MusicRadar Verdict
A superb value cajon in a market awash with mid-price and mouth-watering high end 'boutique' instruments.
Pros
- +
Superb tonal response; sturdy construction.
Cons
- -
Lacks a bit of sheer volume; finish won't be to everyone's taste.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
We've been truly knocked out by the wonderful cajons from Spanish company Duende: their range of sounds but also their superb build-quality and innovative design features.
We're now taking a look at Duende's Pro cajon: coming in at 48cm x 30cm x 31cm it's a pretty 'standard' size and is made of birch wood (surround and frontplate). It's highly sturdy in their construction, with a silicon non-slip seat top and the finish is striking to say the least.
The black gloss sides and back contrast well with the colours and patterns on the frontplate and it has two V-shaped guitar string 'snare wire' sets that are adjustable with an included Allen key underneath the drum. In addition to the snares there is also a cluster of small jingles suspended underneath the seat that adds a touch more 'pizazz' to your strokes.
The Pro cajon is super responsive and considering its dimensions, gives back everything you try to elicit - in spades! With the Pro you can enjoy all frequencies with satisfying results.
“I sent this to Strandberg to get the wiring done and when they sent it back they included this”: Plini shows us his modded signature Strandberg Boden – but what’s that hiding in the tremolo springs?
“What if we made a record with guitars?”: Charli XCX teases new “Lou Reed” rock direction for her next album
“He would lead you down the garden path with quite a bog-standard chord structure and then suddenly go AWOL”: From David Bowie to Radiohead and Steely Dan, here’s some of popular music’s most outlandish theory choices
