Aluminum Darbuka 8 Inches

What I received (from Musician's Friend) is not what's pictured on this web page, but a Meinl plain darbuka (search for it in Amazon.com) with a Schalloch head. It also came in a box with Meinl name and amblem on it. So, there is no doubt about what I actually received. It's a fine darbuka too, but the body doesn't look quite as good as the Schalloch picture and the ream is not as refined as the Schalloch rim.How is it possible??? My guess is Meinl owns Schalloch. Possibly, Schalloch is another brand name Meinl markets their products under. Due to the huge popularity of the Schalloch darbuka, they most likely ran out of the original products and started putting the Schalloch head on the Meinl body. This is the only explanation I can come out with, because anything else would be fraud. Although it's not illegal (they have the right to change specs anytime they want), it's still not ethical to resort to these kinds of tactics (especially a reputable company like Meinl) to sell products (hint: Meinl darbuka is not nearly as popular as Schalloch).

Really looks great in Amazon picture. What happened? It looks-unattractive- not sure what I have here, it's just not the same product. Feels a bit like bait and switch because I could have gotten the 20 dollar version instead of the $40.

Love the way this drum sounds for its size has a very nice bass and tek sounds and great for camping. So light because the body is turned aluminum. Worth the $$.Bad things about it though-- drum not as pictured, mine has an all-over shine to it, only one tone, not a brushed aluminum look like the photo might lead you to believe.-hoops for the head arrived noticably off center when attaching the head and they have been very crudely cast, I'm not complaining much for the price I paid for this drum, but I worry when I look closely and think about how little the people who made these drums were probably paid to make them-the rim, because of the hoops for the head, makes it nearly impossible to play this darbuka drum the way it is traditionally played- over one knee with finger rolls, because your fingers will hit the rim too- which is at a pretty unforgiving 90 degree angle and metal. If you play it like a djembe drum (between your legs) this will be less of a problem, but if you are trying to learn actual darbuka technique, go for a more traditional (and expensive) drum with the rounded rim.

I bought this drum on the strength of the other reviews here. I was skeptical. For that price how can it be anything but cheap junk? Still, for $40 inc shipping from Musician's Friend, I thought it worth a try. I am a beginner. I've been learning on a Meinl Alexandria style drum and I wanted a chance to play around with a turkish style drum. Well the other reviewers were exactly right. This is a great little drum! Perhaps its not the drum you would use for a public performance but it sounds good and its easy to play. It's ideal for practice. I was amazed that the doum is really nice and deep. It is in fact a nicer doum than my $120 Meinl produces. The tek's and kaa's are crisp and sharp. If you are having trouble learning to get a sharp kaa, often a challenge for beginners, this drum does it easily whereas on the Meinl, like other Alexandria style drums, its quite a bit harder. The clamp rings for the head are a solid aluminum casting and have no trouble holding the head under even tension. I love the Meinl too, but if I had tried both these out in a shop at the same time, I would have gone home with just this one.This is a very small drum. The head is 8" , the body stands 14". Most Darbukas are about 8.5" x 18". It doesnt fit into my lap as securely as the Meinl. But a small person or child might find it perfect. It's also very light. Less than two lbs, is my guess. This makes it easy to carry around but again, less stable in your lap. The body is very thin spun aluminum which makes it sound a bit like a tin can, though this improves when held against the soft part of one's belly. The head clamp rings have 7 bolts. Do be sure to get a 6mm allen wrench from the hardware store for tuning the head.I ordered both my drums from Musician Friend. In both cases the price was very good and the drum arrived in a few days.

Questionable quality, didn't take long to beat this up and ended up overtightening because the sound was not right.