Djembes??

[rick913]

I'm looking into buying a Djembe but i'm pretty clueless into what brand/wood/size is appropriate. I'm looking into spending no more then $240 on it. Some pointers would be helpful! thanks!

[drummerchick435]

I got a Toca 12in rope tuned djembe for Christmas so I don't know what the cost was but it's great! Amazing sound!
My 0.02c

[Deathmetalconga]

In that price range, Toca and Pearl make good stuff for the money, so does Meinl. I would recommend going with bolt tuning. I have dozens of hand drums and all are bolt tuned. Rope tuning just isn't worth the hassle to me, although it is more traditional.

www.terrasonus.com

[gcarlet]

I've got a Remo one that is bolt tuned. It's pretty sweet. I think it came from Guitar Center.

[rick913]

If anyone has seen Jason Mraz's percussionist, Toca Rivera, i'm trying to get something similar to his djembe's size and/or brand.
Also, what's the difference between bolt and rope tuning?
I'm guessing that bolt is similar to a regular drum with tension rods around the drum while the rope tuning has ropes around the drum you tune with?

[Garvin]

For a real djembe try this link. Best quality shells and skins, awesome pre-assembled drums. I've met the guy who builds em' and believe me he knows what he's doing. Rope tuned djembes are much preferred in my opinion to bolt tuned due to the way the drum is skinned (with a real skin) as opposed to a synthetic one. If you are going for a more artificial or contemporary sound, I bet the toca/remo/lp djembes would be fine, and unless there happens to be someone who knows anything about djembes in your audience, I bet you'd get away without anyone noticing a thing.

http://www.africanrhythmtraders.com (http://www.africanrnythmtraders.com)

[rick913]

sorry but i dont think the link works for me :/
I've heard that bolt tuning is much easier and more convenient to tune compared to rope tuning.

[chump]

the link was bad. here it is:

http://www.africanrhythmtraders.com/

theres a cool section on the site for people who're thinkin about getting a djembe:

http://www.africanrhythmtraders.com/art/html/buyguide.html

[Deathmetalconga]

Also, what's the difference between bolt and rope tuning?
I'm guessing that bolt is similar to a regular drum with tension rods around the drum while the rope tuning has ropes around the drum you tune with?

That is correct. Except in a bolt-tuned djembe, the tuning rod stays still and you turn a nut on the end of the rod with a wrench. In a typical trap set drum, you turn the tuning rod with a key.

Remo djembes are different in that their tuning is like a trap drum and they even use trap drum keys. Remo makes quality stuff also and their Fiberskyn heads are weather proof.

www.terrasonus.com