Africa Heartwood Project Hand-Carved Djembe Drum from Africa - 13"x24" Classic Ghana Djembe Adi-Daas Carving - Solid Wood Shell and Natural Goat Skin - Ready to Play Out of the Box Musical Instrument

I will first state that this is my first drum. I've been looking for awhile now. I like the hand made rough style so i went with this drum.I'll do the cons that dropped one star. First there was minor cosmetic damage that was clearly there when shipped as it was under the bubble wrap. Since I work with wood, 10 minutes later you can't see the issues. Since the damage slapped me in the face on the way out of the box, I'd say the claimed inspection is non existent. Also the claim that they are tuned also was not true with my drum. The tuning rope was laying in the bottom of the box with one tie to the drum.Now for the good. The shipping was FAST!! When the drum first arrived, being a newbie i was worried that it wasn't tuned but a quick jump on Youtube I quickly learned how to do it myself and actually enjoyed doing it. Now it sounds great. With some more help from Youtube I'm picking up playing it pretty quick. I love the uneven, rough, handmade look and feel of the drum. Also the shaved goat skin that is not totally smooth, you can still feel the hair more in some areas, less in others. These are the reasons why I finally decided to buy from AHP and was not disappointed. They seem to have a lot of interesting items and I plan on purchasing more.Since I am one of few that paid full price for this review (lol) you can trust that it is unbiased.

With a name like African Heartwood Project, I expected high quality at a fair price. The 13 x 24 Classic I received only had a 12" head. Most cheap djembes are measured to the outside of the rings rather than the actual size of the top of the drum/playing surface as this one was. This drum is very light for a true African drum at 14.2 lbs even though it has a very thick shell. Most real hand carved African drums run above 16 Ibs to low 20s. I was not familiar with Mansonia wood but it was at the lower end of the African hardwood list, supposedly similar to low end Iroko wood. I have played Iroko drums and they weigh around 19 lbs in a 13 x 24. Whatever this wood is that Heartwood uses it is closer to Whitewood or Tweneboa which is softest, lightest (and least desirable) of the djembe woods. I am fairly sure this drum was listed as over 17 lbs, but I guess I got the last one since the listing is no longer on Amazon. Smaller versions are still listed. The drum was not tuned as stated either. Only a starter diamond was pulled. It would need multiple more to achieve proper tightness. I had purchased it as an outdoor drum circle drum or loaner as a step up from my mass produced 13 x 25 African Mahogany djembe (it weighs 13.7 lbs). There are many mass produced, lathe turned drums I would prefer over this AHP drum. They would also be much cheaper to buy. These usually are made from "African Mahogany" which is not a great djembe wood, but probably preferable to this drum's wood. Also this drum used what I consider cheap rope as it flattens out having little internal structure and will most likely stretch and/or not tension evenly. Quality rope is similar to climbing rope that stays basically round under pressure and has an outer jacket to handle abrasion and non stretch extremely strong multi-strand core. I returned this AHP.

This is the first real djembe drum I have owned. I love it. I played it outdoors with others for the first time today and it sounded great! The drum gave me a great feeling, that I had chosen wisely, and that I was playing a musical instrument that has been hand crafted with care. I expected it to arrive in need of a lot of tuning, but was happily surprised to find that it was already tuned and ready to play. The skin feels like skin, the wood is heavy, but not too much for this lightweight girl, and it is from a tree, that's for sure. The carving is simple but beautiful and very well done. I get the vibe that this drum will take me to wonderful drumming places. I feel very lucky to own it and be able to play it.

I love this Drum. Authentic Djembi from Africa it sounds great I think this might be the best size. Mine has a 13" head and it. Stands 24" high. They make a bigger Drum. I really like this one. It makes you feel like you're in Africa when you're playing it. And there's no rules just learn the basic techniques and beats and you're playing like a pro. It helps if you're already a drummer. But it's not nessesary I don't think. You just play it like you want to and it really sounds great. Buy it. You won't be sorry

This drum is beautiful and sounds great. I also ordered a cover and it is beautiful as well. I can tell that whoever carved this drum put a lot of time and effort into his craft. I also like the fact that the Africa Heartwood Project gives the local artisans of West Africa a way to support them selves using traditional techniques of their craft. I love this djembe.

The media could not be loaded.  Product arrived cracked

Very happy with my purchase, this is exactly what is advertised. I would totally recommend if your looking for an authentic handmade djembe for a decent price.

A great drum that sounds awesome that I can feel good about purchasing and playing. The African Heart Foundation is a beautiful thing that has happened to preserve African art history and culture and makes sure that the creator and the community benifets from the production of there beautiful instruments. Thank you!!!