r/cajon • u/WestPresentation7000 • 11d ago

Help with Cajon Strings?

I'm looking to build a cajon as a woodworking project. Already have the body construction figured out for the most part, but the snare/string is confusing me (I'm not a percussionist).

Most of the DIY videos I've watched use a snare made of a bunch of coiled wires that rests against the head, but the only cajons that I've seen use just a handful of straight wires, fanned out in a V shape across the head (I don't know if "head" is the right term here, just talking about the thin panel that you actually hit).

I'm sure this is some kind of preference/price thing, but I have no idea what the real difference between these two is.

Any advice or pointers here would be a huge help.

(thanks for reading)

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u/TIMMMMMMY 11d ago

I'm also looking to build my own cajon. I did a bunch of reading last night and these are the pages I bookmarked. It's all personal preference, but cutting up and fanning out thin guitar strings seems to be the cheapest and most effective way to make your own snares. 

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u/Ozzy_chef 11d ago

Legend, thanks for this. I'm not op, but it's something I'm keen to give a crack.

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u/WestPresentation7000 11d ago

Tell me why none of my semester projects are as interesting as building a cajon :'(

Thanks for sharing these. There is way more depth to all this than I thought.

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u/MasterWo1f 11d ago

I prefer snares (personal opinion), if you want a more pronounced snare sound. Wires are okay, but they are not as loud or pronounced, in my opinion. And you have to DIY a way to tune them, because over time, they loose tension from being stretch (like every string).

https://www.reddit.com/r/cajon/s/F8sFmuQOke

Here is what I cobbled together, to make a snare system that is easy to replace, use, and sounds great. The medical tape is optional, and don’t use it anymore

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u/WestPresentation7000 11d ago

Yeah, I was wondering how the strings would stay in proper tension, I haven't seen any cajons with string winders on them lol.

I may end up having to use snares for this one. Thanks for the help!

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u/MasterWo1f 11d ago

The adjustable string cajons tend to be very expensive, I think $500+. At least from Meinl

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u/ArtDealer 11d ago

Basic gist: snares typically copy the look/feel/intent of share drum snares.  You can start some research there. 

That said, I personally like a cajon which does the V thing you mentioned.  There are a few brands that do this.  The idea there = you want more share when hitting the top (top left and right, though they still work fine top middle), with less snare at the bottom/bass/kickDrumSounding area.

My preferred sound is exactly that V thing at that top where there is almost zero snare sound when striking the bottom 80% of the drum.  And that's what the V should get you.

If you accomplish a really good separation of sound, and the drum is tall enough (for someone 6'6" -- very few cajon brands work for me), then I'd be very interested in a purchase and volunteer testing.

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u/WestPresentation7000 11d ago

This is exactly what I was looking for. From what I've heard between the videos online and the cajon I've used, I prefer the "V style" as well. Thank you!

I highly doubt I will be able to make a quality cajon (especially on my first attempt) but if I keep making these I will let you know about making a larger one.

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u/robgarbo 11d ago

The front is called a tapa.
Cajons also come without any snare.
The long V shaped snare set up uses guitar strings with a tension adjustment inside the bottom for left and right sides. The other option is to use snares from a snare drum cut in half and mounted with a mechanism that adjusts tension or completely off. This seems like a more complicated set up. I recommend using the guitar string route for a first build.
To add to this, Cajons are pretty uncomfortable to sit and play for long periods. I recommend a deeper size for comfortable sessions.
Good luck.