Maker
Meinl Percussion
The German firm's hand and world percussion division
Roland Meinl founded the company in Bavaria in 1951, and while the cymbal side is better known to drummers, the percussion division is one of the largest in the world: congas, cajons, djembes, and an enormous catalogue of small instruments. Meinl's cajon range in particular is the widest of any maker.
Models
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Meinl Cajon Bass Pedal
Hand percussion · Germany
A cable-driven beater that lets a seated cajon player add a bass drum with one foot, which is how the instrument ended up in duo and singer-songwriter setups where a kit will not fit.
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Meinl Dunun Set
Hand percussion · Germany
A djembe ensemble sits on three rope-tuned bass drums — dundunba, sangban, and kenkeni — played with a stick in one hand and a bell in the other. They carry the melody of West African drumming; the djembe solos over them.
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Meinl Sonic Energy Planetary Gongs
Gong · Germany
Meinl's Sonic Energy range covers planetary-tuned gongs alongside singing bowls and tuning forks, sold largely into sound therapy rather than into music retail.
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Meinl Turbo Slaptop Cajon
Hand percussion
The Slaptop turns the cajon on its side so it can be played seated at a table or on a lap, with the playing surface facing the player and the port facing out. It is the format most used by singer-guitarists accompanying themselves.
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Meinl Snarecraft Cajon
Hand percussion
Snarecraft cajons carry fixed internal snare wires under the whole playing surface rather than only the top corners, which gives a consistent snare buzz wherever the box is struck.
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Meinl Professional Djembe
Hand percussion
Meinl's professional djembes are carved from solid mahogany with goatskin heads and traditional rope tuning, alongside a mechanically tuned line for players who do not want to pull rope.
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Meinl Sonic Energy Steel Tongue Drum
Hand percussion
Steel tongue drums are cut and tuned so each tongue sounds a note of a chosen scale, and Meinl's Sonic Energy range brought them into general music retail from the sound-therapy market.
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Meinl Backbeat Tambourine
Hand percussion
The Backbeat mounts on the hi-hat pull rod so the tambourine sounds when the hats close, which is how most recorded tambourine parts are actually played on a kit.
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Meinl Marathon Classic Congas
Hand percussion
The Marathon Classic line is Meinl's workhorse conga: Siam oak, heavy hardware, and a rim contour designed to be played hard for a long night.
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Meinl Jumbo Bass Cajon
Hand percussion
The Jumbo Bass is built larger than a standard cajon specifically to produce a deeper bass note, at the cost of the sharp corner slap a smaller box gives.
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Meinl Woodcraft Congas
Hand percussion
Woodcraft congas use American white oak staves and Meinl's tuning hardware, and sit at the professional end of a catalogue that runs a very long way down in price.
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Meinl Headliner Congas
Hand percussion
Headliner congas are Meinl's student and semi-professional drums, built in rubberwood with the same tuning hardware pattern as the lines above them.
Sources
Categories
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Hand Percussion
Congas, bongos, djembes, cajons, timbales, frame drums, and the small instruments that live on a percussion table: tambourines, cowbells, shakers, and claves.
Representative model
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Meinl Woodcraft Congas
Hand percussion
Woodcraft congas use American white oak staves and Meinl's tuning hardware, and sit at the professional end of a catalogue that runs a very long way down in price.