I am not sure where you are at, but some of the best sounding drums anywhere are being made by Fred Halpin in Montreal, Canada. One need only look at the folks playing them to know he is onto something. The secret in a good sounding drum is always in the skin. Fred uses a thick goatskin with his own tanning process. He has also devised a tuning system that is the best I have ever seen. Amazing instruments. If you do a websearch, he has a site.