Customer Review: Toca Cajon vs. LP Cajon
The following review was submitted by an X8 Drums customer. While we feel the information is helpful, it does not solely represent the views and opinions of all staff members.
Hi X8 Drums,
I thought I'd give you some unsolicited Cajon feedback. You guys are certainly the experts, so I likely will not be telling you anything you don't already know, but here's a novice's view in case it is of any value.
I'm pretty particular about my musical investments (as you already found out!), so I wanted to just be sure I had picked the right Cajon. I got a hold of an LP Soul Cajon, as I was really interested in that one as well and needed to do my due diligence. Bottom line, I stuck with the Toca for several reasons. Here's a brief comparison "review", in no particular order of importance.
Appearance: The finish on the Toca Bordeaux Cajon in my estimation is much nicer than the LP Soul Cajon. The LP was a bit "rougher" in feel, and the paint job just didn't do it for me. The edges where they had taped off the front for the black had a bit of paint bleed, and the LP sticker on the front cheapened the look. Considering the price, I expected a much better look and finish.
Comfort/Seating: The Toca's padded top really helps. Also, the larger surface of the Toca is better for finding a good position to play, and is much better when tilting backward. The angled back of the LP makes that more difficult. Also, I found the Toca to be a bit "softer" on the hands/fingers. I felt like it was easier to get the sounds I wanted without punishing my knuckles. I full recognize that may be a novice user issue, however.
Bass: This is where the LP has the Toca beat. The bass on the LP is much closer (in my mind) to an actual kick drum sound, and is deep and resonant. Every one I showed them to heard that right away, with and without mics.
Snare: Each instrument has a different sound here. I feel like I can get a more of a conga sound from the Toca, while the LP was more of a snare. Just depends on what you want. The LP was definitely crisper, and I probably like the string sound a bit better than the snare sound on the Toca.
Flexibility: This is where the Toca took the lead. While I liked the string sound on the LP, I didn't like the fact that I could not disengage them. The ability to turn off the snares on the Toca was a big plus for me. I don't want every song to sound the same, and taking the snares out of the picture opens up a whole new set of sounds for the Toca, and will allow me to play it on more songs in a gig.
Summing it up, the Toca looks and flexibility made the difference. And frankly, no one will notice any sound differences since they will only hear the Toca! And as you well know, when you add a mic and some good reverbs, the differences diminish greatly.
Thanks again for all of your help.
Sincerely,
Todd J
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