The sound this little drum makes is different in different areas and sides. One side is more bass. The snares inside add good sound as well. There are now small stick-on mics that plug into an amp, so the sound can be louder. Our uke group play at assorted venues (assisted living homes etc.), and this small cajon travels great. You - tube tutorials. Buying one for 14-year old grandchild.

It is small enough to be on your lap and makes a good enough sound. Easy to transport.

This is exactly what I've been looking for for the longest time! I've been a drummer / percussionist on and off for over 20 years, and oftentimes I find myself drumming with my hands on the table or on my thighs. Every now and then I try out some new drum that I buy (and later resell or give away - since I'm a minimalist, and don't like to hold on to things that don't meet the criteria I'm looking for) with the hope of finding something that would mimic this type of drumming feel (being able to play seated, with the hands at a certain height and distance from each other, playing on a flat surface) while giving me a good crisp bass and snare sound, without being too loud (i.e. not to disturb the neighbors), and being small and portable. I've tried a variety of darbukas, djembes, and congas, and while many of them have been good drums, they weren't what I was looking for in this regard. I've always liked the sound of traditional cajons, but I never liked the angle at which they are played, and thus I've never gotten one for myself. I then noticed these travel cajons online, and despite seeing mixed reviews I decided to try my luck with one of them. When it first came last week, I was a bit skeptical at first. There was more reverb than I'd like, and when I'd play it on my lap it would slide back and forth to some degree, and I'd have to stabilize it as I'd play it. It was then that I came up with two ideas. The first was that I taped up most of the hole from which the sound comes out, and this immediately changed the bass sound from more of a tom-drum sound to more of an actual bass sound - which I absolutely love. The snare sound is also excellent. The second idea was that I fastened a special type of strap to each side of the bottom of this cajon, so that when I place it on my lap I run the strap underneath my thighs and click it closed (and the strap is adjustable as well). This allows for excellent stability when it's on my lap and I don't have to worry about it moving around as I play it. With these two modifications, this is exactly what I've been looking for. For that matter, they should make and sell these type of straps for these portable cajons! As far as volume, the drum plays reasonably loud but at the same time not too loud. If I play it with less force I'm still able to get a good bass and snare sound, but keep it quiet enough not to disturb the neighbors (I still wouldn't recommend playing it at night though). If I use more force, then it gets quite loud, where I'm sure it would definitely be heard well in an acoustic performance.Another great thing about this drum is that it turned out to be exactly the right size to fit snugly into the side pouch of my classical guitar case (those pouches that are typically used for sheet music). So I basically have one case for my classical guitar and this cajon. I can also easily fit this cajon into my backpack if I need to.All in all, I definitely recommend this cajon.

We play these alongside djembes and their bass just swallows up any sound coming from this little lap drum. I tried taping the hole like another review suggested but didn't notice a difference that helped. It was interesting how the two sides have two different sounds.

Awesome, price conscious gift for the percussionist in your family. My 12 yo fell in love with the full size cajon at church and this was a great gift to get him going without breaking the bank

Read the reviews and thought why not. I was using this as a “snare” on my Cajon set and cracked it. I was using whips. I can’t be too mad it’s only $30. You get what you pay for. But as a professional I wouldn’t recommend. Just go with meinl or LP.

I don't have others to compare it to, but the vibration sound when you hit certain parts of the board is not clean sounding.

I was sure to keep my expectations low due to the price. I'm a musician who's about to go on a 6-month internship to Australia and I wanted a percussion instrument that would work for worship music and fit into carry on. This thing came in in good shape, but there was one small splinter coming off around the sound hole. Other than that, it's beautiful and feels good.As to the sound, at first it had a rattle when I hit the low-end, but I was able to fix it by tightening the snares using the included hexwrench. So far I haven't had an issue with it sliding off my lap, but I do want to glue four rubber feet to the bottom of it so I can set it on a table and play it that way.The low end tone isn't especially low, but that's to be expected on such a small instrument. The high snare sound sounds great. The instrument has good enough volume to stand out in a guitar circle or campfire, which is the best application for this.I would definitely recommend this for a percussionist who likes to travel, or just has limited space or cash.

I wanted something portable that would fit on my lap for my morning chanting. This is perfect for me. I am happy!

Excellent product and on time delivery

I bought this to play while doing other things like watching tv and stuff I'm that person who is always playing drums with my fingers no matter what the surface, so when I saw this size I grabbed it. now I finger play on this instead of the coffee table or the counter or anywhere.Perfect for what I needed. I will eventually play it for other reasons. A little heavy to hold and play walking around or standing. Too bad it doesn't have a strap. All in all it works and it's a great price.

Amaizing sound

Would be great for a child to bang around on, doesn't really have different tones adjusting the strings didn't help, you get more of a snare from the bass sound, I don't have a kid so it's definitely a depressing experience when trying to build up some decent travel gear