Balafons

All my balafons (the West African zylophone or idiophone) are made in the Gambia by Guinean craftsmen using 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 medium are 12 and the small ones are 8 note balas in stock. All are roughly hepatonic (as opposed to the pentatonic ones from ghania etc,,) 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. I also have a few 22 note balas from Guinea in stock. I can also supply calabash & mend broken balafons - email or ring for details.

Large - (21 note) from £220 Meduim (12note) £110 Small -(8 note ) £45

Percussion

Rakatak, made from pieces of gourd on a wooden or bamboo frame, very loud so can be heard over drums! - £8 a pair or £10 for decorated pairs.

Kseng Kseng for djembes - £10 each or £25 set of 3, some other shapes available.

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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, or Lenke 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.

There is have one set of bass from Guinea at £500, Other sets of bass are from Gambia or Senegal and are £400.

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. These are Lenke and rosewood, currently about 5 in stock.

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.

Sets of Kring, bass & solo, decorated or plain, £1200 per pair. I also have single krins in rosewood, prices vary from £70 to £150 depending on size.

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’, 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

Small drum hats £8

Medium size Gambian Djembe. mango £80

Large Gambian Djembe, mango, undecorated £150

Small Ghanian Djembe, ceadar, decorated £45

Drum 'hat' £12

Large Ghanian Djembe, ceaderwood, decorated £110 SOLD OUT

Drum bags, £15/25 SOLD OUT

Delux Djembe, Lenke, decorated. £250 SOLD OUT

Talking Drum £50

Krin sets, bass & solo £120

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, have some seperates in stock at the moment, you can contact to discuss price.

Drum bags for bass drums are £20/25 large size - dundun or sangban and £15 small size - sangban 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. 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 and so can be bought as sets at £100. Undecorated gongo’s are generally £60 each unless spectacularly large or small. Prices vary for decorated gongos. I also have some small gongos in stock for £25.

Bolons

These instruments come from Guinea in West Africa and are possibly the oldest type of harp. They are made from two calabash (or gourds) covered with goatskin and are generally 3 stringed, although 4 is also possible. Made by Okameo in Guinea. The smaller ones are £140, the larger £170

Drums also re-skinned, contact for price, usually £70, but if you need new rope, welding or repair work done it can be more. Discounts available for 3 or more at a time.