This doumbek has a very clear and crisp tone, and is really fun to play. The doum is rich, bassy, and easy to produce consistently. I really like the teks as well — a very nice ring that’s clean and a bit poppy. I’m often hearing from people how nice they think it sounds. The vinyl covering is comfortable, too, and helps keep the drum stable. I’d also suspect that the covering makes outdoor gigs in cold weather easier to bear, as well.

Personally, I’d take this drum over the similarly-priced Alexandria drums any day. If you’re looking for your first doumbek and debating between the 0 Alexandria doumbeks and the various Meinl doumbeks, do yourself a favor and get the Meinl. I feel that those cheaper Alexandria doumbeks have an inferior tone to the Meinl and do not have as consistent of quality standards. With these drums you’ll be able to learn all the techniques without worrying about whether your drum is a dud. And, if you’re thinking that you want an “authentic” doumbek, well… these are actually made in Turkey.

I do have one complaint, though. It seems difficult to find replacement heads for these drums because they’re a slightly different size. The Alexandria heads won’t fit unless you create a spacer to put on top of the head’s hoop. So far, the only online shop I’ve found the Meinl heads at is […]. The price isn’t bad though; only each. Granted, it’s probably possible to just have a local music shop order them — the heads _are_ in the Meinl catalog, after all. I just wish that more online retailers (like Amazon) would stock them.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that __you__enjoy__your__instrument__ — otherwise you won’t be motivated to practice. Even though I like Meinl doumbeks a lot, it’s possible that it’s not for you. The best course of action is to get your hands on a few different doumbeks and find out what __you__ like. For example, the Remo doumbeks are another good choice (even though I think the price is a bit high), and you might like those more. Regardless of what you get, make sure that it is tunable (so you can tweak your sound), and that the heads are replaceable; Would be a shame to accidentally damage the head and have to replace the whole drum!

This was my first time buying a doumbek and i am happy with my purchase. The drum produces a great sound and sits in place comfortibly. The package came with a spare head, a case and an allen wrench for adjustment.

After learning to play the doumbek using a plastic / goatskin drum I began searching for a more authentic instrument. My original plan was to buy a drum from Hossam Ramzy, which I still might do one day. I sent a message to Hossam and he quickly replied that he would personally select a drum for me, however these drums are hundreds of dollars. The typical authentic doumbek has a plastic head, aluminum body, mother-of-pearl inlay, and is usually not manufactured in the USA. Due to budget issues I continued my search in hopes to find something both authentic and affordable.

Thanks to the fine community of Amazon I stumbled upon this instrument, and placed my order based on the great reviews. Upon receiving and playing the drum I could not be happier. My old plastic drum actually fell to the ground and cracked repeatedly as a gang of children got a hold of it; the doum eventually became nothing more than a dull thud. When I tried to repair and tune it the shell cracked further. It was near that moment that I ordered my new Meinl.

The Meinl doumbek is made in Turkey. Removing it from the box, and hitting a doum immediately revealed a richness and sustain that I find very satisfying. Taking the drum around town for the first time was a treat; I found spots that accentuate the sustain of the doums even more. To me it seems like this drum represents everything that could be technically desired in a mid-level doumbek, minus the mother-of-pearl inlay. For the first week I did not even bother to change the tuning. The drum sounded fantastic right out of the box and finally I slightly raised the tension on two or three of the lugs.

This is an incredible first doumbek for anyone, and a great second doumbek for me. If I ever go for a third one day I will probably go with a slightly larger drum by Hossam or something with the fancy inlay. I highly recommend this instrument.

UPDATE 6/27/14: This is a really great drum to this day! I’m also looking at the same model with the wooden outer-shell since it might produce a slightly warmer tone. Amazon also carries the spare heads for this drum if needed.