Customer Reviews

Schalloch Aluminum Darbuka 8 Inches

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you've ever considered wanting to learn Darbuka or are looking for a reasonably priced goblet drum with a price that might seem like a steal, this drum is exactly it. Had I known this drum was being sold at this price years ago I would've been rattling and rolling my fingers over the drum head of this wonderful instrument long ago!

I was skeptic at first that a drum that I've heard and learned so much about could go for a price like this without some kind of repercussions of it being faulty or something similar of the sort-- I was wrong! This drum is fabulous, despite the fact that there are known 'professional' darbukas out there that exist, this is still a wonderful instrument at an amazing price that won't disappoint.

It offers great range of sound with sharp, resonant 'teks' and heavy, bass-filled 'doums' and rimshots on this piece come out clear, crisp and loud.

Though I may acquire several 'upperclass' darbukas along the way, I honestly believe this drum alone is going to be a long favored item by me, as it was and always will be the reason I got into darbukas and hand drums to begin with. It's served me well, still serves me well and if there's any doubt in your mind about this drum, relinquish such thoughts because this drum will not disappoint you.



Users Note: Remember to tune the head ever so often, as punishing blows with average use will hinder the drum and you'll notice it by the way it sounds. The drum will begin to sound muted, dull, a little bland but give the drum a good tightening of the heads and you're back to base one with sheer bliss of this drum's outstanding quality.

A mind-blowing purchase, really.

I am no expert. That's a problem, and I wonder how useful the other reviews are as well. This is not your typical Egyptian style Dumbek/Darbuka (those have the rather cylindrical longer body without the mushroom bigger head and narrow waist, and the head flush with the rim cover). This here Turkish mushroom style has its own advantages, like allowing good rim shots. But it's got a more "tuned" Dum than I hear with the typical aluminum bigger body Egyptian dumbeks. To get a Dum that's relatively free of pitch is hard. You can come close, especially if you tighten it good and snug with the enclosed 5 mm allen wrench. And with a bit of practice you can get a pitchless slap. So if you don't mind that it's a little different from the typical Egyptian, by all means this is indeed a very nice drum for the price.

It's well-made, relatively small and portable, about 15" tall, and only weighs about 2 lbs, so you can go places with it! like order a cutie Texas flag-bag for it that says "Dixie", and head on down to your local street corner moonlight drumming circle, we have them in California City Neighborhoods. On cloudy nights, I'll grant ya, it's kinda spooky, when these skinny vampire crackheads come out of the basements, stretching, scratching and yawning, and pick up random objects to drum on, like hubcaps and ammo cases, and join the group. Because the streetlights have long been "recycled", it's dark and nobody can tell who's what! they actually had some Ese types slappin' in the last one I visited, and nobody even noticed! It wasn't until they started chantin' and throwin' cerveza bottles that the playing stopped long enough to chase them down and teach 'em a thing or two! you can improve your high speed Malf'uff and your syncopation like you wouldn't BELIEVE; it's that sense of impending demise that really livens your playin' up. But I digress, this is like "application notes", and they sure don't provide any with the drum.

As to QA, mine had some fine particulate matter on the rim under the mylar head, and as I tightened I saw signs of wavy stress in the head. Most people wouldn't even notice or care, but I wanted to start "clean", like when you operate on your little brother, so I called Musicians' Friend, and they promised to send a replacement mylar skin (it costs $7.99) fer free. It's out of stock at the moment, so we will see. The only other thing is how do you tune it? It's not QUITE like touching up a Steinway, or tuning a harpsichord to Meantone, but you gotta know: do I keep tightening even though it's making little crinky sounds like head-gasket bolts about to explode, or do I loosen it though it whaps and flops like Marie O's post-dieting abdomen? Look on Youtube and they will always show you how to tune the drum(s) you don't have.

Because the drum is a little shorter than the customary Dumbek, it likes to wiggle off your lap. A short length of under-carpet "grip liner" can be wrapped around the lower part of the "barrel", and your drum will look spiffy and obey your every command. You CAN actually figure most everything out (about playing) by spending some time on YouTube, and there is no other drum I've ever seen to do as much for the price, so it's indeed a no-brainer must-buy. There's a small Egyptian from midEast manufacturing that just appeared at the same price point, curious how that one will compare. Buy a drum, a cost-effective drum! It's the only way to find out if you were meant to groove, or if you have incipient arthritis. See ya at the drumming circle?

[p.s. months later]. Musician's "Friend" is not. The replacement head was out of stock for a long time, they reminded me now and then of that depressing fact by e-mail. Then they sent a message about how they were cancelling my "order" for lack of item. So I never got a new head. As a result I've grown despondent, stopped grooving altogether, and joined the Foreign Legion. You may never hear from me again.

This was a perfect intro darbuka for learning Turkish/Middle Eastern drumming. Resonant and lovely sound, great high and low tones, and easily tuned with an appropriate Allen-key. Amazing quality for the price... Highly Recommended!!!

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.

My son received this for Christmas last year and it has been so much fun for the entire family. It has a nice sound to it and it is very sturdy. My one and only complaint is that if kids stick their hands in the underside then they get black stuff all over their hands. We've just had to make a rule that your hand cannot go inside the darbuka. Even with that little issue I give this 5 stars.

Schalloch Aluminum Darbuka, 8 Inches

I have several drums, and this is my favorite sounding one. I am very happy with the quality too. The drum is well balanced and made to last. Highly recommended.

I love this little drum (OK, it's a *big* darbuka). The price is low enough to buy several if you're trying to start a drumming circle. It has a nice "doom" tone, more resonant than smaller darbukas by the same company. Rim shots ring out wonderfully.

If you want a hand drum and aren't sure what to buy, or are on a budget, give this one a shot. You can hold it between your thighs and play it like a djembe. Hold it under your arm and play it like a dumbek. Play it like a darbuka (I have no idea how this is done).

It should be noted that the aluminum can be dented or bent without too much difficulty, so this is not the best drum to bang around on the road with. But at this price, why not? The cost to replace is minimal!

(One day later - I started to slap mine and the dum was loose and sloppy. A moment of panic! I had just advocated this drum and it turned out to be a 2 star product ... A half-turn of the hex nuts to tighten the head and everything was back to normal. The wonderful tonalities, the sharp rimshots ... a good little drum at a very affordable price.)

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).

I have to agree with everyone else that gave this drum 5 stars. This is a great bargain. With an 8" head and 14" tall, it's remarkably lightweight. I'd be surprised if it weighs a pound. But what great range of tone! And it's also well built. I own a lot of drums - djembes, cajons and frame drums, synthetic, skin and wood heads, both mass produced and custom built - and this guy stands right with the best of them. It's fun to play, and would make an excellent first drum, not only because of the very reasonable price, but because of the huge tonal range available even to the beginner. Given how light this 8" head model is, I don't even see a reason to mess with the 6". Check it out!