Drum Maintenance

All drums come with a Tuning & Care Guide. Your drum comes tuned and ready to play. Beware of tuning too much too soon. Each skin has a natural elasticity and needs to be “played in” – you’ll get the best sound and life-span out of your skin with proper care, tuning and patience.

What Isn’t Covered

What Isn’t Covered

Breakage caused by irresponsible use or accidental damage caused by the customer (eg Sharp object through the hide or dropping from height). If you’re unsure, send your drum in for an on the spot assessment.

Timber

All our shells are covered under a life-long warranty. Under normal-use conditions your djembe should last you forever! This includes drums which have been repaired – you can trust their structural integrity. If you notice any change in the timber of the shell, please contact us.

SKINS on our DRUMS

5-Month Graduated Warranty
We’re proud to offer a 5-Month Graduated Warranty on all our African hand drums and select other drums, including djembes (African and Indonesian), dunun, talking drums, bara, sabar, African congas, kpanlogo, and more. This warranty is designed to give you peace of mind and covers premature issues with your drum.

About Drum Skins
Drum skins are natural products, and their durability can vary—some may last several months, while others can last for years. If a skin has a undetectable flaw, it will usually become apparent within the first five months, which is why our warranty is tailored to this timeframe. Please note, pre-loved items are not covered by this warranty.

Drums made by an External Company
For drums made by external manufacturers, such as Mano, Remo, or LP, warranty conditions are determined by the respective manufacturer. We’re happy to assist in expediting any warranty requests on your behalf. The drum may need to be returned to the manufacturer for assessment before they decide on the next steps.

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 cover skins damaged due to neglect or misuse. Drum skins can be delicate, and improper techniques—such as using sticks incorrectly—may cause them to split. Our team carefully assesses each drum before making a final decision on warranty coverage.

Timber

Our drum shells are protected by a lifetime structural warranty, ensuring that your djembe or dun shell is built to stand the test of time under normal use. This warranty also extends to 2nd Grade drums that have been repaired, so you can trust their structural integrity.

In addition to drum shells, the following timber instruments are also covered under this warranty:

♪  African Marimbas and Balafons
♪  Gadzikwa Series Cajons
♪  Rob Towler Tongue Drums

Please note – Our warranty does not cover subtle changes in pitch in timber instruments as they “settle in. This is a natural part of an instruments journey and may occur over the lifespan especially during periods of extreme changes in weather.

If you notice any obvious changes or issues with the timber of your drum or instrument, please reach out to us. Our team is happy to assist and ensure your instrument continues to perform at its best.

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.

Skins purchased from African Drumming

We carefully select premium-quality skins for your drum, ensuring they are free from visible faults and built to last. However, as a natural product, some hidden defects may not be apparent at the time of selection.

Tips for 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

What Is Considered a Faulty Skin?
A faulty skin is one with inherent defects. This does not include:

♪  Skins that break during the drum-making process due to over-soaking, over-stretching, over-tightening, or accidental cuts caused by tools, metal welds, or rings.
♪  Skins that develop damage after purchase due to improper storage or exposure to insects or animals.

Skin Warranty Terms

We’re here to help! If you’ve noticed an issue, please send us clear photos and a brief description of how and when it happened. If our team finds the skin to be inherently faulty, we’ll send you a replacement.

For skins mounted on drums that break, it may not always be possible to determine the cause of the fault—whether it’s an inherent defect or an issue that occurred during the drum-making process. In such cases, we may offer a 50% discount on a replacement skin purchase, with the customer covering postage costs.

If an XL skin is found to be faulty, African Drumming will provide a replacement disc of the same type of skin for drums up to 15″ in size.

The African Drumming Guarantee

Drumming is our passion. We value the drums we craft and the customers who buy them – it’s what our business is centred around.

Beyond our warranty, we’re only happy when you’re happy. If there is anything amiss with your drum then we are only a call or an email away.
We can always make it right!

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