Where can I buy a good djembe from?
Obviously buying a djembe in Africa is much cheaper due to our crazy world’s economics, and the effort of shipping drums out. Buying a drum is like buying a pair of shoes – you ideally need to try it for size, feel and sound. You can get drums online, but YMMV. It depends what you want: adult beginners’ drums cost around £90-£140. In that price range, Kambala is a good make who seem to have consistently good quality, and are ideal for learning. Gold Coast Drums seem to sell a lot of djembe because they pay for Google adverts, but I’ve never really liked their drums. In general, avoid djembe with cheap black rope, which doesn’t hold tuning well. Much nicer (and better priced) are the Senegalese djembe imported by Sam from Teranga – she is based in Norfolk, but often tours the UK djembe festivals such as African Beats Camp. Professional concert-grade drums for soloists usually cost £250+. There are some excellent drum makers in England, such as African Drum Services, who produce very fin
