Gon Bops Alex Acuna Signature Special Edition Cajon  

I had ordered the Pearl cajon with the two sets of jingles, but it was back ordered.  I cancelled the Pearl and bought the Alex Acuna Signature Special Edition.  Glad I did.  Snappy snares on both sides and deep resonant bass.  Played my first job with it last night with a trumpet lead at Urbanna Oyster House in Virginia.  Had to spank it pretty hard.  No one in the room had seen anything like it.  Huge charisma just sitting on the stage by itself.  When I got it home I wanted to sleep with it. Expect to fall in love the first time you take her out.

So far, excellent.  The finish is like glass.  I wipe it down to remove body oils.

The construction is butcher block, not inlay.  Very strong. Top Drawer.

Unbelievable.  Someone asked me what I paid for it and I didn't want to tell him.

The MSRP+ is what it looks and plays like.

So I just told him he would't believe it and let him wonder.

But I told him where I got it.  He'll get a nice surprise.

I played a cajon that was lent to me for a few months to get a feel for it.  It had snares the entire height of the box, instead of across the top corners like the Acuna. The resonance was no match for the Acuna, and the price difference was about $50.  I still want to hear the Pearl cajon with the two sets of jingles.

Nice-sounding instument, although a little quiet.  Has a very rich sound.  Snare sound is ok, but you have to be careful about where you hit because the snares are in the corners.

Beautiful design, extremely well made.  Sturdy, high-quality.

Very nice instrument for the price.

You won't be disappointed if you buy this cajon.  It is well-made and has a very nice sound.  It is more conducive to its design as a Latin instrument than as a substitue for a snare-and-bass set-up, although it will work fine for that too.  I'm glad I bought it.

Excellent tonal quality, solid bass and crisp treble.

Solid construction, looks much better than a picture can show.  I expected the finish to have more of a satin appearance by the picture online, but the high gloss finish really makes the inlay sing!

Excellent value, couldn't be more happy.

Excellent cajon!  The gig bag it comes with is nice, designed well, but I'm having some zipper issues already. Hopefully I'll get an exchange and find that the zipper issue was isolated. I tried a number of cajons prior to making the purchase, several more expensive. Absolutely nothing compared to the tone, construction and beauty of the special edition. If you want solid bass and crisp treble, get the special edition. In short, you'll end up with both "form and function."

Amazing look and finish..  the sound is even better than I had imagined.   The way the snares are in the upper corners allows for a clean deep bass when played even a few inches down.    So many sounds possible and it is truly a work of art.   Alex hit a homerun with this design!

Recieved it yesterday afteroon.. gigged in a small spot the same evening.  Usually i play a small drum kit.  This cajon along with my high hat and a few cymbals rounded out the kit.    I mic'd from the back and ran it through the PA and it sounded great!!

A great sounding Cajon, I tired everyone I could at 4 stores... all the big names and some semi-custom ones as well.  This Gom Bops had the best overall tone, deep bass, and usable snare tones.  Some others were snappier but would not blend with acoustic music as smoothly.  The bass is deep and resonant.

Cajons in general are not the best built musical instruments, but this one has decent fit and finish.  The butcher block is tight and beautiful.

At this price it's impossible to beat, The best one I tried in comparison was almost twice the price and the Gon Bop had it beat in everything except not having an adjustable snare.

Buy one, nothing near the price competes in sound, quality, or beauty.