I have been a drummer for the past 10 years, but have just recently gained an interest in hand percussion. I knew that I wanted a djembe, because of the portability and wide range of sounds they can produce. After searching the internet and reading around I found that Remo’s line of djembes would best suit my needs. They are extremely durable, do not require difficult rope tuning (they are key tuned), and sound quite close to traditional djembes. Upon receiving my drum I must admit that I am very pleased. Everything I read about the drum is correct. The earth finish is very nice and has a bit of a texture to it, which I find helpful for holding the drum between my legs. I wanted to get the 14in in order to have a lot of bass, and this drum certainly isn’t lacking that. It is quite big, however. The drum is very wide and fairly tall, I probably wouldn’t recommend it for smaller users. I am an average sized guy, 6’00” 150 lbs, and the drum is a good size for me. I am no expert, but the drum sounds very nice. Bass tones are rich and full, and the higher pitched sounds are produced with ease. I am very very happy with this drum, it is a blast to play, and is well worth the 0 I paid for it.

This Remo Djembe (EARTH) is very well made, sturdy, and sounds amazing. This drums sound carries very well even outdoors. Definitely the best drum for the money. The Lugs are much thicker and designed better than others.

Great bass thump when you hit it in the middle. Great tone when you hit it at the edge. I think that as far as the Remo djembes go, the 14″ is the sweet spot, where it’s still pretty portable and inexpensive, but the bass is really there. Also, unlike the “real” djembes, if you punch a hole in the head, you can buy another one for forty bucks and swap it out in half an hour or less. It also can handle a little rain and not be destroyed. Nice.

The only problem is the ringing when you hit it near the edge. Out of the box, this drum head rings a lot. So, here’s what you do… take about a foot of 2 inch gaffer tape (duct tape would probably work, too), and you crumple it up into a ball about an inch in diameter. Then, you take 4 or 5 inches of the gaffer tape, and you tape the ball to the *under side* of the drum head, right underneath the Remo logo, about an inch away from the rim. (Yes, you’ll have to reach up inside the drum to do this … it’s a little tricky, but not too bad.) This knocks down some of the ringing and makes it sound a lot more like a natural drum head. It still won’t sound quite like goat skin on a djembe from West Africa, but to my ears this makes a BIG difference. Feel free to experiment with placement of the tape and how much you put on. This worked for me, and it might be helpful for you, too.

Overall, great drum. Lots of fun at drum circles. Very portable, and it’s not a “boutique item”, so I’m not too afraid to hand it off to another person. Lots of bang for the buck. =)