Cajon : How to choose your instrument?

The Cajon is a very popular percussion instrument in Latin America. It fascinates many people who want to learn how to play it. But, how best to choose this instrument in order to fully enjoy it? Here are a few practical tips!

Cajon Sela Snare SE 010

The Cajon Sela Snare SE 010 is a high performance musical instrument. It stands out for its elegant and very professional character. Speaking of elegance, this model of Cajon has a birch wood casing with a very aesthetic finish and perfectly rounded corners.

With durability in mind, the designers integrated 11 layers of material into the box for a thickness of 15 millimetres that is both thin and resistant.

As for the striking surface, it is designed using modern technology to produce an optimal and pure sound. The striking plate is fully replaceable, and the instrument has a Clap Corners system for the emission of special sounds.

Another very interesting feature of the Sela Snare Cajon is its Sela Pro Snare system. This is a mechanism (controllable by means of a kind of switch) that allows to have two instruments in one. So you can decide with the switch whether you want notes corresponding to a professional Cajon with timbre or rather those of a traditional Peruvian Cajon.

If you are a professional musician looking for a quality Cajon, we highly recommend this model.

Cajon with quick assembly kit and CD

The Cajon Sela SE is a very special Cajon model. Indeed, when you order this product, it is not a ready-made Cajon that is delivered to you, but rather an assembly kit with different parts to assemble yourself. The assembly is very easy to do and does not require any specific skills. The kit includes among others :

  • The boards making up the body;
  • The striking surface;
  • The tightening defects;
  • The rubber supports and their adhesives;
  • An instruction guide for assembly (English, German);
  • Straps to hold the assembly in place while the glue dries.

Like the previous model, this Cajon Sela also features the Sela Snare system which allows you to easily switch between a traditional sound and a typical Cajon sound. If needed, you can add clap corners as extra gadgets to get special sounds (note that the clap corners are not included in the kit).

Cajon Meinl

The particularity of this Cajon is that all the materials used in its manufacture are of superior quality. The striking surface for example is made of ovangkol, a wood known for its aesthetic assets. In addition, the Cajon Meinl offers many possibilities for customization.

Since the body of the instrument is made of light birch, you can add varnish, oil or paint to the boards. Note that the sound quality of the Cajon Meinl is slightly less than that of a professional Cajon. However, this is not a major problem since the audible difference is very small.

If you are a beginner Cajon player, then this model is undoubtedly the ideal instrument for you. It has the best quality/price ratio on the market.

Cajon Primero de Xdrum

The 4th instrument on the list is the Cajon Primero of Xdrum. It is a model of elegant Afro-Peruvian design, robust and very easily transportable. Given its basic character, the Cajon Primero de Xdrum is much more recommended for playful uses.

Indeed, the quality of the sound that it offers does not allow a very professional use. It remains nevertheless a more or less correct instrument considering its relatively low cost. Please note that when you order a Cajon Primero de Xdrum, a carrying case and an Allen wrench are offered to you free of charge.

What is a Cajon?

The Cajon is a musical instrument that has its origins in the Peruvian civilization of the 18th century. It takes the form of a hollow box with 6 faces, one of which represents the striking surface.

The latter is specially designed to emit sounds like a drum. There are two main types of Cajon, the traditional Cajon (with timbre) and the modern Cajon (without timbre).

To play a Cajon, the musician adopts a sitting position (balancing on the drum) and uses his hands to beat the hitting surface according to the desired rhythm.

How to choose a Cajon?

To choose a quality Cajon, you must take into account certain performance criteria. These criteria can be summarized in 3 practical advices:

  • The quality of the sound (the ideal is to choose a Cajon with authentic timbre and adjustable Clap Corners);
  • The range (for professional use, choose a mid-range or high-end Cajon);
  • The brand (choose recognized brands such as Meinl or Sela).

In the end, remember that the Cajon is a unique instrument. To choose one, you must consider the quality of the sound it produces, its range and its brand.