Why some skins are ugly

Some mule skins you see are pretty gnarly on the underside and give the top a bit of a beaten up look. I have spent long hours looking at the nicks and scars on hides and some are bad and some not. Mule hide is very dense so many of the things we think are issues will never become issues.

Some hides are splits....
This is a very important thing to understand . Splits will more times than not look like a perfect skin and very well may be but its from a thicker animal and "split" to make a thin hide. I have done many test with hides from 3oz up to almost 9oz. I am of the opinion & for my personal taste 4-6oz is the way to go. I also like to use relatively the same weight on all my drums. I strive to make sure I have top product and that once mounted that same care in selection comes through in the tone of the drum.