Manuel Rodriguez Farruca snare cajon

General

Snare cajons have become increasingly popular, and it's not hard to see why. For acoustic gigs, a drum kit is far too loud, and it's much more difficult to transport than a cajon. Additionally, compared to other cajons, snare cajons have the distinct advantage of their snare wires giving them a much more versatile sound. This is the Farruca cajon, which is handmade in the workshop of famed Spanish luthier Manuel Rodriguez. This company is astonishingly eco-friendly, as they use much of the leftover wood from their guitar-construction process to make their high-quality cajons.

Farruca Cajon: construction

The Farruca's body is made entirely of gabon wood, which is a slightly pink type of hardwood that comes from Africa, while the frontplate is made of birch. This combination gives the cajon a beautifully warm sound with a great balance between mids, highs and lows. With its natural finish, the body contrasts nicely with the black frontplate, and it features a sound port for enhanced projection, as well as a set of snare wires that help give it a remarkably wide percussive palette. Finally, a set of sturdy rubber feet on the bottom of the body round out the design.

Eco-friendly cajon

The image on this affordable cajon's front plate immediately clues you in on Manuel Rodriguez's roots. Even though the famous Spanish guitar manufacturer has been around for over a century, as far as recycling goes, it's a highly modern company. They make sure that nothing goes to waste - so much so that even sawdust and small pieces of wood are used, both for fuelling special boilers, and for creating MDF, while larger pieces are reused in their entirety.