DRUMMER CAFE

My review of the Schalloch, which isn't bad

http://www.drummercafe.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,2/topic,12434.msg144467#msg144467

Sorry my detail photos are missing.   They're no longer online and I lost them when I lost my harddrive recently.  

I have a DG cajon, it's great... I wouldn't get Meinl, I tried them, didn't like it at all compared to DG.  I only played Baja FC cajon. Great build quality. sounded good too, but I like flamenco cajon sound since I use it more in western music. I guess for rumba you would need cajon without snares so FC with two sides might be what you need.  BTW DG yaqui that I have has great bass sound, and you wouldn't want any more of it, it would be out of balance with slap/snare sound IMHO.
I wish I could post a song we just finished recording with it, I think it's great showcase for that cajon... not to mention great song. 
cheers

Hi everyone, after so many days on the net driving my investigation about which cajon to buy, I finally found and learned out what a cajon should be. As I thought from a beginning, we are talking of a real instrument that has personal caracteristics. In most of the info displayed on the net we read that the "Cajon Peruano" is the original instrument but focusing on the "Cajon Flamenco" with an F we understand this last one is related but far to be the same instrument. Simply realize that Flamenco is totally different than latin music, the rythm, the vocals, the tone, there is no similarity, most of the latin music find its roots in african clave while Flamenco appears around the 16th century in the south of Spain and find its roots between the gipsies and the Moores. it's obvious then that requirment and sound caracterisics must be different. As usual big brand which beneficiate from a huge marketing budget have polluted the ears of novice and sell thousand of drum boxes which do not comply with the real standards.

The sound of what is supposed to be a cajon is really defined. Both bass and highs are balanced, the sustain is controlled which give a clean resonance without scandalous vibration. The theory make sense, sound is the consequence of an impact which produce a vibration inside the box, the walls made of higher density wood give a better and more defined resonance as there is less external factors affecting the frequencies. So it's a matter of density. In plywood, each sheet is glued together with a saw dust or reconstitued wood sheet in the middle like a sandwich. Obviously the density is poor and the all box suffer a huge vibration from both side. Anyway I could talk for another hour about it !

After downloading a bunch of mp3 of cajones sound, work them out in garageband and listen again and again, I claim that the best sound was with no doubt the ones built by Germán Ocaña from Barcelona, Spain. Germán is a professional luthier who builds "cajones" using only hardwood and not plywood, He's also reknown for building Harps. I'm impress by his technicall knowledge and his theory about why this or that make the most comun sense to me. Each "cajon" he sells is specially built for the musician according the musical style, the experience but also the location in order to select the best wood available (temperatures, humidity are relevant).

The delay between construction and shipping is about 4-5 weeks, prices are reasonable considering the work envolved and the materials and even more when you realized the instrument is made specially for you. Actually and contrary to his opponent, all the cajones are personalized by the type of wood, the sculptural aspect, the decoration, it's a piece of art. The model "Quijote" which I chosen is curved on the back for a better resonance and will have a Spanish theme for the decoration.

Enough talking, I hope this can help musicians that are in the situation I was. I will certainly post again with photos when I recieve it beginning August ~ For now and in the mean time, it's 4:20, Cheers

I haven't seen any reviews on the LP Mario Cortes Cajon. Mr. Cortes seems to be quite respected within the industry. As I read it is made of 100% birch and constructed differently than most mass-produced cajones. LP is only involved with the distribution (as with RMV Brazilian percussion). Anything to share about it?

Danny,

I truly apologize that I haven't responded.   

I have seen some LP lines of cajons, I just don't remember which ones.  LP always produces good quality instruments, so your shouldn’t be disappointed in you purchase.  To types of items are used for the snare/snappy sound; 1 guitar strings to emulate the Flamenco sound of Spain, 2. snares to really get a cut/crack sound.  IMO, Both sound good.  One of the "cons" to having the snares is having the bass rattle due to the dimensions of the box.  It's not like a drum kit, so you'll have to be a little more tolerant of snare buzz.

With regards to technique - there are a couple of websites on cajon lessons; you may want to check them out.

Cleos, how much did it cost, and can you post some pics for us?
Thanks

I got my LP Mario Cortés w/free shipping from samash.com for $167.99. Have recorded twice with it and sounded killer - for half the price of the Ocaña.

Nothing against luthiers or custom instruments.

Hello to all, I have not been able to avoid the necessity to think in this forum about the subject that previously exposed cleos. The comparison that Danny has made about the economic value of Courteous and a Ocaña is, under my criterion, an absurd comparison. He is something similar to compare an industrial violin made in Chinese with a violin of the constructed Italian school in a small factory. It is certain that to you you like the sound of Courteous. He is easy to touch and, therefore, deceptive. I have in house 14 different cajons, one of them is Ocaña. If a day you have the necessity to extract the cover of the Cortes cajon you will be able to verify the enormous lie of its publicity. Nothing is absolutely wood, is even easy to distinguish the conglomerate used in the construction of mediocre furniture. A musician of Madrid that is been in its factory knows the affection well that is put in the construction of these. A friend carpenter made a budget of construction of this cajon of 15 dollars, hefting the cost of the materials use. Nevertheless, he thought that the Ocaña cajon was very economic judging by the materials and the laboriosidad of its assembly. In short, to think that a cardboard cajon is economic because it has a value of 170 dollars if that is to sin of ingenuous. Ah, it is very easy to make sound a cajon when this one is filtered by sound equipment. I do not believe either that Cris is much right on its theories of construction. I congratulate to Cleos by its election.
By

Wau... tú si eres un fanático del instrumento!!!.

I mentioned before that the LP/Cortés was not 100% birch (or abedul for our friend) as the Cortés professional models. Indeed, I mentioned the fact that it has some compressed-wood panels. If I raved about it, it was because: 1) it had a better selling price than most mass-produced cajones, 2) there are not many luthiers making cajones in the USA (neither in Puerto Rico - where I live) and 3) it has an amazing sound quality - one of the recordings I did was with Earthworks microphones and the engineer had to switch the bass mic for one of the overheads because it was too much bass to handle.

Aquí todos somos amigos, so don't take it personal.

Hi guys new to this forum 

was hunting the net for info on cajons, as im searching for a gooden. I have one at the moment but its cheep and nasty and its time to upgrade : )

Found this forum in my search and read this thread and thought it worth joining the forum and getting some views. I too was looking at DG cajons and especially their yaqui model, what are peoples views ive heard a few comments on it but would really appreciate some advise from an owner of one.

Also has anyone had any contact with DG and their zambo (which has an on / off snare mechanism)

look forward to a respnse.

rob

Myself I believe a cajon should be made by a luthier or a cajonero that knows how to make a cajon. I really hate the cajones made by the big companies because they lack the real sound of a flamenco cajon. Meinl to me it is just a toy cajon, the heads are too thick to begin with, they are more like a peruvian cajon although it is made as a flamenco cajon so it lack the high clacking sound of the peruvian cajon as well. The Fatcongas I have tried them as well and it is just another cajon nothing great as well, the Lp it is getting closer to the flamenco cajon sound but the MDF wood on the sides of the cajon makes it kind of heavy. Although the MDF on the side of the cajones makes it a cajon with less vibration on the wood so you get a fast clear sound coming from the sound hole without a lot of resonance, wich some people like I don't. I guess the best cajon I have played are the Cajon LaPeru made by a german company. Although there is also some good ones on ebay as well so those that want to get a cajon can also get a good quality cajon there as well. With regards to the gentleman that says that you have been had if you buy a cajon over 190 dollars he is completely wrong, because it takes a lot of work for the luthier that makes the cajon and works the wood, even if it is plywood it takes some that know how to make a cajon to be able to make it sound as a flamenco cajon it is not just a tomato crate with a hole on the back or side. It is a piece of instrument that if it is made of solide wood or ply still has to sound nice, good bass and nice highs. This big companies they do not make good cajones. This is why I do not play a yamaha classical guitar but rather a flamenco guitar made by a luthier that knows how to make them. A carpenter is not a luthier and cannot make guitars, why should he be able to make cajones, it is not the same thing to make an instrument than making kitchen cabinets. Just my two pennies.......