Please help with my first Djembe

[68riviera430]

Hello everyone, I am new to here and to Djembe, however not to drumming. I have been playing the drums since about age 6 and after a trip to lesotho africa a few years ago and later australia where I bought and learned how to play a professional didj, I have become more in tune with the "natural" style instruments if you will.
I am looking for my first Djembe, I really should have gotten one while I was in Africa, but...
Anyways I am now on the internet and have been particularly looking at this drum http://www.djembedirect.com/item/djembe ... embe_13x24
and the wula standard djembe.
I really like the natural look, not much carving, none if possible with the fur on the edges and obviously one that will sound good and be able to keep for years as I develop my skills with this instrument.
Any opinions on these drums or suggestions for others in this price range would be greatly appreciated.

[michi]

My suggestion would be to get a Wula drum or one of the Drumskull ones. You are guaranteed a first-rate drum that way. The one you picked looks OK, but no more, and it is a little on the small side. I would suggest 13-14", rather than 12-13".

Cheers,

Michi.

[68riviera430]

I am also looking at this drum, even though it doesnt have the natural look with the fur like I would like http://www.x8djembe.com/djembe-large/stallion.asp
or this one which is larger...too big?
http://www.x8djembe.com/djembe-large/stallion-15.asp

[Trog]

There are 2 on the Wula drum site for $350. the numbers are 0331 and 0408. IMO, either of these would be nice.

[michi]

I am also looking at this drum, even though it doesnt have the natural look with the fur like I would like http://www.x8djembe.com/djembe-large/stallion.asp
or this one which is larger...too big?
http://www.x8djembe.com/djembe-large/stallion-15.asp

Both of these are cheap copies that, at best, will sound average. If nothing else, please consult with your teacher before buying a drum. A good 90% of what you find for sale on websites and in music stores is junk. You need advice from an experienced person to get a good drum.

If you don't have access to someone like that, I suggest you browse some of the threads on this forum about what makes a good djembe and what does not. You will also find after a bit of reading that the number of reputable online dealers collapses to just a handful. These are the dealers that people time and time again have made good experiences with. As best as I can tell, X8 Drums is not part of that group.

Cheers,

Michi.

[Rhythm House Drums]

I think there are basically 2 markets out there for djembes... or any instrument for that. There is the player/craftsmen who prides their work on quality and craftsmanship, and there are the business/money makers, that see a chance for profit and generally don't know a whole lot about what they are selling, they just pay attention to the charts and the money graphs. Unfortunately it can be hard to distinguish the two for a novice looking for a good instrument.

With statements like this... http://www.x8djembe.com/blog/2007/10/important-facts-about-hand-carved.asp ... I'll let you form your own opinion.

You want something with at least a 13" head. I find right around 13.5" to be a great size for most. Look for something in the traditional woods, lenke, djalla, iroko, khadi, dimba.. etc. not mahogany.

Edit: African mahogany is a great wood for drums, this plantation mahogany that some are using is soft open-grained wood that is cheap and grows really fast, but horrible sound. True African mahogany is very dense, and much more expensive.... be weary of any mahogany djembes..

[Kaitaro]

I strongly agree with last two posts

cheers
kai

[Garvin]

With statements like this... http://www.x8djembe.com/blog/2007/10/important-facts-about-hand-carved.asp ... I'll let you form your own opinion.

Wow... That is priceless.

[Dugafola]

With statements like this... http://www.x8djembe.com/blog/2007/10/important-facts-about-hand-carved.asp ... I'll let you form your own opinion.

Wow... That is priceless.

focking terrible.

[Waraba]

I'd like to add--

Occasionally, cracks will appear in the wood, or the wood may be crafted from a composite material. Many djembes will arrive only 6" tall. Often, djembes will arrive broken. This is natural, and to be expected. It is not unusual to find two djembes, one slightly larger than the other, connected by a block of wood, and held between the legs. Some can be worn on a necklace, and some djembes may be held to the lips and blown, resulting in a brassy sound.