LOOKING GOOD
The 29” Spalted Maple Cajon has a striking appearance with a characterful maple soundboard that emphasises every single little bit of grain in the wood. It’s warm looking and very inviting. The Legacy Cajon features the same Spalted Maple across all sides as well as some rubber feet to protect it when in play. The body itself is 7-ply wood to aid durability and increased projection; it feels strong and well made. Looking inside, you get some snare wires running the length of the soundboard in the form of two single strings rather than an actual group of snare wires. You also have a small group of jingles attached mid way up the box, whose sound becomes more audible when you hit hard since they’re not actually touching the soundboard. The great thing is that the snare wires are adjustable for tension and response via an Allen key (provided with the Cajon). This allows you to get a tighter sound with less snare buzz, or the opposite that requires a lighter touch to get the snares to speak.
SPEAK TO ME
So first impressions of this Legacy Cajon are good. There’s some nice bass tones coming from this 29” body – the Legacy Cajons are also available in 35”, which would be stronger in the low-end department. There’s still more than an adequate response in bass though and is relatively easily achieved. Slap sounds are strong and clear with many variations to be had depending on your striking position. I did like the standard tension set up on the snares on this Legacy straight from the box, however I think ever so slightly tighter is a nice compromise to allow for a slightly less harsh tone on bass notes if you want. Of course, there are the jingles to speak when you’re going for it. They’re not particularly present at lower volumes as mentioned.
Overall, the Spalted Maple Cajon is a quality thing and it justifies a higher price over some of its Cajon siblings from Tycoon. I think percussionists will welcome the sounds and the aesthetics from the Legacy Series. For people that don’t know too much about Tycoon should check these out because now these Cajons, particularly in their top of the line form, are challenging some of the better-known or usual go-to brands.
For more details, head to dynamicmusic.com.au.
