Good question, we have bus loads of threads here about calf heads, your correct calf and goat heads where the first ones and yes that was why they where used,

but with that said alot of jazz players still swear by them, you have to have a certain knowledge to use and care for them, re tucking the heads flesh hoops etc, Ringo Starr used calf skin heads on his Jazz festival, give a Beatles cd a listen., I am a plastic head guy but I have 30's and 40's drums I'm going to eventually give calf heads a try. give this a listen Louie Bellson on calf skin heads, no plastic head can produce this sound, darn it. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBQWaCLlK9Y&feature=related[/ame]

I use calf heads throughout my WFL kit with the exception of the snare side.

Think hand drums - personally I much prefer the tone of real skin on them. The drawback being the skin changes tension very easily and always needs tuning for playing. On a rope tuned djembe for instance if tuned tight for playing it should be slackened a bit afterwards. If it is tight and is exposed to heat it can break the skin...

The same applies to skin on the kit. Calf was the most common skin used in the past and could be bought in different grades of quality. The skins were tucked in to flesh hoops ready for mounting. Tuning can be a bit of a pain as there are a few heads to do to get them sounding right. It doesn't take long with a couple of drum keys though! When mylar heads came in it made everything much easier and so the use of calf heads faded. The sound is very different though. ..

With calf the thickness is not generally consistant throughout the head. This creates slightly different sounds around the head (more so than a mylar) The general sound is beautifuly mellow and dark.

Not the most practical heads if you are moving the drums around for gigging. Great though with vintage drums for a kit you have set up in a fairly controlled climate where adjustments are not so great.