Just back from Gambia/Senegal so lots of nice new things in stock!

Balafons

All balafons (the West African zylophone or idiophone) are made in the Gambia by Guinean craftsmen using Guinean rosewood (rather than the locally available wood) which is then baked. This gives then their rich tones. The frames are made of bamboo and the resonators made from locally grown gourd (or calabash). The large ones are 21 notes, the small ones are 8 and sometimes there are 12 note balas in stock. All are roughly diatonic although African tuning is not spot-on so each tends to vary slightly. Don’t expect perfect pitch, part of the beauty of these is their uniqueness. Feel free to ring and chat about these we may be able to get you different sizes if necessary.

Large - (21 note) £200 Small -(8 note ) £45

Percussion

I have various items of percussion for sale, all hand made in either the Gambia or Guinea. Cashcash (pic left), or shakeshake beans - £2 each.

Rakatak, made from pieces of gourd on a wooden or bamboo frame, very loud so can be heard over drums! - £10 a pair
Basket shakers, made from gourd, bamboo and woven rice sack, or string, with the cashcash seeds inside. all these are made by my bolon playing friend, Mohammed (OKameo) Bangoura, in Gambia- £10 a pair

Drums

All drums are made in the Gambia, Senegal, Ghana or Guinea, mostly by people I know. The standard djembes and bass drums ifrom Gambia, all sizes, are made from mango, and the standards from Ghana are cedarwood (twinaboa). All drums have cloth wrapped rings to make the skins last longer and tuning less risky! Most are headed up Mali style but if you don't want the fur on that can easily be changed. All the Ghanian drums have been reskinned with (thicker) Gambian skins, which considerably improves their quality.

The ‘deluxe’ versions are Guinean ‘redwood’ which is harder and so changes the sound and there are sometimes have a few Lenke in stock. These are a slightly different shape from the standards and tend to be a bit bigger, not intended for the beginner they will give the more experienced player a fantastic quality of sound. At the moment there are also have a couple of reskinned Kambalas (quite big ones) for sale, email or phone for details.

There is have one set of bass from Guinea, wood unknown at the moment! Other sets of bass can easily be ordered & posted from Senegal.

The djembes have goat skin heads, a few are headed up with cowskin, the bass drums are all cow; all are from verified sources and treated with insecticide so you don’t have to worry about anthrax or maggots!


Prices for Drums.

Medium size Gambian djembes, plain, no carving (aprox 20” tall + 10” diameter), £70

Large Standard Gambian djembes, plain, no carving (aprox 23” tall, 12” diameter), £120

Large ‘delux’ djembes (aprox 24/5” tall, 14” diameter) £250 Large Standard

Large Ghanian djembes, carved shells and bases (aprox 24” tall, 14” diameter) £110

Small Ghanian djembes, carved bases (aprox 19/20/21” tall, 9” diameter) bottom right hand pic, £45

Talking drum £50.

Please note that as with all hand crafted things sizes and shapes vary slightly, skin patterns do to, some are spotty, some blotchy, some plain. If you have specific requirements I'm happy to discuss them with you but cannot guarantee that I have stock that’s exactly like the pictures.

Drum Bags

All bags have two reinforced carrying handles and two zips in the top, ‘hats’ have elastic around the base, but designs vary according to the fabric that’s around so we can’t specify the colours you will get. Drum purchases include a bag at a reduced price if you want, but bags and ‘hats’, the latter only currently available for full size djembes, can also be bought separately

Bags can be made to order if you want specific sizes.
Small drum bags -£15
Large drum bags £25
Large drum ‘hats’ £10

Medium size Gambian Djembe £70

Large Gambian Djembe £120

Small Ghanian Djembe £45

Drum 'hat' £10

Large Ghanian Djembe ££110

Drum bags, (only this pattern in stock at the moment) £15/25

Delux Djembe £250

Talking Drum £50

Bass Drums

Set of 3 bass drums (see right), dundun, sangban and kenkeni.  Mango wood and cow skin, made in the Gambia sold for £400. I can occassionally sell these as seperates, you can contact to discuss price & postage from Senegal. Drum bags for bass drums are £20/25 large size - dundun or sanbang and £15 small size - sanbang or kenkeni.

Gongos or gongomahs

These instruments come from Guinea in West Africa and tend to be played by those with a Susu tribal background. They are made from a calabash (or gourd) with a plywood top. The ‘keys’ are old hacksaw blades. Similar to a kalimba or an mbira the gongo is simpler to play as it has only 4 notes. Generally it is played with one hand while the other taps out another rhythm on the top or sides. Oury makes these; they vary slightly in size depending on the size of calabash, from 12 to 16ins in diameter & from 7 to 9ins deep. They are roughly bass & treble so if you wanted a particular one we could probably accommodate that. Undecorated gongo’s are generally £60 each unless spectacularly large or small. Prices vary for decorated gongos.

Drums also re-skinned, contact for price, usually £65, but if you need new rope, welding or repair work done it can be more.