Djembe drum 'Light African'

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A great drum for a serious beginner to intermediate

Reviewer: Josh from Australia
Construction
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A high quality natural skin which gives a wide dynamic range, should appeal to most drummers. Better than other drums I've come across in this price range - more comparable to skins on much more expensive drums.

A beautifully carved body made from what feels like a solid piece of wood - better by far than what I've found on similar priced drums - only surpassed by drums costing several times as much.

Triple ring tuning - was in tune when I got it out of the box!?, haven't had to tune it since (about a month of playing). I think this is a good sign. Many two ring drums require tightening before every session..

Sound
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Easily produces clean strong bass and tone notes, ideal for beginners and intermediates like me.
Easily played, in that it produces a relatively large sound for the amount of hit - again surpassing other drums in its price range easily.
Additionally the evenly radiused edge of the drum head means you can play longer without getting sore hands.
A full warm sound with a hint of sharpness, I think the sound of it is nice
- I like that its not quite as sharp as a middle eastern drum, but a little sharper than other African drums I've played in its size - it makes it better when played on its own, but still holds its own with other drums in a drum circle.

Conclusion
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I think this is a great drum for a serious beginner to intermediate drummer, because when playing in a group it doesn't drown out other instruments, however it can still clearly be heard - great for learning and social drumming. I wouldn't recommend it for advanced drummers, as I found it a little difficult to produce a slap note on - I think due to the size mainly.

I think with an extra couple of inches in drum head this drum would hold its own with $1000 West African imports.
As it is however, I think this drum wont disappoint and definitely represents the best value for money in its price range I've come across. I honestly believe you would have to pay more than twice as much to get a noticeably better sound from a wooden drum.