Meinl Percussion Slaptop Cajon Box Drum with Internal Snares and Forward Projecting Sound Ports

Forget about assembly lines and mass production—this takes time
Sound isn't everything. Your instrument has to feel like it's a part of you—and that feeling of connection is often heightened by small batch, handcrafted construction.

We tapped Spanish cajon builder and woodworker, Jose Hernandez Diaz (known as "Pepote"), to work with us on building Meinl Artisan Edition Cajons. Pepote is an extraordinarily talented luthier whose craftsmanship elevates the cajon in ways you may not have known were possible.

Thinking hard about wood combinations, customizing the strings and shaping the body for a spectacular touch, we developed a series of cajons with Pepote that embody the spirit of artisan craftsmanship.

The Meinl Artisan Edition Vidalita Line Slaptop Cajon
Resonating body

We used Baltic birch highlighted with heat-branded logos to construct the body of the cajon. Baltic birch is commonly found in high end drum sets for its focused sound with wide tonal range.

Playing surface

The Palo Santo frontplate features a textured surface for enhanced feel along with outstanding response, from finger rolls and ghost notes to heavy back beats.

It's all about the feel
When there is no question about how it plays and you get MORE back in response than you put in, you have found a prized percussion masterpiece. It's a great feeling when you can sit down with this cajon and get a sense of its depth of sound and incredibly detailed craftsmanship with only a simple tap of your fingers on the playing surface.

FEATURES:

-Pre-tuned custom micro-coiled steel cajon strings
Hand-wound steel strings span against the length of the playing surface inside the cajon to give you a snare response with clarity, precision and sensitivity.

Eight strings are positioned to give you a crystal clear sound wherever you play on the cajon.

For more bass tone, center your playing in the middle of the cajon. Moving your hands toward the left and right will generate higher pitched snare sounds.

-Forward facing sound port
The extra wide Baltic birch body directs frequencies from your playing out through the large front sound port in the form of a rich, full tone loaded with bass and snare.

This design ensures the cajon is projecting toward both you AND your audience. For extra amplification, placing a microphone by the sound port opening will result in the best mix.

-Elegant, smooth playing surface
Palo santo is used for the playing surface for its sensitivity, durability and elegant look. The swirling wood grain makes for an outstanding aesthetic appeal.

Taking the touch of this cajon a step further, the playing surface is sanded and shaped together with the resonating body to form a perfectly flush, 1-to-1 match. Each resonating body has a playing surface made just for it.