What's the deal with Schalloch Percussion?

**Redeye** · 01-09-2009, 02:38 PM

I have seen a few sets of their congas over the years in stores and on ebay. It mostly looked cheap, so I didn't bother to investigate any further. After seeing some higher end stuff, I found some beatiful looking djembes and cajons on one of the online retailers. I'm thinking many people overlook these items. Has anyone played any of their stuff? If so, please give a report.

**Gretschhead** · 01-09-2009, 07:29 PM

I think Schalloch started out as a beginner/intermediate maker, but I too have seen some of their nicer stuff showing up recently as well. I saw some very nice looking congas they put out. I think we'll be seeing some more high end gear coming from them in the near future. I can't vouch for the sound though, I haven't played anything they make.

**Redeye** · 01-10-2009, 12:52 PM

I keep telling myself I want to try a cajon. There is a decent Schalloch Djembe/Cajon deal online right now. You can never have too many djembes, so I might jump on this just to see how they sound.

**Gretschhead** · 01-10-2009, 01:52 PM

I'm extremely picky about djembes. I don't think there are any mainstream companies, ie LP, Remo, Meinl, Toca, etc, producing a good djembe. The LP galaxy is merely a conga shaped like a djembe. Traditional, hand carved, rope tuned African drums from Ivory Coast, Senegal, or Guinea are the only way to go in my opinion.

**Redeye** · 01-10-2009, 03:01 PM

I agree with you about rope tuned traditional drums if I'm in a home of drum circle setting. On stage I could never get anything like a reliable tone, though. I'm currently using a 14" remo. The sound is not that of a traditional djembe, but it's decent, sounds the same every night, and I can actually tune it in a couple of minutes. I totally agree about the LP though. I had one and it sounded awful. It went up for trade in short order. Stave construction is for congas. While not authentic, I have great fun with the remos, pearls, and one toca I have. I give group lessons to youngsters from time to time and it's really handy to have a few drums I can throw in the car and go.

**pcs90** · 05-14-2014, 01:57 AM

Very old thread I know, but if anyone is still curious...
From what I understand, Schalloch is a brand specifically made for Guitar Center and the other companies connected to them like Musician's Friend. They are made by Meinl although in reality if many companies use the same factories for their hand drums, they could really be made by anyone...but "made by Meinl" is identified on many of their products.
The drums I have experience with sound the same as any other drums from any other company. They are very generic, but if you know how to tune, these things can sound awesome and you will have to spend at least tripple to get something better in most cases (unless you get a great used deal). I have a set of Schalloch bongos made from wood, 6.5" and 7.5". I love my bongos tuned high, so the smaller sizes are great for me, and these have a really nice pop. The heads are thin and sensitive and you can get a lot of different sounds out of these. The aluminum darbukas they make are the same as the popular Meinl ones, just in 2 sizes, 6" and 8". I have not played their congas. Their rope-tuned djembes, from what I've heard, sound very good. They do seem a little more ringy than most traditional-style djembes but they have huge bass tones. I have not played their cajons either but have seen many bad reviews referencing poor quality and assembly. Also, many people have said their cajons were the same as the Meinl Headliner, just generally second quality versions. Schalloch makes a line of hand percussion as well like cowbells, tambourines, claves, etc but I have no experience with these.
So, in summary, bongos are awesome, congas are probably similar but try before you buy, darbukas are the same as Meinl, djembes are good for a lot of bass, and the cajons should generally be avoided.
I hope this helps someone.