BeatIt Test: J. Leiva Percussion Cajon

Very recently, we have received yet another shipment from DrumStore, which is based in the city of Gdynia and known to all drum maniacs in Poland. Inside the parcel were four smaller boxes with cajons from J. Leiva Percussion! Naturally, we immediately started testing them thoroughly and we are sharing our test results with you – our viewers – right now.

We tested all the cajons at our own recording facility. We took an amount of time which we think was just right to check each cajon: its performance as well as the materials a given instrument was made from.

J. Leiva Percussion Cajon – Medina Vintage

Basic product specification:

• Manufacturer: J. Leiva Percussion
• Product type: Cajon
• Model: Medina Vintage
• Material: Russian birch (7 plies, 10 mm), Russian birch (frontplate)
• Measurements: 30cm (width), 48cm (height), 32cm (depth)
• Snares: Metal, pre-tuned
• Sound port: Yes, on the rear panel
• Rubber feet: Yes
• Rounded corners: Yes

photo: beatit.tv

The Product:

J. Leiva Percussion Cajon – New Zoco

Basic product specification:

Cajon, just like the Medina Vintage, is characterized by a very good quality of the materials it was made from. The accuracy of element fitting is laso more than satisfactory producing no creaking sounds. The instrument, in contrast to the previously tested cajon, has a very sharp, crunchy slap, which will work greatly in all kinds of Latin music.

The manufacturer claims that when it comes to value for money, it can be one of the best cajons currently available on the market. We can safely say that there is something to it. It is a very good instrument, which produces a very beautiful slap while having great low tones. This cajon was built and is intended for flamenco music, but it will be suitable for a much larger number of different musical genres.

J. Leiva Percussion Cajon – VIVA

Basic product specification:

• Manufacturer: J. Leiva Percussion
• Product type: Cajon
• Model: VIVA
• Material: Russian birch (7 plies, 12mm), laminated Russian birch (frontplate)
• Measurements: 30cm (width), 48cm (height), 32cm (depth)
• Snares: Metal, pre-tuned
• Sound port: Yes, on the rear panel
• Rubber feet: Yes
• Rounded corners: Yes

photo: beatit.tv

The Product:

The last Cajon that we have tested is the VIVA model. Of all the cajons, we liked this one the most. Maybe because it’s all black, maybe because it’s very easy to play. Getting a satisfactory sound gave us absolutely no problems. You can easily “imitate” the sound of the standard drum kit. Of course, the high and low tones are suitably matched to each other, while the depth of the bass is very nice and pleasant to listen to.