're looking for so that we can find the perfect skin for you

As a quick guide the skin thickness will greatly influence the final sound. Thicker skins produce richer sounds, tend to take longer to play in and are generally favoured by more experienced players with harder hands! Thicker skins will generally last longer. A thinner skin is more suited those who want an easy to play drum with sounds that are easier to find

What kind of skins do you use? The best on the market! We use premium goat hide, or cow if requested. We stock a variety of Australian feral goat hides, plus non-radiated Indonesian goat hides, and Guinea goat hides Our reskins are covered under warranty, so you can be confident that we stand behind our craftsmanship

Is it worth reskinning?
If your drum is African or of good quality then it's well worth re-skinning.
However if the drum is an Indonesian or Indian djembe, we often recommend replacing the drum as it's often cheaper to get a new one

Extras
If your drum needs it or you request it, we'll oil the shell for free

We'll assess your drum as it arrives. If we find that there are issues with the drum which need to be addressed and may incur additional charges, we'll call you discuss the options for your drum before we start our work. Extra work may include:

• New rings - Some drums have been made with rings that are too big, compromising the strength of the skin & leading to poor sound quality. To get the best sound out of your drum and for the skin to last the longest you need the rings to be tight
• Hairline cracks - over time these can become more severe and eventually cause major issues for the shell. If repaired correctly the drum retains it's structural integrity for life
  
  

I don't live in Melbourne!
No worries - we reskin drums from around the country. Send your drum into us and we'll reskin it and send it back, adding return postage to the total

Call Us........ (03) 9525 3073
Email Us..... info@africandrumming.com.au
Address...... African Drumming, 252 St Kilda Rd, St Kilda, VIC 3182

 

Dununs

We also have your dununs covered - whether it be reskins or repairs!

We use premium thick Australian cow hides

Dun Type	Size	One Side	Both Sides
Kinkenny	10" - 11”	$110	$160
Sangban	12" - 13"	$120	$180
Dun	14" - 15"	$140	$220
XL Duns	16" - 18"	$150 +	$240 +

 

Other Drums

We've repaired hundreds of special and exotic drums from all over the world over the years, including Middle eastern, East African, Irish, American Indian, novelty and tourist drums.

Bring your drum in for a check up or send us some pics and we’ll give you a quote