How I made my cajon and adjustable snare

[BluesUntukJack]

nice DIY :))

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@jacobdeanmusic I know people that have. It won't let me copy the URL, but it's woodworkerssource. com

Sorry I couldn't help you more...

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@jacobdeanmusic umm...to be honest I'm not sure. I got it from the garage where it had been for a few years. I'm quite sure that it came from home depot or lowes, but my guess is you have tried there. If that's the case, there are specialty lumber stores here and there that have like every type of wood in like every shape and thickness. They are a little more expensive, but generally high quality. If not, your other option is online. I haven't actually ordered from this site myself, but I

[jacobdeanmusic]

Where in the world did you get the tapa? I can't find 1/8th in plywood anywhere! :(

[zepfloyd1964]

Good job!

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@2205mjlj thanks! The front is 1/8" thick.

[2205mjlj]

Hello nice cajon you have made there. Would u mind telling me what thickness the front piece is that u hit. Like how u made the adjustable piece for the snare ,,looks good.

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@kylegoodman56 ahahaha...if I had the time I would make one for $80 (which would still be a deal with the adjustable snare). It's not like they only take an hour to build...it took probably 5 hours not including waiting for glue to dry! Actually, if I really had time, I would make like 10 at a time and it would be considerably less time consuming...

[kylegoodman56]

can u make me one???? I can pay probably around 50 bucks

[monspubis]

and what materials did you used for the strings?

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@monspubis again, read the discription!

[monspubis]

is it trapezoid?

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@monspubis its rectangular. check the dimensions in the description.

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@GeeDeeDubya that's awesome! The snares were like a little over a foot long and maybe 2 inches to 1.5 inches wide. Uh, yeah idk how shorter snares would sound...the long ones sound fine, although shorter might cut down on the amount of snare you hear with the bass (a good thing). Just a hypothesis... I've never seen one with shorter snare wires.

[GeeDeeDubya]

Hi GospelMegaphone - great video.. planning to make my own cajon with the same snare on/off system in your video. What length snare wires did you use? The guy at the drum shop when I bought some snare wires said he thought it might need to be shorter to give a better snare sound. It looks like the wires in your video are a similar size to what I have bought - do you find that the snare wires you used give a good snare sound, or do you think a shorter snare wire would give a better sound?

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@3gr8kidsDad ...shallower than in the diagram. I didn't see a single one at the store with a thick board at the back so I didn't put one on either. It seems to make the bass resonate better.

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@3gr8kidsDad they would enjoy that! =D the link is in the description as well as a lot of other good info and tips! Notice the back board is flat so the top and bottom boards are a little shallower.

[3gr8kidsDad]

Great work on this. Did you say you have a diagram with the dimensions? I'd like to build one for my kids before Christmas. Could you post the diagram or post the link to it? Thanks.

[Intuision]

Hey man, this sounds great! I'm just a little confused as to how you attached the snare strings... did you glue them to the dowel?

Also, how are the other ends of them attached?

I'm trying to make my own and this is one of the best conceptual designs I've found, I'd like to combine it with some of my own ideas and I'll make a response video to yours if it turns out well :)

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@Intuision the snares have pre-drilled holes and you can screw them to the dowel. the other ends are loose. the fact that they are loose gives the snare sound. there are two ways i noticed snares on cajons...one way was with guitar-like strings held close to the surface, the other was with snare drum wires pressed against the surface.

[Intuision]

@TheGospelMegaphone Oh, thanks a lot man! I didn't know that the other ends were just hanging loose. It looked that way, but I wasn't sure if I was right and I just wanted to make sure! Thanks a lot :)

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@Intuision if you didn't read my description you can get the snares from various music stores that carry drum stuff. I'm glad you're deciding to build one!! =D Building one is very rewarding! You won't regret it!

[Intuision]

@TheGospelMegaphone Hey man, thanks for the quick reply! I know where to get the material, I just don't understand exactly how you attached the wires! If you could help me out that'd be great! I'd like to have this done before next Sunday for my church band :) we have been using a djembe but I prefer the sound of a Cajon! I appreciate the help :)

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@Intuision look up snare wires on google images...you cut them in half and screw them to the dowels. its that easy! then when the dowel is turned and they press against the board, you have the snare effect. if you are having trouble picturing it, i gave an analogy with letters in a previous comment that might help. good luck with the deadline!

[olafvargas]

GREAT MAN CONGRATS!!!

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@Stymieh8 I have actually recorded it already. It's on a DVD, and I need to find some very uncommon time to edit it and upload it! =P

[Stymieh8]

Have you ever considered doing a sound check or demonstration?

[reilender1]

I'm not for sure, but I think the reason for not having screws in the area you talked about on the front is to allow more give in the face. The upper corner screws are meant to be loosened to give a "slap" sound on the corners of the face giving you yet another sound-try it. You did a great job, I like the adjustable snare.

[THExITALIANxMAFIA]

Demonstration?

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@THExITALIANxMAFIA hey Im working on getting a video up, but i used my ipod to put this one up and it doesnt give very good audio quality. im planning on miking it and using a soundboard to feed a camera. that takes time and i havent gotten around to it.

thank you for your patients! XD

[3410James]

@TheThomasPlace The best wood to use for a Cajon is Hardwood or very dense Plywood(Russian plywood or brich plywood) a 12mm sheet has 7 plys...very dense. Same wood used for amps and speakers. I used 12mm for sides, back, top and bottom and 3mm for the front...also birtch/Russian plywood. You usualy find that in a wood specialty shop. Can be expansif, like $20.00 for a 3 x 5 sheet. But worth the sound.

[kevinisaprettyboy]

HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT?!

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@kevinisaprettyboy how much for me to make you one? with all the labor, the least i would sell one for is $80 but im like really busy nowadays and i dont know when that would happen.

[zanderwow]

Great job man! Getting ready to build my own cajon and your snare dowel idea is just genius! You don't mind if I steal it do ya? lol! Been racking my brain about how I was gonna do the snare and make it adjustable and your idea is just so simple yet so effective. If I have any questions once I get started on mine I may hit you up! Thanks again for sharing the video!

[ihaveabox]

I see that you have two sets of snares in there, can I just use one or is it better to have two:?

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@ihaveabox the snare is most effective when hit directly. if you are planning on just putting one in, i would either center it so the sides are the same or place it where you'd hit it most. the two actually were one before i cut it in half. (when you buy it it has mounts on both ends) but yeah, i would put two, its only like $15 so you'd only save like 7 bucks and only if you were making two would that do you any good. =P

[beerandbanjo]

Hey Gospel, Pretty nice work! I think the snare mechanism is cool. What is the actual snare made of, and how is it mounted in there? Is it touching the face? Just the rotating rod? The portion of the video showing the actual snare goes blurry and I can't figure out what I'm looking at. Thanks, and keep up the good work!

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@beerandbanjo As I've told some other ppl, it is a snare drum snare cut in half....thinking its made from steel wires. i was at guitar center the other day and saw the actual one i baught and its called the snappy snare. the ends of the snare have two predrilled holes that i used to mount it on the dowel. screws worked well. Okay, take a sheet of paper and draw a lowercased d and l. that is what it looks like from the side. the circle part of the d is the dowel and the straight part of

[TheGospelMegaphone]

the d are the snares. when the snare is off, it is not touching the face. as the dowel rotates, (the d rocks to the right) the snares rest against the face. the increased pressure creates a different sound and i found that i prefer the sound when the snare is like 3/4 on. =D hope that makes sense! feel free to ask more questions if it doesnt!

[beerandbanjo]

@TheGospelMegaphone

Perfect sense, thanks!

[TheGospelMegaphone]

1000 hits in less than two months!!! Thanks everyone!!!

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@TheThomasPlace sorry i didnt notice you asked your question till now... the wood was from either home depot or lowes, not sure what type of wood, thought I think its either maple or ash. Actually, it had been in our garage for a very long time so thats why im not sure! =D

[shanan12]

hey nice video !!! had one question . wat does the snare cald? thx and god bless!!!

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@shanan12 What is the snare called? I can't quite remeber, but it is a snare drum snare cut in half for like $12 at guitar center...nothing special, just make sure you cut them exactly in half and mount them at the same angle or the top left and top right won't sound the same! =D

[shanan12]

@TheGospelMegaphone thx :)



[TheGospelMegaphone]

300 views in one month!! Thanks guys!!! And again, if anyone has any questions, fell free to ask!

[TheGospelMegaphone]

25 days; 200 views! Thanks guys!

[TheGospelMegaphone]

Thanks to all those that have given this video 100 views in just a little over two weeks!

[dschubba003]

Nice work! I like your snare idea. I just finished building my second cajon for a friend and am happy with how it turned out. I used plain old stain and lacquer to finish mine and haven't had any problems with the sound quality. I have uploaded some videos on building a cajon that show the finished product if you want to see it.

[TheGospelMegaphone]

@dschubba003 Thanks! I will be sure to check out yours!