So much the infoes! I can not understanding

[jinkywilliams]

Howdy!

Ah done been taking a gander 'round this site, making sure I didn't re-post a common question.

I'm looking to maybe spend some decent money (<$500) on a good djembe.

Drumskull, Wula and Rhythm Traders seem to be online vendors in good standing with this community. I found djembefola through review of other websites, and have read a good deal of information that seemed to be coming from different angles and didn't all jive (I know, big surprise).

A couple of things, right off:

1. I've been looking for information as to what type of visual cues I should be looking for as far as assessing the probability that I'm looking at a quality djembe. Most places don't show you a shot of the shell's interior so you can see how it was created (lathed or hand-axed, thickness, etc.). The djembe buying guide on Rhythm Traders was very helpful, as it provided good photos and detailed information about the wood and construction methods for different shell types and geographical locations.

So, I know I can look for wood types, and I'm sure that if I knew what to look for (and the photos were of sufficient quality), I could observe some other aspects of drum construction that would function as good tells.

Also, having some idea of things to look for once I got it in my hands would be nice, too, for craigslist finds.

2. As far as pricing is concerned, what types of things are factors? Name-brand, I'm sure, but from the looks of things, a brand name is generally a way of knowing what to avoid (as far as quality wood drums go).

I don't expect my life will take me on a path of djembe mastery, but I do want an instrument that will give me a fair amount of room to grow. I'm looking for more of the "knowing" (as opposed to "knowing of")-type of knowledge that can only come from personal experience. People you've done business with locally and remotely, real-world situations, etc. This looks like a place to find this in concentrated amounts.

Thanks for reading, and for any responses.

[davidognomo]

have you checked the "show off your axe" thread? There you can take a look at the djembes that people here on djembefola buy and assemble for themselves. That can give you a clue on what the guys here consider a djembe worth having. For $500 I'm guessing you can get a nice djembe on one of the online vendors you mencioned. There are also some members here on the forum who import shells and skins from west africa, assemble them and sell them. You have a lot of options (that, for what I see here at the forum, are reliable). you only have to know what you want.

[bubudi]

hi jinky, where you from?

$400-$500 will get you a decent drum. the vendors you mentioned will tend to price their better pieces up in the $550+ range, though.

those vendors are respected here because of the amount of time those people have been around. rhythm traders were the original. drumskull are known for their quality and have been around a very long time. wula are relatively new (8 years?) but michael (one of the wula partners) established it with a long standing reputation, along with tom who already had a lot of experience making and building drums. there are others, such as onetree and some of the drumskull and wula resellers.

1. I've been looking for information as to what type of visual cues I should be looking for as far as assessing the probability that I'm looking at a quality djembe.

take a look at the buying guide on this site. it's by no means a complete guide, but it's a pretty good start.

if you contact some of the vendors, you may be able to get them to send you pictures of the inside of the bowl. i know wula have done so in the past. they send their drums directly from africa and see the whole process through. drumskull put the drums together in their warehouse. they could easily take pictures before the skin goes on. however, without having seen and played a lot of drums yourself, it will be hard to understand what to look for.

2. As far as pricing is concerned, what types of things are factors? Name-brand, I'm sure, but from the looks of things, a brand name is generally a way of knowing what to avoid (as far as quality wood drums go).

i'm afraid it's not that clear cut. certain brand names like lp, remo, etc will use cheap (usually asian) manufacturing to copy the shape of the djembe and make a sub-quality djembe, and often at a more expensive price than a good genuine african djembe would cost!

other brands are about marketing - it gives the illusion of being more 'professional' to westerners who are unseasoned in knowing what makes a good drum. after all, all the top-end western instruments tend to look fantastic and tend to be made by very respected brands. but this isn't a western instrument.

wula now brand their drums, although they say that they do it to avoid people mistaking their immitators' drums as being theirs.

the up-side with some of the respected djembe brands is that as long as they stay at the top of their game, going with that brand is often the best chance many people will have of ensuring a high quality instrument.

[bubudi]

have you checked the "show off your axe" thread? There you can take a look at the djembes that people here on djembefola buy and assemble for themselves. That can give you a clue on what the guys here consider a djembe worth having.

with all due respect, i think the focus on that thread has tended to be on how good those drums look. i'm sure they all sound great, but people are showing off their spotted, wrinkle-free goat skins, rope wraps, decorative metal bling-bling, etc.

i've seen a lot of crappy looking drums that sound amazing. not smoothly sanded, no wax/varnish/oil, ropes looking all chewed up, rings a little off to the side, bearing edge not consistent, no rubber bottom. but when you hear them, you would much rather lay down $500 for them. you can always do some work to make your drum look pretty.

[gmckayle]

I do not know Drumskull or Rhythm Traders drums well, so I am not comparing... but I know Wula drums well and they are excellent. The company itself has a great deal of integrity and is run by professional drummers who know what they want in a djembe. I sell Wula drums here in Prescott, AZ and have been delighted with my working relationship with all the people at Wula Drum. I have met several of them personally and have taken classes with Michael Markus. I highly recommend them

Gaby

[e2c]

Totally agreed on the quality of the drums Wula makes and sells, as well as the integrity, helpfulness, et. al.

They're very nice people, and they have a real commitment to helping people from Guinea earn a good living from making and selling drums.

[jinkywilliams]

Thanks for all the assistance and feedback.

I'm currently reading http://djembefola.com/articles/guide-to ... djembe.php . Thanks for directing me to that.

I'll be keeping you updated when I finally choose... whenever that is.