Drummer Cafe Community Forum

Hi everyone!  I'm a daily lurker (love this site :) ) and I could use some help.  I took a course in African drumming this summer and now I want to buy a djembe.  I  only have about $250 +tax to spend.  I think that I'd prefer one made in Africa or at least something comparable.  (goat skin head, rope tuning)
It seems that I may have to resort to shopping on the web because I have only been able to find one such djembe locally and it was cracked.  
Any advice, suggestions?  What to stay away from?
Thanks!

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=020908044408012218152129905340/search/g=home/detail/base_id/40776 (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=020908044408012218152129905340/search/g=home/detail/base_id/40776)

How's this?

http://larkinam.com

http://apollosaxes.com

some decent starting points for online ethnic percussion.

Here's my opinion:

I would not try to get a rope tension djembe if you are only wanting to spend $200 (or less).

If you are only spending that little money, you aren't going to get a high quality drum. These inexpensive djembes are typically in two pieces, bowl and throat, which are glued together. They work, but are hardly close to the sound you'll get from a djembe carved from a solid piece of wood. Rope tension is not easy to manage, especially if you live in an area with radical climate changes.

I'm not saying you can't get a good sounding drum for $200 that is rope tensioned. I just wouldn't limit myself to that criteria when only looking to spend that amount of money. Although the bolt tension drums don't necessarily "look" like a tradition drum, they do function quite well ... and are much easier to tune and maintain. As a session player, I normally prefer my bolt-tension drum over the rope tension ... simply for the reasons I've mentioned.

As in all things ...... remember this ..... you typically get exactly what you pay for!

Good luck in your quest for the perfect drum!

im with you bart. bolt tensioned may not be trad, but its very handy.  if i were buying a djembe id get a remo (in the earth finish, its the least offensive ;)) i live in seattle where climate is a huge issue with natural heads.

Thank you for your answers...and links...
you make some good points about considering the bolt tension.  Humidity is a problem here in the summer and the heat is on all winter.  Bart thanks for your input, all that info really helps me consider my choices carefully.
I'll look around a bit more, maybe try out the Remo.  I don't play in a group, I'll be using it primarily in the classroom.  (I'm a music teacher who took up drumset 2 years ago and as I mentioned above just took a course that introduced me to African drumming).  
Actually that class was at KoSA International Percussion Workshop...any body here go?  It was great!

Speaking of bolt-tension world percussion, I'm a fan of the Pearl Fiber-series bongos and djembes.

pearl seems to be doing allright with percussion.  so does meinl actually, id like to see them expand their line more, the stuff they make is solid.

I love my Remo!  You don't have to worry about changes in the weather making it sound like crap either.  I would never play if I had to mess with the rope tuning very often.

I have a very fine/professional Moperc djembe included in my collection.  This is the best I have.  Unfortunately, I have little opportunity to use it so it has remained in brand new condition since purchasing it only one year ago.

It's a 13" x 26"    .....very sweet drum!   Check it out at:

http://www.moperc.com/main_an.htm
(mine is the same as the finish seen on website)

If anyone's interested, I purchased the djembe; floor stand; shoulder harness and backpack style cushioned protective case for about $750.00 (USD) plus tax.    All in brand new condition.   Feel free to make an offer anytime.  I'm not necessarily looking to get rid of it so I'm bound to have it around for a while.   Hopefully I'll find a good situation to use it!  

....but would sell it here if the price was right, and if it's cool with Bart.    (Felix, Sidereal and I have bought/sold to each other here in the past).    

It's also for sale at Vermont Drums for $523.00 plus tax.   (djembe only)  -not bad!

http://www.angelfire.com/biz3/vermontdrums/mopercdjembe.html
(http://www.angelfire.com/biz3/vermontdrums/djembe13.jpg)

The Remo djembe is a good choice.  But, also see if you can find a rope tuned Indonesian djembe.  I picked up a one piece mahogany with 11 1/2" goat skin head that is well made and has a great sound and was more reasonably priced than any of the crude african drums I've seen.  Most of the african drums seem to be made of poor quality wood with excessive carving.

Just an update:
I ended up buying a 13" Moperc djembe, direct from the company.  My brother has bought several drums from them and knows the owner, who apparently gives very personal service.  I even got updates from my brother such as...."he just put the skin on, it has to dry for a few days".  Including shipping the US price was quite a bit less than the price being charged in Vermont.  It's a beautiful drum.   :)

You should be able to snag a reasonably good one, certainly a used one, for around that.  If you want the real sound, stick with the one piece of wood, rope tuned, goatskin type.

The ones to avoid are typically made in Ghana.   The wood is soft and lightweight, it's not hollowed out well, and the rope is cheap and can break.  They frequently have carvings on the base to impress the ignorant.  Some do sound good, but they tend to fall apart.

The better ones, such as from Mali, are made of heavier, denser wood.  If you pick one up, you'll realize this.  They're more smoothly carved and better hollowed out, and the ropes are strong.  

I would recommend a larger size, nominal 12" to 14" head.

I live in Seattle too, and the climate is actually djembe friendly, because it seldom gets real hot.

You could try calling John's Music.  It's a local place with a lot of djembes.  Their best ones are around $300, but they may have something in your price range that's good.  206-548-0916.

www.earthshakingmusic.com <-- Good supplier of West African Djembe's & other stuff.