There are reasons why the cajon drum is a dominant trend in modern percussion.  For some it is that is simply something new and unique in a scene saturated by traditional percussion instruments and their prescribed styles of playing. For some it is the fact that the box cajon can be used to mimic a full drum kit which is a lot of fun and works well in a lot of acoustic settings.  For major manufacturers the cajon is a plywood box, easy and cheap to bring to market.  

There is still a lot of territory to be discovered when it comes to wood headed hand drums and there are are compelling practical reasons why I choose to make wood headed drums, following is a list of some of my favorites.

Top Reasons Why I Choose to Make Wood Headed Drums:

(In no particular order)

•There is just something inspiring about the sound and feel when it is done right.   I use a special grade of cross-laminated baltic birch plywood that is only 2.5mm thick to achieves the perfect balance between mass, temper and flexibility resulting in a drum that comes alive under your hands, actually resonating and returning energy to the player.    

•The sound.  I can't say enough about it.  It is captivating, it is the hand drum I always wanted, and more and more people are letting me know that they feel the same way.

•Wood heads are not affected by humidity and temperature changes in the way that skin heads are.  No tuning, retuning, detuning and/or retuning required.

•Nobodies goat or deer or cow or cat had to die to make these drums.  Even if you happily eat goat, deer, cow and cat, there is purity in an all wood drum that contributes to it's unique sound, look and feel.

•Despite the above advantages the materials are still all natural.  That is, you can achieve the above benefits with a plastic drum head but it is not the same as a drum that is solid wood through and through.  

•I like that my drums don't come with any pre-conceived notion of a particular way that they should be played allowing for more creativity and self-discovery than one gets with traditional styles of drumming.  Although I would of course endorse mastering traditional styles, when you are ready to leave the nest, give me a call.

•Unlike my beloved and expensive professional djembe which is gathering dust in the corner with a split head again.  Cajon style drums are stable and durable and with proper care should last a lifetime.

•I could go on, but no one is still reading anyways.

So in conclusion.