Schlagwerk cajon - purchasing advice

[hollowcreature]

I'm thinking of purchasing a Schlagwerk 'La Peru' cajon after demoing one at a store recently and being pretty impressed. This cajon is offered in a variety of models using different materials, and the snag is that the store (the only one within several hundred miles that carries Schlagwerk products) can order a specific model for me, but does not regularly have all of them in stock to compare.

In terms of the sound I am after, I prefer warmer/rounder bass tone over high-end 'crack'. Based on some research and sound samples available online, I think it would be between the Burl Veneer, Night Burl and Zebrano models. The one that I tried in the store was the Black Eyes, which sounded great but a little lacking in low end.

Just wondering if anyone here has tried or owned any of these, especially if you have been able to compare them? Many thanks for any advice.

[Phills]

Did you found the right Schlagwerk cajon?
I was looking for one and have to decide on the exact type also. Maybe you could give an update. Thanks.

[hollowcreature]

Sure! I ended up purchasing a cajon not from the local store but from another store whose owner was able to give me a lot of helpful advice on the different models - the store is SHOPercussion (www.shopercussion.ca), if anyone is looking to buy a Schlagwerk instrument or other percussion in Canada or the US, I thoroughly recommend them, great service.

I ended up purchasing the La Peru Burl, and I am pretty happy with it.For the kind of sound that I wanted (deeper bass, less top end 'crack'), it's a good choice. If that's also what you're looking for, you would probably be equally happy with the Beech, Zebrano or Night Burl models. The Night Burl is a couple of inches shorter than the other Schlagwerk cajons, so I decided against that one because I am quite tall and felt it would be less comfortable to sit on. The Beech, which I've also played in person, has nice bass and a slightly less present snare sound than the Burl. I have not tried the Zebrano, but I believe that is also quite warm-sounding with deep bass.

Another factor in my decision was that the resonance box of the Beech and Zebrano use African (Gabon) wood which is considered less environmentally friendly, whereas the Burl uses European alder wood - I don't know if that is a consideration for you. The Schlagwerk website explains what each model is made of, and I also emailed them for more information on how their wood is sourced.

The other model that I have tried is the Black Eyes, which has a very dry sound (quick decay) and less bass. I believe that the Cosmic model has the most high frequency of any of the La Peru cajons. Personally, I'm not into that kind of sound so much.

The owner of the store that I bought from also mentioned that the Makassar and Wenge models from the '2inOne' range also have a lot of bass, and because they use removable snares rather than strings, they have more separation between the bass and snare sounds of the cajon, so if that is your preference, one of those might be a better choice for you.

There you go! I hope that's helpful, I'd be interested to hear which model you end up with. :-)

[Phills]

Hi, thanks a million for your extensive thoughts on the matter.
I thought about a 2inone, maybe the Oak, because I liked the duality of the rather strong bass and the nice 'chick' of the snares. But I haven't tested any of the Peru's yet. So that is what I'll try soon.
From what I can see on the Schlagwerk site, the Burl looks great and sounds good (as far as you can hear that online of course).
Cheers.