Meinl Percussion HE-3030 Hand Hammered Aluminum Doumbek With Synthetic Head, 8.5-Inch

I have a lot of percussion instruments, but this is the go-to, as it's bulletproof and you can take anywhere.

Nach einem Trommelseminar habe ich mich für diese Trommel entschieden. Sieht gut aus und ist sogar lauter als ich erwartet habe. In der Wohnung traue ich mich nicht zu spielen. Aber wenn ich mit Trommel Musik als Kulisse es tue, dann hört man meine Fehler nicht:-) Macht viel Spaß.

We received our aluminum hammered Meinl Doumbek and as we opened it we had a surprise!The Doumbek was nicely encased in its travel bag and was additionally wrapped in plastic that was knotted at the bottom. The tuning wrench and the addition drum head was also enclosed.As we played the drum it sounded great for our musical needs and the price was fantastic for all we got! Then a most wonderful feature was revealed to us...the HAMMERED goblet body of this Doumbek was silky smooth percussion perfection! If you feel all around it there are zero rough spots to cut your arm or fingers and feels almost velvety. Other models feel rough and jagged with designs engraved on them but not this hammered one, so you will not get cut arms or skin irritation from this one...so soft a toddler could play it! I would most definitely buy it again!

Ok first of all it is important to note that this is NOT a $600 drum you are buying for a steal of a price. You are getting a Fairly priced product that performs quite well for its price range.I own several top of the line "el Fan" drums so I know what to expect from a well made darbuka. I purchased this exact one for a pre-teen that has an interest in playing, but may not decide to stick with it so I'm not going to invest in a Zaza or El Fan for him until he makes an effort to show some measure of commitment and aptitude.All that being said, I was not expecting much from this drum. To my PLEASANT SURPRISE the drum is actually quite nice. It is super lightweight. My lightest El Fan weighs in at 14lbs, this thing doesn't come close to that weight so it is very light and easy to carry about. The drum arrived in good order, has an adequate (nothing fancy, nothing professional grade) soft case for it, and was sorely UNTUNED. The first couple of rhythms I played on this made me cringe as the head was NOT TUNED. Closer inspection revealed that the head gap was not evenly spaced all the way around the drum (which can happen quite easily). A few quick turns of the provided wrench set that literally straight and low and behold, the drum sounds MAGNIFICENT. Impressively deep Doums for a standard size drum and someone in their review stated the teks sounded like hitting a flag pole, I beg to differ on that opinion. Once tuned up the teks and kas are right on par and this little drum sounds terrific and plays fast.Drawbacks: 1) The case while adequate is obviously low quality - at this price point be happy it has a case at all in my opinion so if you don't like it, buy an aftermarket case. 2) This drum is most likely not in tune when it arrives so unless you know how to tune it, I suggest you either watch a youtube video or look for one that has been pre-setup. A beginner could easily be frustrated if they get this drum untuned and think that is the best sound they can achieve. 3) Proprietary heads: I understand Meinl drums have proprietary heads which means that you cannot use some of the amazing aftermarket skins that are put out by Remo and Powerbeat. Personally I have no complaint with the provided head for what this drum is. 4) Light - incredibly light, in fact I'm so used to smacking around my 14lb Sombaty that that this drum bounces all over the place if I'm not laying my arm on it. On the other hand, my 11 year-old can hold it in proper position and go to town without having to fight a heavy, rolling drum.Overall this was a great purchase. I hear people complain that it is made of aluminum - most drums are actually aluminum (Some manufacturers use plastic too believe it or not. "shudders") Aluminum sounds just fine when the drum head is tuned properly and this drum is a GREAT BUY at this price point.

Unable to get a response from customer service with the seller. Amazon indicates I must work out a return with the seller. To begin with, the item description indicated it includes a bag, but a bag did not arrive with it. Efforts to tune it have not been good, it sounds like it has a defective head. This item should receive no stars all the way around. Save your money and buy one somewhere else.