| Shopping | Shipping and Handling | Skins and Hides | Drums | Percussion Instruments |
No. Drum Rings are special order. So are some hides. Shorty
needs to talk to you about these things. We frequently get singles or just a
few of an item. We will take these to show or sell them to customers who ask
for the item or come to visit. No, but you can always make special arrangements with us to
pay for items that are not on Pay Pal. There are a several payment options. Yes, make them out to Djembe Drums & Skins, Inc. Yes. In most cases we send orders out on the same day if ordered
before 2 PM EST. UPS picks up at 3:00 PM. Special orders (rings and drums built
by Shorty or Clint) take longer. If you are a new customer we will wait until checks and
money orders clear the bank. Yes, for some items. You must buy in bulk and offer some
sort of proof that you are reselling or have a store. Yes for skins, rope and 5 or more drums. Yes, we offer drum teacher/facilitator discounts. We sell
goatskin seconds for $8.00. We often have specials that are advertised in our
flyers and newsletter? Yes and No. If you live outside of Tennessee and we ship the
merchandise to you, there is no tax. Yes, if you live in Tennessee. If you do
live in Tennessee and are buying wholesale or as a non-profit you must furnish
us with a tax certificate. We save paper by emailing it to you. We will email your
invoice as soon as we have packaged and weighed your order. The invoice comes
from djembe@goatskins.com. Watch your
spam box for this communication. If you do not have email we will put the
invoice on the outside of your package.
We use mainly UPS and Priority Mail (USPS). Heavier items
almost always go via UPS. We frequently us the US mail for lighter skins that
are going great distances. Whatever the case we try to make sure that the
shipping is the quickest and least expensive option for the customer. This depends on the weight and size of the item and where
its going to. We can give you an estimate. Shipping costs on the Pay Pal
shopping cart are based on the average weight of the item and the rates to the
west coast. If there is an over charge of more than $3.00 we will give you a
refund on Pay Pal. Yes, just let us know. UPS will send this to you via Quantum if you have an email
address. We also include it on the top right side of the invoice. If you do not
have email we can supply you with the number over the phone. We only charge what we pay for the boxes. There are no other
handling charges. We do not charge a box fee on small postal orders (if using
USPS boxes) or when using recycled boxes. Yes, we have shipped to many places including Hawaii,
Canada, England and more. We do have to deal with customs of other countries
and some countries will not allow goatskins (even drums with animal skin heads)
entry. Of course, Hawaii is part of the US, it just takes more time for boxes
to get there.
Most of our goatskins com
from the Ivory Coast, Africa. The skins are a by-product of goats that are
raised for food. They are at least 22” wide and however long the goat was
(usually about 30”). Lengths and widths vary. Always let us know what you need.
We try hard to meet your specs. Goatskins and cowhides come with hair or without. In Africa the hair is scraped off the skins and hides. There
is no chemical hair removal. Thickness varies. Tell us what you want in the way of
thickness. Remember this is subjective. Anthrax is a bacterium found in domesticated herbaceous
mammals. It is in the soil. The skins and hides that we sell have been
inspected by a veterinarian and certified anthrax free before coming into the
country. They meet USDA and US customs regulations for safety. They are disease
free. Do you have skins and hides other than goat and cow? We often can get other types of skins and hides from our
suppliers. Just call Shorty and tell him what you want.
How big are your drums? Size varies. We have djembes ranging in size from 9” x 17 to
large usually 12 to 14” in diameter x 24” tall. What kind of wood are the drums made of ? The drums from the Ivory Coast are made of Iroko wood. The
drums from Ghana are made of Tweneboa. The drums from Tennessee are made of
yellow pine. What is Iroko wood? It is a hard wood that is very durable. It is often used in
place of teak and is even called “African Teak.” It is a rich brown color. What is Tweneboa wood? Tweneboa is a soft cedar type wood. It is yellowish in color
and lightweight. What about yellow pine? Yellow pine is a renewable resource. From time to time we
have all sizes of Ashikos that are made by a friend in east Tennessee. Big and
Little Red are made of yellow pine. We consider that these are “Green” drums. What are the tank drums made of? We use recycled propane tanks to make these drums. They are
truly “green”. Are the drums made of one piece of wood? Yes, they are carved from one log. How big are djun djuns? They vary in size. The dununba (the largest) averages 16 X
24.” The kenkeni is the smallest of the set while the sangba is the middle
djun. Where do your drums come from? Our djembes and other rope tuned drums mainly come from
Ivory Coast and Ghana. We have a few shells and other instruments from Guinea.
We also carry drums that are made by a friend in Tennessee. Do you make your own drums? Good question. Mostly our drums are made by African
artisans. We clean them up and tune them before sending them out. We do have
shells from Ivory Coast and Guinea and Shorty can make these into a completed
drum. Clint Bach makes the Ashikos in
his home in east Tennessee. Shorty and Clint are always experimenting and
coming up with new ideas when it comes to drums. Where do your percussion instruments come from? All over the place. Some come from West Africa. Others come
from Pakistan and India. Some even come from the USA. Shorty makes bells from
time to time.
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