Pearl Percussion Cube Cajon review

Over the last few years Pearl has expanded its hand percussion lines vastly. Everything from quality Afro-Cuban instruments to traditional Brazilian Samba drums are offered but they also present some imaginative twists on the cajon - as is the case with the Cube cajon, one of the more interesting takes on the idea.

Build

So many of the best sounding cajons available today are lovingly crafted from a variety of often pretty costly woods and as such this, along with artisan hours, tends to result in some fairly hefty price tags.

Pearl in collaboration with percussionist Pete Korpela has used ingenious fibreglass surrounds and hardwood playing surfaces, which not only produces great tones but makes these instruments more affordable.

The ingenious Cube Cajon is an exciting multi-faceted creation that again is formed from fibreglass but measures only 32cm x 32cm. The Cube boasts five different playing surfaces with the sixth equipped with an oversized contoured soundhole.

Two of the sides are screwed in and fitted with twin non-adjustable, fixed snare-wire sets and the Cube comes with two different sized collapsible stands that can hold the Cube independently or joined together to reach a combined height of 19".

Hands On

The Cube has two pitches of snare sound and three pitches without snares, so by playing the various sides you can easily achieve really melodic results.

The highest pitched side has a lovely slap potential, contrasting beautifully when played alongside a conga and with a simple lift and flip you can easily select one of four further sounds. The two stands mean you have not only many sound options but multiple performance choices too.