congaplace.com

Had a chance to go to the NAMM show and Gon Bops had some conga cajons (and djembe cajon). I liked them.

I also have found these Valter ones on the web:

http://mx.youtube.com/watch?v=AP2VSVwrDhA

Besides Gon Bops and Valter, it seems that there are various types of cajons that are similar in shape (an upright drum). Fat, Meinl, Pearl, Zion are ones I've seen.

I'm starting to take more interest in obtaining some more (I've got a small Fat), but there is much to compare. Anyone know of other makers of this type of drum I can check out?

Mountain Rhythm also makes djembe cajons, I've discovered. Wonder how they sound.

Isla also used to make some conga cajons, but no longer does. They definitely sounded good.

everyonesdrumming.com also has djembe cajons.


But man, I wonder if/when Gon Bop is going to release the conga and djembe cajon's they had at NAMM this year. They sounded real good.

I'm just curious... what's the attraction to a cajon that is meant to imitate the sound of a different drum? Why not just get the drum it is imitating, and get cajones that sound like cajones? Again, just curious.

Because they DON'T sound exactly like the skinned drums that they were patterned after. For me, as a percussionist and arranger, I am interested in having more and more sounds at my disposal. Comes in real handy when working on music projects. It's like having more and more colors on an artist's pallette, only with percussion you can't just mix two colors together to get a new color. Therefore, different types of instruments are of interest to me. I thought perhaps others might have a use for the info, or even to be able to offer up some input themselves on this type drum.

Light Seeker wrote:I'm just curious... what's the attraction to a cajon that is meant to imitate the sound of a different drum? Why not just get the drum it is imitating, and get cajones that sound like cajones? Again, just curious.

Conga cajons are far lighter than stave congas with skin, and are more compact, since they have no tuning brackets. Some can even be stored inside each other. They are virtually unaffected by humidity and temperature. They produce very sharp, strong slaps.

I have bongo cajons and I love them. I'd love to have a set of conga cajons. Too expensive.

Yeah, a nice woody sound with absolutely NO ringing! I really enjoy this TYPE of drum. Haven't been able to test all of them though. They all seem to have different sounds from each other--- just like any other type of instrument. Some of the sounds have been VERY different from each other. Of the ones I've played, some have been a lot more useful to me than others. Bottom line, every instrument produces its own sounds and will take to different hand technique in different ways... therefore, they will all have their use somewhere. I'm getting some mileage out of a Fat Congas segundo right now, but I'm hoping to add some of the bigger drums to my stable soon.

I have a Meinl Bongo Cajon and love it! Kinda woody sound but that's ok. Great for flavor/fill-ins ..it's very different.

Just heard back from Gon Bops.... they hope to have the djembe cajon and conga cajons available (through dealers by special order) by the end of this month, if all goes well. They also mentioned that they had a 14" conga cajon in addition to the 10 and 12. Plus, I was told that they will have a bongo cajon, 3 sizes of bata cajons, and an UDU cajon too, if you can believe that. I wonder how those will sound. But the djembe and conga cajons sounded GREAT at NAMM, especially the 12" conga and the djembe. I don't have a price yet. Hope they aren't too expensive. I want some bad.

On another subject, just to add to this thread, ISLA used to make cajons as well... but stopped a while back. I have heard a couple when I visited their shop last year. Sounded great. They had a huge floor model bass, a floor and upright model medium size, and a small upright one like Fat's small one (only with slappable loose corners on two corners). None of them had strings, but were otherwise similar to box cajons or conga cajons. But Mario sold the patterns to a guy who apparently then went and passed away. So no more Isla cajons now, unfortunately.

As intrigued as I am with the different types of cajones that are getting more and more popular, they will always sound like what they are: a wooden box. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably end up getting one eventually. Just for the fact that they can be played quieter than the traditional skinned drums which makes it easier to practise in an apartment or shared accommodation situation makes a well made cajon worth having. And they do sound nice.
The tones of a nicely tuned conga can't be replaced by a cajon, neither can the crisp, bright slap of a goat skinned djembe can never be duplicated by anything.
Just my personal opinion...

Perhaps, but go click on the link that was posted in the very first post of this thread, for the video of the Valter ones. Turn your speakers up! Those ones don't sound exactly like a typical wooden box to me.... quite tonal, in fact.

One of the nice things about cajones is the inspiring history of the cajon as a musical instrument, which came about largely because they are basically free or cheaply made. You can make a good sounding cajon from scrap wood you find in the street. If you don't hang out in the streets, or are in a hurry, you can splurge and spend 10 or 15 bucks at a lumberyard or Home Depot for the wood. A pencil, paper, ruler, saw, file, hammer, some glue, some wire nails, some sandpaper, a vacuum cleaner to clean up, and a little bit of ingenuity or someone else who knows how to make one, and you can build it in an evening. Don't like how it sounds? Modify your design and build another one, or modify the one you have. Once you have the tools and some understanding of what determines the sound, you can make them for a few dollars and a couple hours' work.

Cajones don't have to sound like a wooden box, good players can make music on basically any cajon. People underestimate the time and skill needed to learn to play a cajon. Getting or making the cajon is less than 2% of the story, developing the art of making music with a cajon is the other 98%+.

It is a good thing is that cajones are not as loud as congas. They can give a better balance with singers, especially in acoustic folkloric music. At a rumba, you don't have to be always telling the "concussionists" to play softer so the singers can be heard. With real musicians playing who know about dynamics and actually listen and play for the sound there is no advantage, because they play at an appropriate volume, but that is not always the situation.

The danger is that a lot of people try to play a cajon like a skinned drum, hitting much too hard, trying to do slaps the same as on a conga or djembe. You can seriously hurt your hands overplaying a cajon, not to mention breaking the fibers of the plywood batter surface and killing the sound forever.

They do sound awesome for sure. If and when I go shopping for a pair of cajones the Valters would be in the top 3 choices based on what I saw in this video. I just wish I could see some up close and personal so I could really hear what they sound like and see the quality workmanship and materials.

Here's a link to someone I know personally who makes cajones and other instruments and I've seen and heard the ones he makes and they also sound great and he is also a talented craftsman. For me, he's just a 45 minute drive away - I don't know where you live but it's likely not on Vancouver Island!

http://moonrisemusic.ca/

Chris has a preference for custom making his instruments for people and establishing a relationship with them but he does have a cajon for sale right now, I think.

Cajones don't have to sound like a wooden box, good players can make music on basically any cajon. People underestimate the time and skill needed to learn to play a cajon. Getting or making the cajon is less than 2% of the story, developing the art of making music with a cajon is the other 98%+.

Excellent point! Good players can pretty much make anything sound good... anything from buttocks to barstools! The only difference of opinion I have on making them is that I would go with the best materials that I could afford to buy, but that's the the woodworker in me talking

May as well add the Klanginitiative "Darajon" to this thread. Link to the other thread:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4678