Pea Turgh Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 Hello chums. I bought a Meinl cajon kit. Ok so far. Built it. Not bad. Played it. Sounds like a box. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of snare snap. Anyone familiar with these instruments able to offer any suggestions on improving the snare snap? Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 My Thomann Millennium cajon (not a kit) uses four lengths of copper wire as the snare, with the two in the middle being 'modified' by a simple piece of self-adhesive velcro tape. The hook-tape is stuck to the inside front panel, and the loop-tape is then velcro'd to that whilst also damping the two central wires. You can get more/less snare sound by adjusting the arrangement. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solo4652 Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 Have you tried micing the cajon? I always do, when I'm not practising at home. Main reasons: it means you don't feel the need to hit the box hard, quite possibly hurting your fingers and wrists in the process. Micing also greatly improves the depth and spread of the tones you'll get. Lots of mic options - you could simply use a vocals mic lying on a cloth inside the cajon. Or, you could get a clip-on drum mic. I use a £20 Yoga D-606 - http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=352730741518&category=29946&pm=1&ds=0&t=1565797779000&ver=0 through either the desk, or my Eden 10 bass combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted August 31, 2019 Author Share Posted August 31, 2019 Hello, I’ve not used it out of the house yet. The sound isn’t there to start with, so micing won’t improve the situation! I’ll probably take it to a drum shop to see what they suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solo4652 Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 (edited) I've just looked inside my cajon - professionally built, don't know the make. Peering through the sound hole, I can see a 10" length of drum snare held onto the striking face of the box in a vertical orientation by metal clips at the ends. The snare is positioned in the bottom LH corner of the cajon. I can see a small wooden block pressing a foam strip onto the snare, held in place by a length of elastic stretched between the metal end-clips. Clearly, the idea is that the small block can be slid along the snare wire to change the tone. No idea how you actually reach it, though! I've attempted to photograph it. On a seperate note, I found it very uncomfortable sitting on top of the box and leaning forward. This playing position really hurt my back. So, I knocked together a folding stand that enables me to play while sitting on a comfy chair, with the striking face of the cajon at an angle between my legs. See photo. Edited August 31, 2019 by solo4652 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 Buy a snare drum? Snares against a thin piece of wood are never going to sound the same as snares against a stretched drum skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted September 2, 2019 Author Share Posted September 2, 2019 (edited) 20 minutes ago, Dan Dare said: Buy a snare drum? Snares against a thin piece of wood are never going to sound the same as snares against a stretched drum skin. Ha! Nah, I’ve heard some great cajons. My kit is just poop though. I will mod it (when I get the time!), or maybe just go to a shop (if they still exist after Halloween) and get one that sounds right to start with! Edited September 2, 2019 by Pea Turgh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 The words "great" and "cajon" do not often occupy the same universe 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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