Mein Cajóna!

Ooh my little pretty one, my pretty one,

How'd you get to be such a fine, Cajóna?

My current Peruvian flattop box is a Schlagwerk CP 427 2inOne cajón. This is the 30th Anniversary (supposedly) "Limited" Edition with a striped ebony front plate and a free rucksack. I love it. I've dialed in the tone thus:

• I crammed a piece of acoustic foam on the floor
• I replaced the stock 2 X 20-strand snares with 2 X 42
• I shoved a CajonPort in the hole

The result is a much more drum kitty sound which is what I like as I'm a crude box-pounding dude, not a skilled Flamenco cajónero.

By changing from 40 to 84 snare spirals I elevated my entry level 2inOne to what Schlagwerk labels "deluxe" performance. The swap was very easy: I bought a Gibraltar 42-strand snare strainer, cut it in half with wire-cutters, and screwed the two halves onto the removable crossbar in the place of the stock snares. It works a treat and provides a considerably crisper snare response. I recommend this cheap, effective, easy and reversible mod to anyone currently slumming with a sub-deluxe Schlagwerk 2inOne.

The CajonPort is interesting. It does a good job adding a little separation to the snare and defining the bass tones. If I had to do it all over again, I'd get Schlagwerk's CBT 10 Bass Tube instead of the CajonPort. The CajonPort uses a finicky combination of Velcro strips to secure itself in the hole. The Schlagwerk Bass Tube looks like it slides in more easily and fits better, facilitating removal to switch the snares on or off. It's not a huge deal for me as I never disengage the snares.