Drumskull Drums

I just got my new Premier Line Djembe shipped to me! I was a bit nervous about the shipping but it was packed very carefully and arrived safe and sound. The drum exceeds my wildest expectations. Absolutely exquisite. Beautiful sound and fantastic craftsmanship. Thank you!

I am so excited and pleased with the work done to repair my djembe at DRUMSKULL DRUMS in Santa Cruz. Matt, Sahar, and Co. get my best shout out! When I walk into the store I can feel the music in my soul and the good vibes in my heart! I Highly Recommend Anyone looking for a drum, or repair, this is the place! Fantastic workmanship!

Thank you so much Sahar and Matthew for all of your wonderful service and elegant work in renovating my battered 20-y.o. DDD djembe. It was well worth all of the shipping costs to and from Hawaii It's really beautiful, sounds incredible, and is putting a big smile on my face! I was surprised and amazed that there are no cross-knots involved, yet the head is so tight!

The triple ring was done perfectly. The finish has been beautifully renewed, the cradle rings re-covered and newly roped, and I'm very glad I ordered the rubber guard on the bottom. It looks super solid, is perfectly mounted, and should be good protection for a few more decades. You two do some wonderful things there! THANK YOU!

The ashiko showed up quickly and packed very well. It had a great head, and was cranked up nice and tight. The drum looks and sounds wonderful. I've ordered a few things from Drumskull in the past. Their drums, skins, and ropes are always top quality.

I had a custom built djembe made exactly to my specs and it turned out perfectly! Their communications with me were quick, clear and there were no problems or unexpected issues or costs. The quality and craftsmanship is second to none. I can't recommend them more highly - thank you Matt and Sahar!

Great work fixing up a great drum. They found some emerging cracks in the shell and sealed them, replaced the rings, and put a superb skin on it with super-nice rope. Beautiful and sounds world-class!

Bought my first real Djembe after being shamed out of a Remo by a fellow drum student in a class, told me about these two guys in Aptos that made REAL Djembes, Matt & Ryan. At the time they were just starting out in a little shack off of highway 1. At the time they could only have 2-3 drums build at a time, when I bought mine(1996) it was the only one they had for sale, I still have it, and Matt just reheaded/roped/conditioned it a few months ago.

Such an awesome drum, even before they had connections to the fancy carvers in Africa. If there was ever a thumbnail pic in a dictionary for the word "integrity", Matt's picture should be it. Btw, just found out of the passing of Mamady Keita. RIP my brother, you will be sincerely missed. Say hi to Abdoulaye for me when you get there.

I have a djembe drum that was brought back from Ghana by the daughter of a friend. After years of non-use I purchased the drum from her. I took it to several drum circles but noticed the sound was flat. After attempting to tune the drum myself, there was no improvement, so I decided to take it to a professional. I called a local music store and they referred me to "Drumskull".

I took the drum there and talked to Matt and Sahar. Matt described in detail how he would refurbish the drum, and Sahar explained the carved symbols on my drum even telling me what kind of wood it was made out of. I knew at once that I had come to the right place. Matt said it would take two weeks and he met his estimate. Now the drum sounds GREAT and looks like a new drum. I'm very happy. Sharon Wienhoff. First picture is before. Other two are after.

I received my Premium drum today and i'm absolutely blown away by the quality of the build. This is a real musical instrument, not a tourist drum. I've been paying the Djembe for more than 20 years now, and during that time i've owned several good quality Lenke drums. However, the quality of my new DSD drum is on a whole new level. I would also like to mention the high level of customer service I received from DSD, they were so attentive to my needs and ensured that I received the drum that I wanted. I would highly recommend anyone to buy there drum from this company.

Pretty simple. If you live in North America or anywhere, the best djembe and dunu and other drums, repairs phenomenal. THE place to get serious with African spirit, sound and woods and skins from the continent. Take a trip to Santa Cruz, on the ocean and go try 100's of the best! Nice Folks!

I went to Drumskull with my husband to pick up his drum, and ended up buying one myself. I have never drummed before. The passion for refurbishing and for keeping drums "alive and being loved and played" was so central to everything I saw, heard and felt while waiting, it pulled me in. I looked around and instantly fell in love with a small drum, one of many that had been used at a school.

It was already beautiful. I got the call, my drum had been completely refurbished: the wood lovingly oiled, a new skin put on top, the perfect colored ropes affixed to it, but the fires were threatening Santa Cruz and evacuations ordered. The final act of true love - amidst all the other things that needed to be done - my drum was packed along with many others waiting for pick up and mailed safely to me rather than risking the fire ever getting to it. She is beautiful. The workmanship so expert. And now, I will learn to play her.

Awesome work on my djembe repair, Matt. It's refreshing to know that there are folks willing to take you through the process and explain the why's; I learned a lot. Most importantly, I love how my Djembe turned out.

Sahar was most helpful to me to make the decisions I needed to make to a select the appropriate accessories for my DrumSkull. She clearly explained the options, sent images and followed up. I made my selections and paid for over the telephone. Easy. And the price was right. Very fair and reasonable for the high quality drums and accessories irises the offer.

I chose to get the heavy duty Djembe travel/carry case/ bag, heels cover, handle strap and waist strap. To stay on top. she offers regular classes in Santa Cruz and occasionally in San Jose. Want or need a drum. go to DrrumSkull and tack a test tap on the drums and select the one that speaks to you and need something st support you drumming check out the full line of accessories. And when. The worst happens. the offer a full like of drum repair and skin replacements and running. Happy drumming. Metta john h

I bought my first drum at DRUMSKULLS back in about '97. It was a beautiful djembe. This was a beautiful drum. Later, I purchased a dununba and had my sangban & kenkeni reskinned & roped to match. This was a beautiful set. Matt also converted a traditional ngoma to rings and a new skin. More recently Matt finished a dunun set from Guinea. All initial and repair work is THE BEST.

I know this not only because I love my drums, but when my drums are around camps & conferences, the master artists want to play my drums too. What better feedback is there?! Though there are other folks who reskin / rehead drums, I simply go back to Drumskulls. I know the work will be done beautifully and the process is simple. Matt & everyone else who works there are awesome, and this is a super great business. YAY DRUMSKULLS!

I started playing the djembe early last summer and fell in love with the drum and the whole culture behind it. I started off with a kangaba from guitar center and thought that I had the best drum. Then I heard a DRUM SKULL DRUM and knew that I had to get one. I ordered a drum from the premier Guinea line and the first time I heard it I thought that I was hearing what the sunshine sounds like.

The more i play it the better it sounds. I became an addict of the rhythm and had to have more. My next drum came from the DSD premier Senegal line and all I can say about it is WOW! I am now waiting on a new drum from their Ivory Coast line and can't wait to get my hands on it! Matt, Scott, and Ben are the best, and you can trust them to steer you in the right direction.

I live in Houston Texas and never even heard my drums before I bought them. I just told them what I was looking for in sound and they were able to nail it every time! BIG THANKS to DRUM SKULL DRUMS!M Shane k.

I have had the pleasure of conducting business with this company for many years now. The instruments are of superb quality. The craftsmanship that their shop performs is par-none. I have built djembe and dunun drums since 1995, and the quality that Drumskull produces is absolutely professional level. They are cutting-edge in transforming the standard of re-heading and re-working drums.

Their knowledge base and passion have produced the best shop in the USA for djembe and dunun. Ryan and Matt have built a business and created a new standard that is hard to find anywhere else.

As a musician you should always buy the best instrument you can afford. And before you buy an instrument or more gear, ask yourself "how is this going to improve my playing?" When I buy a drum its an investment in my playing and myself. I take lessons, practice and try to play the very best I can every time I play. Drumskull drums help me reach to my highest aspirations and are of the absolute highest quality.

Yes you are going to have to pay more than you would like, but there are no better Djembes and Dunun's. Cost is relative, and a good quality guitar will run you thousands of dollars. A $500 dollar drum will last you a lifetime and if you kept it 20 years that would only be about $2 dollars a month for playing a sick djembe. I have seen a few instances where people have come close to their level of work, but I have yet to see them surpassed by anyone in terms of quality.

Top level shells, fresh African skins with American rope and materials. Hell yeah. The sound of the Dunun after the heads have been broken in is exceptional. Listen to the tone of cheaper duns: they can sound muffled and/ or always have one side that does not have good projection/tone. With Drumskulls the Dunun notes are going to rumble, cleanly. The Kenkeni is going to cut through brightly, if you have it tuned properly. This allows you to play with more finesse/dynamics than people think possible from duns. This is also a small business and the service is as top-notch as the drums.

I conduct hand drumming workshops worldwide for corporate team building, community events and private groups, and the folks at Drumskulls make instruments as good as, or better than, any I've seen in all of my travels! And I'm very demanding when it comes to instruments that have authentic sound and feel!

Great shop for traditional west african percussion: djembes, dunun, ngomas etc. workmanship: A+ Price: no comment Service: A+ i've worked with these guys since i started playing 6 years ago and they've always provided a top shelf product and service.

My job issued a bonus one year, and what did I decide to do with it? Buy a drum! I was playing Congolese music with an all-women percussion group called HeartRhythms. I had been performing with a trusty djembe for a while, but this bonus money was what I needed to upgrade to an ngoma. I had heard that Drumskull does as close to the "real thing" as available in the U.S. (compared to ones made in Congo).

With the help of friends with cars, we traveled from San Francisco to Santa Cruz 3 times to get this drum made. First visit was for measurement and choosing any customization (rope color, etc)., 2nd was to try the size (it was a little high) and 3rd was to try the new size and finally take it home. I've performed with it at music festivals and concerts and even brought it to Congolese Dance and Drum Camp.

I LOVE THIS DRUM. Well made. Worth the money. Customer service = excellent. They really care about making a quality instrument. Next possible purchase: dunnuns. There's a high possibility that I'll come back here.

Ryan and Matt make the best djembes on the planet and exceptional service