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| Master Cajon maker Enrique Carreras and Maestro Sandy Perez |
Well, I'm just about to do a post about my new shop in Berkeley, in the process of converting a garage into a wood shop with a clean room.
You really wont believe how good a setup this is... comes nearly stocked with every tool one needs.. I mean nearly every tool one can possibly need. The onsite toolset looks to be a lifetime collection of a very handy and talented craftsman.. and the shop is only a few pieces of machinery short of a full production ready setup. This may happen rather quickly.
Immediately, with all the equipment at hand, I am starting a CongaDr line of instruments.
Ive asked Irish Rick to come consult, as he worked with Enrique Carreras on several Cajon projects... and has done a good amount of trial and error discovery himself. We are going to hit a lumber store and run some stock through a table saw, talk about jigs and fences.. dimensions, materials.. working it all out.
I'll have some prototypes built in a minute, and plan on passing them through some world class hand for some feedback. I have several people in mind for the R and D prototype tryouts, to definitely include Carlos Aldama, Sandy Perez and Pili Martinez to start..
There are no good sounding Cuban Cajons on the market.. and lots of Cajons that that are sold just dont sound right at all for Rumba.
In other words, there is a very specific sound the Cuban Cajons in Cuba make, and its not the sound that is made by the Cajons on the market.. even the ones sold as Cuban Cajons.
I dont think many people who are making these Cajons actually play Rumba with Cuban Rumberos.. lol.. you would think that would be somewhat necessary.. but Im happy to start filling this need.
The Cajons from Cuba, and the ones Enrique Carreras made, have a very specific sound, shape, construction, kind of materials.. its not easy to produce if you dont know whats up.
I will be running a series of posts about going into production.. should be fun to read.. its all very exciting..