Meinl Percussion Headliner Cajon Instrument - Compact Drum Box with Snare and Bass Sound - Playing Surface American White Ash (HCAJ1AWA)

This is a great sounding piece of kit and will allow our band to do a small gig without the need for our drummer who cant make it. I am not a 'drummer' as such but as long as you can keep a good beat along with the rhythm, i believe you could use this.The basics are simple but the first thing you need to do is reach inside for the small allen key.Its attached to the inside and you need to loosen the bottom of the cajon as there is a piece holding the wires inside tight, for transporting it. You loosen it by about half a turn or more depending on the sound you need.The easiest way to explain 'as a beginner' myself, is that there are 3 main areas you hit with the flat of your hand. This gives a base sound and two snare drum sounds. Technically that's not true as there are many sounds you can achieve but I am a beginner myself.I suggest youtube to learn some patterns but I have had it for a week now and fell comfortable now with my progress.The cajon is well made and looks good. The sound is superb. It has a good bass drum sound and the snare sound is excellent. Our drummer tried it and he said he thought it was a good piece of kit.Our intention is to mic the unit up and play through sound desk but its also loud enough to play at home or for an intimate gig with friends.I read a few reviews which stated the Cajon was damaged on arrival. Mine came well packaged in a really sturdy box. For the money, I would certainly recommend it. Good for beginners or professional players.Please note that I am not a drummer. I play table top drums much to the annoyance of my better half, therefore some of the terminology I use in my review, may not be accurate as such.

Due to health reasons I bought this to replace a very fine but much heavier Cajon. Not only is it much easier to carry but with small adjustments to the snares I have a good choice of tones to play. It’ has enough volume to match the 20-30 ukulele players I regularly play with. Very pleased with the quality and tone of the cajon

Loads of fun. Needs a good tuning when it arrives. Check online for guides. Mine didn't come with an Allen's wrench.Edit: after playing this Cajon for a few weeks, I've found the bass to be very rattly despite all the available tuning options. I would advise beginners to go for a Cajon with strings positioned at the top of the box only, such as the schlagwerx range available on Amazon. I played the latter alongside my own and found it to be much more well designed and it produced a better sound overall.

Not all boxes are the same! This is very good quality and for the money, was very good value. The finish on the sides, back and top are done in a very durable black finish and the main 'skin' is stained to a lovely brown with the wood grain showing through.The Cajon comes with its own adjustment Allen key for the drum springs and there is a cool little holder for this at the back, just insider the sound hole.All in all it is a great package, very well built and looks the part. Meini, obviously have a history with percussion instruments. This unit can also be expanded with a bass pedal and a mini snare drum.

The Meinl American Cajon looks nice and is reasonably well constructed for a lower priced model. The variety of sounds and tonal separation is very good. The one thing I couldn't get on with was the snare mechanism. Too loose and it made the bass sound awful, too tight and it produced a nasty overtone (even with the wires taped). I ended up removing the snare altogether and buying the Meinl Side Mounted Snare.

Ignore reviews that criticise the sound of this cajon. With some time, care and attention you will have this instrument booming out in your acoustic set up. Deep and reliable bass area, with crisp snaps - it holds it's own un-miked against an amplified acoustic guitar and a good singer giving it some stick. There are some negative comments about the fibreboard as well, but I think the black finish which is obviously not trying to be wood, against the beautifully grained frontplate is a good looking and unusual combination. The resonance is also great - there is no muffled dead wood sound which you can get in a cajon in this price range. It didn't come with a pad as described, but Amazon customer services soon fixed that. Highly recommended.October 2017 update - used it miked up for an gig last week and the amped sound was fantastic. Even more highly recommended :-)

Having played kit drums for nearly 20 years, this is my first cajon and it sounds great. I tried out a cheaper, non-branded one in a music shop but the difference in quality when playing a well-built drum by a quality manufacturer like Meinl can really be heard. The snare can be adjusted from inside using an allen key that comes with the drum, and the front face can also be loosened around the top to adjust the 'snap' sound - there are loads of tutorial videos online to find out how and why to do this and really get it sounding great. If you're a beginner on the cajon like me, don't waste your money on something cheap and nasty - get something quality like this and play til your hands are bruised!

No interest in any musical instruments at all