Subwoofer cajon thoughts

[Blisco]

I play a standard LP cajon for our acoustic patio gigs. I absolutely adore it.

The bass and snare are well-defined and it works great. Sounds nice through a proper PA, too.

Lately, I've been thinking of getting a jumbo bass cajon with snares to enhance the low end on stage and out front. Does anyone have direct experience with one of these specialty models? Please share.

[MusicMan]

I play a standard LP cajon for our acoustic patio gigs. I absolutely adore it.

The bass and snare are well-defined and it works great. Sounds nice through a proper PA, too.

Lately, I've been thinking of getting a jumbo bass cajon with snares to enhance the low end on stage and out front. Does anyone have direct experience with one of these specialty models? Please share.

I've played several of the subwoofer style cajons and the difference is not that much noticeable (especially in a live situation). It's kind of like trying to discern the difference between a 22" kick drum and a 20" kick drum when there is stage volume.

You can get the same results if you mic your regular cajon and use some EQ.

MM

[Blisco]

I appreciate that. You probably just proved that the PA is the factor and saved me $200 lol Thanks

[therocker]

Build a sub-kick like one of these and give that a try. If you have an old speaker and 20 minutes.

[Blisco]

This is what I was going for.

[MusicMan]

This is what I was going for.

A couple thoughts about that cajon:

1. I'd try it out before you decide to keep it because it might not really make any difference at all if you amplify your cajon. The front port is nice if you are sitting right in front of people in an acoustic environment, but the larger size cajon and shorter striking plate might be a hassle otherwise.

2. Is there a carry case large enough for this cajon?

3. Are you planning to use a cajon pedal? How are you going to attach it?

4. It's kind of awkward to put a mic at the bottom front of the cajon (since there's no hole in the back). It also gets in the way of using a pedal.

5. Meinl's gumwood is not the best sounding wood for a cajon. You might want to compare it to other cajons to see if it really gives you a deeper bass sound.

MM

[Blisco]

Those are all great points that I have considered.

I do mic it and this would be awkward. I do use a pedal and I don't see how it would attach with the bracket.

I have briefly played it and the bass tone was pretty nice with my hand. Probably not more than 20% better than my LP. And I know that one works for everything I do. Hence, I will be staying with what I have.

I posted the pic for the guy above it who suggested a woofer mic. That's not what I was going for. Unless to mic a cajon from the back. But my D4 does that just fine and fits in the port.

I did talk to a guy that laid a b52 inside his cajon and it sounded great. I wonder what a b91 would be like? Those are killer on kick drums.

[MusicMan]

Those are all great points that I have considered.

I do mic it and this would be awkward. I do use a pedal and I don't see how it would attach with the bracket.

I have briefly played it and the bass tone was pretty nice with my hand. Probably not more than 20% better than my LP. And I know that one works for everything I do. Hence, I will be staying with what I have.

I posted the pic for the guy above it who suggested a woofer mic. That's not what I was going for. Unless to mic a cajon from the back. But my D4 does that just fine and fits in the port.

I did talk to a guy that laid a b52 inside his cajon and it sounded great. I wonder what a b91 would be like? Those are killer on kick drums.

Blisco,

I have the Beta 91A suspended with a Kelly Shu mount inside two of my Pearl cajons and it works great!

However, you could probably also just lay it on the bottom of the inside of the cajon on a small pillow too.

MM

[oldstroke227]

I'm going to agree with MusicMan regarding the bass cajon. I've tried several and was not impressed for my projects. I perform on cajon about once a week. I've played kit for years, but age (and arthritis,) is catching up with me. The cajon is my instrument of choice these days. I use an AKG D112 behind the sound port and a pair of overhead condenser mics to catch the other hand percussion (shakers, cacxixi, cabasa, etc.) and the other tones off the tapa. I also agree with MusicMan regarding the material used in the construction of the cajon. The two cajons I use in performance and recording are made from Mohena, Baltic Birch, and Maple. I'm sorry to say I have yet to play a Pearl cajon that pleases my ear. I also use a pedal for some applications (mine is from Schlagwerk....the ones from Gibraltar and LP were unsatisfactory and prone to failure.) What type of music are you playing with your cajon? Do you always have to mic yours? Have you taken lessons? I love what the cajon can do and it is a joy to listen to the really good players like Paul Jennings, Heidi Jobert, Alex Acuna, and others.

[MusicMan]

I'm going to agree with MusicMan regarding the bass cajon. I've tried several and was not impressed for my projects. I perform on cajon about once a week. I've played kit for years, but age (and arthritis,) is catching up with me. The cajon is my instrument of choice these days. I use an AKG D112 behind the sound port and a pair of overhead condenser mics to catch the other hand percussion (shakers, cacxixi, cabasa, etc.) and the other tones off the tapa. I also agree with MusicMan regarding the material used in the construction of the cajon. The two cajons I use in performance and recording are made from Mohena, Baltic Birch, and Maple. I'm sorry to say I have yet to play a Pearl cajon that pleases my ear. I also use a pedal for some applications (mine is from Schlagwerk....the ones from Gibraltar and LP were unsatisfactory and prone to failure.) What type of music are you playing with your cajon? Do you always have to mic yours? Have you taken lessons? I love what the cajon can do and it is a joy to listen to the really good players like Paul Jennings, Heidi Jobert, Alex Acuna, and others.

Oldstroke,

Thanks. Do you have any pictures of your cajon set up?

[Blisco]

I've decided to stick with what I have. It has served me well and we always use a double 18 powered sub for acoustic gigs. Plenty of low end. The big change I'm contemplating is getting a b91 to use solely for inside.