Earthtone Calfskin Heads

[stick clicker]

Anyone had any experience of these? I am very tempted to get some for my Gretsch jazz Cats.

I reckon this could cost me double the cost of a new set of heads but may be worth it.

Just want to check your opinions or stories of anyone with experience.

Thanks Guys!

[areFish]

I believe Kona has experience with calfhide heads (I think).

[kay-gee]

I got lots of calf skin experience. Nothing but problems. There is a reason they went obselete when plastic heads came in. They are VERY suseptible to weather conditions.

Having said that though...Nothing sounds quite as warm and has a "feel" to play as calf heads.

all the best...

[Russ]

As far as sound goes you really are hard-pressed to find a better drumhead than a calfskin one. A lot of bounce and feel as kay-gee mentioned, but a few disadvantages like getting ahold of anything calfskin as well as keeping them protected is kind of a pain to me. A great alternative is Remo Fiberskyns - if you check out their site they are rated as a head that specializes in midtones and doesn't have too much sustain. Real great for those of us wanting a good balanced sound. As a lighter hitter, FiberSkyns have got to be one of my all time favorite heads for toms. Have not tried them on bass drum or snare, but I don't want to promote mids on either of those drums anyway. Ideally i'd look for a dark sound on bass/floor tom and a bright one on snare.

[Pearl MCX Man]

I agree with all of the above. You can't beat the sound of real calfskin but the disavantages of wearher change would affect the tuning and that can be a pain tuning your heads more than usual because of it. That was probably the reason why they come out with the syntethic heads or plastic.

[Olimpass]

I believe Kona has experience with calfhide heads (I think).

Yes, I believe Kona does.

I read they sure needed alot of maintenance. Tighten the bass head when not in use but opposite for the snare. Because of stage lights, etc. could dry them out so have some water and a sponge to lightly dampen the head.

[scorch whammin]

I owned and played on the earthtone heads…really nice tone to them, but durability was an issue…I had two 14" heads (back to back) crack on me shortly after putting them on the drum…I called earthtone on this issue and was not very impressed with their Customer Service..needless to say I switched back over to evans..no problems there and they last..

[stick clicker]

Guys, thanks for replying.

Olimpass, i had not considered stage lights, just thought about weather conditions. thanks for the heads up! I don't fancy the idea of maybe having to dampen them down sometimes. I've seen people put hand drums by the fire sometimes to dry them out and this is starting to look like a high maintenance as well as expensive set up.

Scorch, Glad you chimed in, as you have direct experience with Earthtone. Funny you mention the 14" as that is the one head they are out of stock on - I wonder if they are having problems with this size. Their customer service is also a thumbs down.

I'm guessing maybe a kit that is only kept in a temperature controlled studio would benefit the calfskins?

[kay-gee]

I'm guessing maybe a kit that is only kept in a temperature controlled studio would benefit the calfskins[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

Hi Stick Clicker. It's not so much an issue of temperature as it is "humidity" Somewhere like Arizona for example calf heads would be great even on cold days. Animal hides tend to absorb moisture and when they do, they expand and you lose the tension that you gain by your tensioning rods. I suspect you live in England. They would be a continual nightmare for you there with the rain and such. I live in the Bahamas, and own an antique calf headed marching bass drum. In the morning while the dew is out, the heads become so flabby they can barely even produce a recognizable sound. At 10 o'clock or so in full sun, the head will be so tight it twangs like a snare drum and sometimes I fear it will
crack.

I kind or use it as a crude barometer. I'll give a hit on the way by in the afternoons and I can tell if a storm is approaching. LOL!!

all the best...

[groovearteest]

I got lots of calf skin experience. Nothing but problems. There is a reason they went obselete when plastic heads came in. They are VERY suseptible to weather conditions.

Having said that though...Nothing sounds quite as warm and has a "feel" to play as calf heads.

all the best...

isn't that the point of suede heads. for warmer tones

[Mommydrummer]

I have some drums I made from buckets, I put goatskin heads on them. They sound different everyday depending on the weather. If its dry and hot good, but they get very loose if its humid. They sound amazing with brushes though..But definitely the fiberskyn are better.

[stick clicker]

kay-gee, thanks for the info. You're right, I'm in the UK and the weather here is very wet. I am so glad I came to you guys first for opinions. looks like I won't be getting calfskin heads anytime soon. I'm not sure I'm ready for all the problems that come with them.

I sure would like to play a drumset with real skins, maybe one day I will, but I think i'll be sticking with mylars for now.

Thanks for all the replys everyone and Mommydrummer, welcome to the forum.

[kay-gee]

kay-gee, thanks for the info. You're right, I'm in the UK and the weather here is very wet. I am so glad I came to you guys first for opinions. looks like I won't be getting calfskin heads anytime soon. I'm not sure I'm ready for all the problems that come with them.

I sure would like to play a drumset with real skins, maybe one day I will, but I think i'll be sticking with mylars for now.

Thanks for all the replys everyone and Mommydrummer, welcome to the forum.

It would be great to have a set of those just to throw on the drums once in a while just for the "skin" experience. Just not reliable as your main heads. If you really like that type of feel and sound, the Fiber-skyns by remo are a very good imitation.

all the best...

[kay-gee]

isn't that the point of suede heads. for warmer tones

I've never tried those.

all the best...