Skins
For several years now we have been using European goat skin. They are not to be confused with the goat skins used in West Africa which are only suitable for drum heads, not full-size koras.   We have been delighted with the quality of these skins which we buy direct from the artisan in France.  The skins have been processed and dried so sourcing, storage and use is much easier, which has become so important since we moved our kora-making to our home in Kafountine, Senegal.  When we first started using them we were very sceptical, as we had only used fresh red deerskins for many years. However we had to accept that the skins and the kora bodies they produce are exceptional.

Alternatives
On the Keno koras we now offer a wooden-topped top quality (AAA grade) Sitka Spruce sound board as an option.

Before we moved to Kafountine, Senegal, this part of the kora body used to present us with a challenge as they are so fragile to transport until made into a kora.  The arrival of a lovingly and well packed parcel of 10 from our good friend Aliou Gassama in Ziguinchor that rattled when we picked up is still seared on our memories… and for years we flew back from Senegal with most of our calabashes in purpose built crates, having to show the customs officers calabashes on their phones explaining what they are…  “Yes it really is just a hollow, dried vegetable shell, officer”  Life is much simpler now that we source them locally in Gambia and Senegal – it still presents some challenges but we no longer end up with cracked and broken calabashes.

We have also worked with the wonderful David Thille of La Case a Gourdes in France.  He works with a wide range of growers across the world and it’s great to be able to choose from such a wide selection.  David is just as obsessed with gourds in all their forms as we are with koras.

We use top quality Gotoh guitar machine heads on all of our koras, from Student to Keno.   Trebles are used as standard but bass machine heads are an option.  They are larger and stronger so enable thicker or twisted strings to be used, as well as greater tension.  We will replace up to 5 trebles on a 21-string kora, and up to 6 on a 22-string.

Chrome is standard but it is possible to have black machine heads, matching eyelets and calabash tacks as an option.

We use monofilament nylon and include spares for the lighter strings.  As you may have heard, it is indeed fishing line, but of 9 different gauges, all clear in colour.  We discourage the use of coloured strings as the player becomes dependent on the visual clue.   The debate always continues though and we may yet be persuaded to make the 5th string on each side a black/coloured string as a reference, watch this space!

Specialist strings are an option and use Fluorocarbon and Hard Nylon.  These strings gives a brighter sound, with more resonance. It can make playing sound more harp like, so if you are trying to play the traditional repertoire, these strings actually make it harder and so we do not recommend them for beginners.

Twisted bass strings are an option too, they give more volume, but they need bass machine heads on the kora to take the strain.  Some people don’t like the feel of twisted strings, others love them.   They, like our standard strings,  are available as a separate product in Accessories.   We also sell partial sets which are the four lightest gauges.  If you only need one particular gauge just get in touch.

The other components of our koras include metal eyelets where the string enters the neck, a marine-quality fixed eyebolt to tie the tail strings onto, and tacks to fix the skin to the calabash and to decorate it.

All are parts that have been chosen after many years of research and trial, and as with the machine heads, we have found that good quality in the end wins hands down over cost.