I used to play a full acoustic drum kit, then electronic drums. The hassle of dragging all this equipment around, setting it up and tearing it down conditioned me to fall in love with the utter simplicity of the cajón. I now have an aversion to complicating the wonderful little box with electronics, but other percussionists disagree and provide support for products such as the following.
First, a preposterous pair. These abominations make me want to channel Basil Fawlty and scream "WHAT'S THE BLEEDIN' POINT!" if ever I see them.
Tycoon E-Cajón
The Tycoon E-Cajón shines far below the competition as a monument to stupidity. It's a cajón with a built-in junky battery powered amplifier and a tinny little 6-inch speaker. The only potential benefit is you can plug an iPod into it to play along.
Softsand E-Cajón
Softsand's E-Cajón is a comically cumbersome frame that lets you mount electronic trigger pads to the side of your cajón. Seriously, dude, don't even bother--just forego the real thing and play your e-kit and assign cajón notes to a couple of the triggers.
Second, a practical pair. I see the appeal of plug-and-play instruments but, to my ears, a well-mic'ed cajón always sounds better than one with a built in pickup. I think cajón tones need the breathing room that external microphones accommodate. Your mileage may vary.
Mezuzah Pro Cajón
The wedge shaped Mezuzah Pro model has two playable heads, a Joyo 5 Band EQ with mid sweep and Metronome, and a pre amp with both a 1/4" jack and an XLR plug. This is all way-too complicated for me, but I assume it sounds good through a PA because the Mezuzah is designed by a sound engineer.
Meinl Pickup Cajón
The Meinl Pickup Cajón comes in a few variations and has a built-in pickup. You just plug a 1/4" cable into your amplifier or PA and you're good to go. This strikes me as one of the most sensible designs in this genre, however I don't much like the sound of these cajóns, especially when they are not plugged in.
