Ok.
So I guess it is still unclear on how "mm" and "oz" are used by different people!
Hopefully someone in this forum will give us some enlightenment on the matter. I am confident someone will!!
As far as hides are concerned, so far I am pretty satisfied with the skins that I have access to. Then again, I am ALWAYS searching for better deals ($). If you don't mind me asking, where do you get your cow/steer? In the NY/NJ area? Do you mind telling me about prices? You could PM me on it.
seisporocho@mac.comI ordered some cowhide from Hidehouse in CA and I am waiting on the order to see their quality compared to the price. If it's good quality, then I find them quite inexpensive in comparison to other avenues I've tried.
I have a connection to puerto rican cowhide that is really inexpensive but I don't think it's a skin that works well with every drum. I order all the time from Moperc and Bill Confer in Texas and those are fantastic skins. El Greco is great, but unfortunately little expensive for us US residents! JCR mules are also expensive even though they are high quality. I think thick Bison Buffalo is great for tumbas eventhough that's also a bit expensive ( I am currently finding better sources for that as we speak!). I have a contact that gets venezuelan cow and that tends to work really well too.
I used to get Colombian cowhide here in MIAMI and it wasn't the best (they wouldn't last very long since they would have to be stretched more than normal to get a tone/sustain and it tended to be a soft hide) so I stopped getting it.
Below is a picture of the skins I have for my customers here in miami. Each one has a different price, depending on the type and cost of course. The puerto rican cowhide is not there... they are white with black spots. They are cool aesthetically!
Thanks for the offer on the mounting but as a skin aficionado, I do mount skins for drummers and myself! I am also fixing shells and learning about woodturning to make my own drums... It is a crazy endeavor...
Let me know about your hides and their costs! I'm curious.
Cheers!
Seisporocho