Meinl Percussion Aluminum Doumbek Egyptian Goblet Drum, Hand Engraved — Made in Turkey — Synthetic Head, 2-Year Warranty (HE-3018)

Excellent sound!!!,I'm an experienced player,and have played many older doumbeks that were heavier.This one sounds just as good as Most other ones i've played,its almost just as loud as the more expensive doumbeks if not just as loud.The teks are super crisp and the finger rolls come through clear. The highs can get loud and the doum is basey, especially if you tweak the tuning. The drum over-all cuts through pretty well. The design on the one I received was very different than the one in the picture. so I was a little disappointed, but it still looks & sounds really nice, and its a lot lighter than older doumbeks. For $140 after tax I'm really impressed so far. I received it in two days as promised. The case is thin and fairly cheap, but wrapping it in a towel before you put it in is just an extra protectional step. Will be looking for a better case. The extra drum head and tuning wrench were a big plus for the money. I highly recommend this drum and most other Meinl instruments and accessories, which I have used I've used in the past. When other companies fail me, Meinl always saves the day at great prices!!!

I don't normally purchase instruments sight-unseen or without trying them. When I have done so in the past, they were either poorly made, cheap sounding, or broke within a month or two of regular use. No so with this drum. It has become a favourite. Nice and light, pretty to look at, and sounds great! Best of all is the value for the price. Sometimes it's not a good idea to sacrifice quality for low cost, but I've had this drum a while now and use it regularly. It has yet to disappoint.

This is a surprisingly good instrument. I'm not a professional musician but I've been playing Doumbek as a hobby for a long time and I've used a few of them. This one is very good looking, light weight and produces a very good sound. Highly recommended.

I wanted a smaller sized Doumbek for our music room, and this model fits the bill very nicely. It looks very nice, and I get compliments on it all the time, but more importantly, it sounds very nice. It does not have deep, deep lows, but for that you really must purchase a much more expensive instrument. It is by no means a professional Doumbek, but it is also definitely not a toy. For learning how to play or just casual(non-professional) use, this instrument is a very solid choice. I am very satisfied with this purchase.

I recently began learning hand drumming and am so pleased with the Meinl darbuka drum. My teacher was impressed with the sound (as am I) and the price. The engraving on this drum is stunning. The weight and sound of the drum is really terrific. Nice strong teks. It comes with a soft nylon carrying case and an extra drum head. Highly recommended!

Looks great, sounds even better. Very nice product and definitely worth the wait.

It sounded great but the engraved design had rough jagged edges that could cut the musician.There was a dent on the rim. I returned it for the hand hammered aluminum Meinl Doumbek which we got and was silky smooth percussion perfection!

I think mine was defective, which happens so I'm giving it two stars. Or maybe its just a difficult first drum. This got such great reviews but no matter how much I tuned it I just couldn't get it to sound right and its was incredibly difficult to play. If you don't hit it absolutely perfect you'd miss the Ka or Tek. If I tuned it so it was a little easier for Ka and Tek I'd loose the doum completely. I gave up. I am a beginner but I drum with 8 other people who are also beginners and their drums all sounded much better than mine and easier to play. (They all had mid-east drums). I took it apart, cleaned it, reassembled and tuned again to no avail. I gave up and returned it for a Mid-East that I am waiting to arrive. This has 8 bolts instead of 6 which for a beginner means your more likely to miss and hit your hand on the hole (ouch). Just food for thought. I will say this, practicing with this drum has forced me to have good technique so I don't regret that part, but I wouldn't want to use this for a performance.Cons: I don't like the top versus other drums I've played. Its flat for a good bit before it curves. Other drums I've played start curving immediately. I also find other drums are much easier to hit the Ka and Tek. Again, I am a beginner.Pros: Otherwise its well made. The etching is beautiful and polished so that its not scratchy. It looks good for its price. If it had sounded better I would have kept it.