Sonnberg™ have been producing finest goat parchment to cater to the most exacting of musical tastes since 2012. These skins grace the timpani of the Wiener Paukenwerkstatt as well as many of our restored historic instruments.
We use a special preparation method to grind the skins down to various strengths in order to provide every percussion instrument with its own unique and perfect sound. Thus far solely orchestras in Austria traditionally played on goat skin drums.
The novel quality of Sonnberg™ skins is convincing musicians all over the world to try out goat skin as well as calf. These goat parchments are made from rawhide and thus provide a richer variety of overtones. In addition, they have a very pronounced fundamental note, which gives the perfect bass foundation, especially for larger drums.
The skins are also a welcome addition to timpani of all kinds, as they provide a full and mellow sound even in lower registers, as well as smooth, rich high tones in the middle registers. Responsiveness and rhythmic intelligibility are also more distinct than those of calf skins. The only aspect in which calf is slightly superior to goat is in the fortissimo range.
Many drummers like to use a mixture of calf and goat skins on large drums. On small drums, Sonnberg™ skins provide a sound that is dry, soft and sharp. The new Sonnberg™ resonance skins offer a particularly fine addition to small drums, especially Dresden drums. Since the discontinuation of Kalfo’s Elbo line, there have been no natural resonance skins available, and orchestral drummers have been forced to turn to plastic resonance skins. However, these don’t harmonise so well with the natural skin of the top head. Sonnberg™ skins are also perfect for tambourines and bongos, goblet drums and other hand drums.
We not only sell Sonnberg™ parchments as drumheads – the products are also available to purchase for use in violin making, organ making, book restoration, cabinet making and for arts and crafts.
Sonnberg™ skins are the perfect addition to our broad selection of drumheads, which includes all Kalfo, Remo and Evans products in a variety of strengths and sizes.
The development of Sonnberg™ timpani and drum skins is by no means complete, and we are constantly working to improve and increase the scope of these products to allow you to find the perfect skin for your instrument.
