Professional Djembe Drum Shop, Conakry, Guinea



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Images from the Drum shop 2005 in Conakry, Guinea.

The secret to these fine drums is rough shells of the highest quality are collected beginning each spring. This allows proper drying time and the best choice of woods. Once January arrives it is difficult to find high quality shells as the tourist season arrives and in the rush to get drums out attention to detail suffers.

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Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving sound grain in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hardwood
Finish Shaping
The critical area where the bowl and trumpet meet is refined to insure the best sound chamber. 		Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Finish Carving
Craftsmen skilled at the traditional pattern carving are assembled and finish carve the still moist shells. Here El Hadj does the sanding prior to oil. 		Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Finish Drying
Finish carved and sanded shells are then thoroughly dried before applying finish.


Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Melina Wood
Guinea white wood (Melina) is used to make a lower cost and lighter weight alternative drum. With the same attention to detail and fine carving these have a similar sound as the professional hardwood drums.

 Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Danish Oil
New this year is a Danish oil and Wax finish. For years drums have been finished with whatever was available, often palm oil. The grain of these fine woods is amazing when properly finished. 		Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Ready To Head
Note some carvers are using a modified ledge cut, similar to Ivory Coast drums, to ensure a good seat for the bottom rope ring.

Awaiting Finish
Once finish sanded drums are protected with indoor storage.
Dunun shells
Both Khadi and Melina Dununs are made. Note the Guinea style of length is almost twice width.
Carved Shells
More shells pile up.

Orders
Shells are sorted by custom order and then finished and headed.
Roping Rings
Here Oumar, one of the best headers, works on a drum. With a snug top rope ring you can use the drum itself for your workbench.
Rings
Ring are custom fit to each drum rather than slapping on stock sizes. You'll see some of these exact drums listed with Hawkdancing once they arrive.
Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Drums Ready!
American rope, proper sized rings, and great Guinea heads,..the sound is amazing! 		Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Khadi Wood
Dense Khadi Wood takes the new oil finish well and accents the grain. 		Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Khadi Wood
Richly grained heart wood Khadi is as good as it gets. World class instruments with a world class finish and materials.
Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Akajou Shell
Akajou grain accents the carving and provide a rich visual surface. 		Carved hardwood djembe drums and shells with oil finish and professional quality materials from Conakry, Guinea. African drum detail carving in melina, akajou, khadi, and lenke hard wood.
Finished Melina Drum
Beautifully carved and assembled with the same top materials and skill as the hardwood Guinea djembes. 		finish, wood, guinea, carving, oil, djembe, drums, melina, professional, quality, shells, akajou, finished, grain, sound, detail, carved, hardwood,khadi, lenke, materials, rope, conakry, drums, drum, african
Khadi Wood Djembe
The contrasting grain color of Khadi is accentuated by the new oil finish. Khadi is extremely dense wood and can take very fine carving detail


This is THE premier drum building shop in West Africa, and the shop where the professional drummers go to buy their djembes.

Hawkdancing has shipments of these Professional Quality Djembes arriving often. Please call Nels at 715-263-2756 to reserve your drum.

See The Professional quality djembe drums available now!