[davidognomo]

if anyone can tell me more about it eg.type of wood or where it may originate from

that is a senegalese djembe. the wood is dimba, most likely, almost every senegalese djembes are. I have one like that. These drums are mostly made to export, to sell to europeans. I found some in Brazil also. In Brazil, for instance, I saw some senegalese drums that looked nicer that what I usually see here in Portugal, and, as some might look nicer on the outside, it's on the inside that you realize that the major concern of building the djembe was an appealing look so it sells to anyone, even someone who doesn't play djembe, but wants to buy it because it's a beautiful object from african craftwork.
Nevertheless, although the interior of the bowl is very irregular, there are some, or even most of these senegalese drums sound nice. I prefer one of these to those from indonesia and tailand.

[dontambor]

Here's my baby, a +or- 13 inch playing surface conakry lenke carved by Dalay Balde in Ratoma, Simbaya Gare, it's in the post office, i unpacked it in the very moment it landed in my hands...



It's a little uncared as you can see, after one week of work, sanding, polishing, oiling, and he's beauty came to sight:



after that skin, I decided to put a calf skin on it, it sounded good, nice volume, deep bass, but the tones and slaps wheren't like i tought, so i came back to my mid thickness Mexican skin worked by me

Calf:


goat tuning:


It sounds!

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT44kkslpYk[/video]

That's a Soli lent pattern, please don't be rude, I have several time without playing as this djembe came to me just a year ago... and i had like three or four years without even see a djembe...

greeetings

[michi]

No need to be rude, that's nice playing!

Michi.

PS: Just post something where you play badly, and I'll be rude

[Paul]

Picked up a fairly nice drum in Senegal. The work there is coming on well and it's nice to find someone who can work Dimba properly and make a clean inside job

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[Dugafola]

nice. my guinea friend picked up a few of those shells on his way back to california. at first i didn't like the sound much, but now that it's a few year older and seasoned, it sounds really good.

[Worcester Djembe]

Here's one I did for a friend, beautiful Hare shell from Shorty.

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[Worcester Djembe]

new head and rope (same drum as my avatar). guinea lenke.

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[Waraba]

Picked up a fairly nice drum in Senegal. The work there is coming on well and it's nice to find someone who can work Dimba properly and make a clean inside job

2014-07-01 18.20.55.jpg

I like those brass tacks holding up the crisscrossed decorative rope on the shell.

[sixdigit]

Just bought this Wula drum from a friend. The drum hasn't been played for more than 2 years, which was a shame because it sounds soooo good!

[mnmack]

I will play I am new to djembefola.com My new drum by Thierno Moussa Kante and I am completely in love with it. It sounds the way it looks...thick goat skin. I my other baby is getting some care by our local djembe builder...photos to come.

Yours in Rhythm and Solidarity
Marta

[Tom]

Just bought this Wula drum from a friend. The drum hasn't been played for more than 2 years, which was a shame because it sounds soooo good!

I remember that drum well. When it needs a remount, let me know.

[DjembeJamm]

Hi everyone! I've been a lurker here for ages, this is my first real post I wanted to show off a really special piece that I purchased about a year ago from my good friend Tom Kondas of Wula Drum. Tom and I go way back, as drumming partners, drum builders, and just good friends in general. A long while ago Tom mentioned to me that he had come across a really special specimen of Acajou that he had plans for while he was in Guinea. This was in passing conversation and I didn't think much of it at the time, but about a year later he sent me a photo of his completed project - and wow. I had to have it.

The drum is mounted with a medium thick skin of superb quality, and in my opinion the color contrast of the hair with the deep red color of the wood really pops. The decorative carving (M. Sylla) and metal work is museum quality. I know some of you dislike ornate carving, but you have to admit - this is different.

The most striking thing about this drum is the SOUND (that's what really matters when it comes down to it). I have two other Wulas, one "special piece" and one "master piece" and neither - not by a long shot - compare to this drum. The slaps, tones and bass are effortless and pronounced. I am surprised by the bass response because a lot of drums can crack slaps and "doo" tones, but lack in bass response (mostly because you have to crank them to dial them in). This drum does all three very well. Obviously you have to have some basic technique to play it, but it really is effortless to me in comparison to my other 2 Wulas. The drum has fantastic projection without having to really hit the drum hard and handily rivals my $1200 masterpiece lengue Wula. I can't really put how this drum plays into words adequately, my apologies . It's just different in it's responsiveness, in a really good way. It really is a special piece.

I've enclosed some photos Tom sent me of the drum being carved and built. It looks like I can only post 3 at a time.

[DjembeJamm]

Some more photos. Everything but the decorative carving and metal work was done by Tom.

[michi]

Wow! That is a truly superb piece of craftsmanship!

My one concern: the raised pieces of carving on the bowl will abrade the rope, and rope will abrade the carving as you do the Mali weave. If you want to keep the carving on the bowl in top shape, I suspect this will be a matter of tuning the drum on a press. No Mali weave, except maybe the first row. Definitely no second row, I would think.

I really love the look of this drum though. It's a piece of art. Beautiful!

Cheers,

Michi.

[DjembeJamm]

Thanks Michi. This is an amazing drum. It sounds just as good as it looks. Really Tom's (and his crew's) best achievement thus far, and I am amazed to own it.