As a quick djembe buying guide overview:
A djembe should have 3/16" (4mm-5mm) rope that is round (not flat) and not frayedA round bearing edge25 or more loopsSymmetryRings snug against the shellA smooth interiorMedium to Heavy in weightA Medium to thick skinOne row MAXIMUM of rope diamonds alreadyA 12-14" head (measure the head diameter 2 ways to see if it's round)Make sure the top ring isn't slipping over the ring inside the skinSee if the very bottom ring is crookedRings should be wrapped with cloth, and not bent, rusted, or eating through the skinLook for open cracks in the woodIs a dark stain hiding any imperfections?Skins should be free of holes and bug bites
No drum is perfect, and will most likely have 1 or 2 of the above conditions. By following our guide, you'll know a lot about your future drum and what to look for. Even if you don't know what to look for, a salesperson should. You should be able to walk into a store and say, "Can you talk to me about the skin on this drum?" Without wincing, the salesperson should be able to discuss with you the thickness, any nicks, bug bites, center spine, hairless versus hairy, the gap between the rings and the top, and how the drum is currently tuned. Their job is to educate you. If you are shopping online, it is even more difficult to make your purchase...so be SURE to ask a lot of questions.
About the Djembe shell:
This is THE drum. The skin, and other parts, can and will come and go, but what you are investing in is the shell. The top players in the world (Mamady Keita, Famoudou Konate, Fadouba Oulare, Adama Drame, and Soungalo Coulibaly) play drums from shells carved in Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Mali.
Keep in mind that although it's the outside that you see, it's the INSIDE of the drum that you hear. The sound is bouncing around and resonating inside the drum. Always be sure the inside of the drum is smooth. Any splinters, chunks, or unevenness you feel will deaden the sound of the djembe. The following are the most common woods and some features of the djembe shells made from them.
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The Reds
Lenge (Linke): Guinea/Mali
Color: Red
Weight: Medium Heavy
Overall sound, consistency, and durability are great. Increasingly rare, this is the "Cadillac" of djembe woods. They have a melodic quality, superior projection, best overall bass/tone/slap contrast, and long sustain. As with most Guinea shells, the chiseling pattern is on the interior of bowl and the stem is a spiral. Favored by Mamady Keita and Famoudou Konate.
The Reds: Djalla (left), Lenge (center), Rouge (right)
Lenge: Inside Shell
Note spiral pattern and interior ledge between bowl and stem
Lenge: Intricate Carving on Stem
Lenge: Djembe Drum Shell
Lenge: Carved Base
Note how it flares out
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Acajou (Bois Rouge): Guinea/Mali
Color: Reddish-Orange
Weight: Medium Heavy
One of the prized "redwoods" from the Guinea-Mali region, along with Lenge and Djalla. Acajou is often difficult to tell apart from the other redwoods. It is generally lighter (in color) with more orange, and will have light patches. As with most Guinea shells, the chiseling pattern is on the interior of the bowl and the stem is a spiral. Overall sound, consistency, and durability are great.
Bois Rouge: Inside Shell
Bois Rouge: Intricate Stem
See the chisel marks?
Bois Rouge: Djembe Shell
Bois Rouge: Intricate Stem Carving
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Djalla (Jala, Diala): Guinea/Mali
Color: Dark Red to Purple
Weight: Medium Heavy
Along with Acajou and Lenge, Djalla is one of the highly sought after "redwoods" from the Guinea/Mali region. It is also very difficult to distinguish from the other "redwoods", except that Djalla tends toward the dark red and purple, and has fewer light patches. As with most Guinea Shells, the chiseling pattern is on the interior of the bowl and the stem is a spiral. Overall sound, consistency, projection, and durability are great. Djalla has exceptional bass/tone/slap contrast.
Djalla Wood Djembe
Djalla: Djembe Base Detail
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The Browns:
Hare/Balafon (left), Iroko (center), Demba/Duki (right)
Balafon Wood, Hare, Kadi (Susu), Beng (Malinke): Guinea/Mali/Burkina Faso
Color:
Medium Brown with striped grain
Weight: Heavy
Overall sound, consistency, and durability are great. Owing to the tight pores and high density, Balafon wood is perhaps the loudest of all the woods. It will sometimes have a "ringy" quality that is best balanced out with a thick skin. As with most Guinea shells, the chiseling pattern is on the inside of the bowl and the stem is a spiral. In Guinea, balafons are made from this same melodic wood.
Hare/Balafon Wood Djembe Shell
Hare/Balafon Wood: Intricate Base
Hare/Balafon Wood: Intricate Base
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Iroko: Ivory Coast
Color: Medium-Brown
Weight: Medium
Always noticeable because of the ledge carved for the bottom ring so it won't slip. Iroko djembes and dununs are among the most consistent and highest quality in the world. Exceptional overall bass/tone/slap contrast. The more open pores give Iroko a very warm sound, and it is a good weight for carrying. Interior of bowl and stem are thicker, and smoother, than Guinea shells. The thicker shell enables a very comfortable and rounded bearing edge.
Iroko Wood Djembe Shell Detail:
Typical patterns from Ivory Coast
Iroko Wood:
Note rounded bearing edge and thicker shells
Iroko Wood:
Note the ring ledge
Iroko Wood:
Interior is smoother than Guinea Djembe shell
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Demba (Dimb, Duki, Dougoura, Teak): Senegal/Gambia/Guinea
Color: Medium to Dark Brown
Weight: Very Heavy
Density and tight pores make this a very bright drum. It has a "dry" sound; not a lot of bass response or sustain, but strong tones. Drawbacks include heavy weight, poorer than average bass response, many cracks, and chunky (not smooth) interior. Senegal is facing a tree shortage and carvers are now using trees cut down a decade ago, which were discarded at that time for low quality. Watch out for a greater than average amount of cracks and patches repaired with glue and sawdust. Demba-Duki shells from southern Senegal (Casamance), Gambia, and Guinea are the most consistent shells from this wood.
Demba/Duki Djembe from Guinea
Typical Demba/Duki Shell:
From Senegal
Demba/Duki Djembe from Senegal
Typical Demba/Duki Shell:
From Guinea
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Other Common Woods:
Bois Blanc (White Wood, Mangowood): Guinea/Mali
Color: White
Weight: Light
Very rarely used for djembes. Bois Blanc is just a fancy name for "white wood", the preferred wood for dununs (dundun, jun-juns, dundunbas... the bass drums) Its light weight is ideal for these large drums. Open grain and soft wood absorbs the higher frequencies, while projecting the low end of the sound spectrum. Light weights make them easier to transport. Be leery of white woods, and light-weight woods in general, being used for djembes...they're better suited for bass drums.
Bois Blanc Wood
These are destined to be dununbas
Bois Blanc:
Carving a Dunun
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Rubberwood (Asian Oak, Siam, Thai Oak): Thailand
Color:
White, w/light-brown grain
Weight: Medium-Heavy
Rubberwood is what the majority of stave constructed (like congas) djembes coming out of Thailand are made from. Generally factory made, these drums are very consistent, but lack the "mojo of the motherland". Pro: The best sustainable choice because these are essentially obsolete latex trees that are given a second life in the form of drums. Also sustainable because it's milled into lumber (staves) and contributes virtually no waste. Con: Poor sound differentiation.
Rubberwood Djembe
Rubberwood Djembe: Interior
Rubberwood Djembe: Stave Construction
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Plantation Mahogany: Indonesia (Bali)
Color: Medium Brown
Weight: Medium-Light
In the past decade, we've seen more lathe-turned machine made djembes coming from Indonesia. While exterior carvings are often intricate and beautiful, the inside is cut by a lathe, and is completely smooth, lacking the chiseling that gives African djembes their bass/tone/slap contrast. Pro: Grown using sustainable and often certified growth practices. Con: Poor sound differentiation.
Indonesian Djembes are beautiful on the outside
Plantation Mahogany:
Absolutely smooth and symmetrical
MORE TIPS ON BUYING A DJEMBE:
ABOUT THE SIZE: The best size for a lead drum is about 13" diameter head and 25" tall. A supporting drum is slightly larger in diameter.
Djembe Resources:
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