SKINS on our DRUMS
All of our African hand drums and some opther drums are covered under our 5 Month Graduated Warranty.
This includes all djembes, dunun, taking drums, bara, sabar, African congas, kpanlogo and more.
Our Indonesian djembes are also covered under this warranty.
Every skin has its day and will eventually break or pop. The life-span of each skin is unique; some last for 8 months, others 4 years. If a skin is going to go prematurely (usually owing to a skin imperfection that is not readily detectable) it will happen in the first 5 months. With this in mind, we provide a warranty on all of our drums, excluding pre-loved, to protect you as a customer.
If skin breakage occurs within:
0-1 MONTHS: 100% Repair Coverage + African Drumming pays return post
1-2 MONTHS: 75% Repair Coverage + Customer pays all post
2-5 MONTHS: 50% Repair Coverage + Customer pays all post
Please note – warranty does not apply if the skin was broken due to neglect or misuse. Many drum skins are fragile and using incorrect techniques (especially with sticks) can result in skins splitting. Our team reserves the right to assess every drum before concluding the reason for the breakage.
For drums made by an external company/ maker (eg Mano, Remo, Lp) we refer direct to the manufacturer for warranty conditions. We will do our best to expediate any warranty requests for our customers. We may need to return the drum to it’s manufacturer for assessment before they decide on how to move forward.
Timber
All our shells are covered under a life long structural warranty. Under normal use conditions your djembe/ dun shell should last forever. This includes 2nd Grade drums that have been repaired – you can trust their structural integrity!
We also include the timber frames of the following instruments in our warranty here
– African Marimbas and Balafon
– Gadzikwa series Cajons
– Rob Towler Tongue drums
** Please note warranty does not cover instruments going out of tune/ pitch
If you notice any changes in the timber of your drum, please contact us.
Quick Tips
Keep your drum away from harsh, humid conditions, direct sunlight and places without ventilation, such as the boot of a car. Don’t tune too much too soon.
Skins for drum making
We always take extra care in choosing skins that are free from faults and will go the distance on your drum.
Please understand however that as a natural product from the wild, we can never pick up 100% of the inherent defects as they can be invisible to the naked eye.
Tips for storing/ working with skins
- Store them in a dry well-ventilated place that is not too hot or cold.
- Make sure they are free from bugs / rodents etc
- Don’t soak them for too long (more than 5 hours) as this can weaken the skin
- Don’t soak them in hot water
Skins purchased from African Drumming
If you are not happy with any of your skins please let us know straight away. If they are assessed as faulty by our team, your skin will be covered under warranty
What constitutes a faulty skin?
A skin that has inherent faults
What does not constitute a faulty skin?
It includes:
Skins that have broken as a result of drum making ie have broken due to over-soaking, over-stretching or cranking, cuts from blades or metal welds or rings
Skins that have developed faults whilst in your possession (inadequate storage, insect/ animal damage)
Warranty terms
Firstly we need to assess the fault so please send us pictures of the issue and describe when and how the issue occurred.
If your skin is assessed as inherently faulty by our team, we will send you out a new skin.
Please note, for skins mounted on drums that break, it may be impossible to determine the reason for the fault (ie an inherent fault or part of the drum making process)
In such cases we may offer 50% off a replacement skin purchase (Customer will pay for the postage)
For XL skins, if the skin has proven to be faulty AD will replace with one disc of the same type of skin for up to a 15” drum
