20 years of djembé experience have taught me, that the performance of a djembé does not only depend on the quality of its components, but especially on the precision of the craftsmanship.
A violin maker hardly needs to point out this influence on his instruments.
We from Djembé Art see our work as a contribution to a better quality understanding about African drums.
Gavin Grosvenor

Our quality demand for our value categories
We have divided our professional drums into 5 separate value categories.
This means the more stars, the finer the quality of tone and sound!
The highest category is given five stars.
In the evaluation we take into account:

• quality of the materials used (wood, cordage, drumskins)
• handcrafted workmanship
• tonal quality and resonance of the drum
• artistic design

Our Premium Class 5 Star Quality
All djembé drums in our 5 star Premium Class are personaly handcrafted by Gavin & Martina Grosvenor!
Our aim is to give every single carefully selected treetrunk of the highest quality an individual voice and appearance according to its basic character. We focus on crafting each premium djembé drum in a way that it will enable its player to express
his rythmical spirit and transport his feelings.
All djembé bodys are carefully selected from first class resonant African timbers of the highest quality. We smoothly shape the raw bodies with highest precision. The drumheads are levelled exactly to the millimeter and precisely rounded. The outside is highly polished in order to enhance the individual grainstructure and colouring of the wood. Some of the drums have painted drumskins and specially decorated bodies. We only use the highest quality drum skins that are guaranteed to produce the finest tone. The tautening cordage we use is mainly made specially to our requirements. We prefer Premium- und Dynema cordage. It is stronger than the average highest quality used for djembés, in order to maintain the tuning better and even longer. We use specially selected decorative cloth around the tautening rings and lay great importance on the harmony of colours and proportions of all materials. Each added detail creates a very special individual drum.
Every Premium djembé is signed by Gavin Grosvenor, has its individual number, the date of its completion, and our name Djembé Art engraved inside the base of the body.
Our premium djembé work of the past ten years can be viewed on our German website under the following link:
Galerie der Kostbarkeiten
All these valuable unicums are collecter's items. Every Premium djembé customer receives an individual quality certificate with a detailed description, its number and date of completion. Please compare the photos below.

• For this category we use specially selected african resonant timbers of the highest quality.
• The resonant timbers are dryed for at least two years, sometimes up to five years. This makes them extremely durable and hard.
• In order to achieve the clearest possible tone, the precision of craftsmanship on the interior of the body is essential. We sand the inside of each drum extremely smooth, because any roughness of the surface will interrupt the developement of the sound waves.
• The exterior is highly polished, oiled and waxed for its protection.
• We pay special attention to individual decorations, i.e. carvings, drumskin painting, ornamentation, gold application, precious stone inlays etc..
  
  The following link shows our Premium Class

Our Luxury Master Class 4 Star Quality
In this category we import only the top djembé quality, made by the best djembé makers from Guinea and Mali.
Each drum is very carefully selected. Please compare the photos below.

• Each drum is additionally sanded and oiled inside.
• It is also sanded, oiled and polished on the outside.
• The drumskin is also specially smoothed.
• We take a lot of time with optimal tuning.
• We mainly use pre-stretched European cordage or Dynema cordage.

The following link shows our Luxury Master Class

Our Concert & Master Class 3 Star Quality
In this category we import a well made djembé quality from the Ivory Coast, from Mali and Guinea. Each drum is carefully selected.
The Masterclass is more smoothly finished than the Concert Class. Please compare the photos below.
Fort this Masterclass we often uses better timbers, such as Lenké and Mahogany.

• Each drum is additionally sanded and oiled inside.
• The exterior is protected with a special fine oil.
  
• The drumskin is also specially smoothed.
• We take a lot of time with optimal tuning.
• We mainly use pre-stretched European cordage.

The following link shows our Concert & Master Class

Our Standard Class 2 Star Quality
In this category we import a very reasonably priced standard djembé quality from Mali and the Ivory Coast.
Please compare the photos below.

• The drumskin is specially smoothed.
• We give each djembé optimal tuning.
• We mainly use African standard cordage or pre-stretched European cordage.

The following link shows our Standard Class Quality

Our Basic Class 1 Star Quality
In this category we import a very fair priced djembé quality from Senegal and smaller simple low priced childrens djembés from Ghana. These drums are more roughly carved and finished. Please compare the photos below.

• The djembés are tuned.
• We mainly use African standard cordage.

The following link shows our Basic Class

Our professional Djembé Art wooden bodies
These drums are cut, shaped and carved by hand from a whole tree trunk,
and are made from the most sought after resonant African timbers such as
Lenké Wood (Afzelia africana Leguminosae),
Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis Meliaceae)
Jacaranda (Dalbergia spp. Papilionaceae)
African Rosewood (Pterocarpus erinaceus Fabaceae)
Buschmango Wood (Cordyla pinnata Fabaceae)
and Iroko Wood (Chlorophora excelsa Moraceae).

The surface of the drum body is either symetrically hewn,
smoothly finished or even polished.

• We are most particular over the precise shaping of the bodies interior
  in order to achieve maximum sonority.
• Our drums are recognisable by a well proportioned precisely cut quadrant end carving of the top tension rim and through a planed surface closing of the playing area. This makes it possible for a very high initial tensioning and a much longer life span of the drum skin than the usual african drums.
• Many of our drums are specially artistically decorated.
• Some are carved around the foot, others have an extravagant decor of hammered metal or ornamental buttons.

Drumhead of the 5 Star Premium Class Quality
Djembé made by Gavin Grosvenor

Our professional Djembé Art drumheads
For our djembés we favour specially selected West African goat skins because they are robust with fine tonal qualities and are long lasting.

• These are unblemished, without any faults such as cuts, holes or scars.
• They are uniformly thick and clean.
• The skins are stretched while moist, so that the spinal line runs across the centre of the drumhead.
• Whilst drying the goat skins are shaven clean across the playing surface and finally when dry smoothed again.
  

Our professional Djembé Art tautening cordage
We value the importance of quality cordage, with minimal strech, which does not break and can be easily tautened to facilitate fine tuning.

• High quality cord with minimal stretch 5 to 6 mm thick ensures that our tautening and tuning lasts well.
  Consequently the retautening of a well played drum is seldom necessary.
• As a result of the exact horizontal alignment of the two upper locking rings and the lower purchase rings, as well as even force distribution of the tautening cordage, we achieve a very harmonious and clear sound pattern.
• Through the professional construction we are able to tightly tauten our djembé drums. The tight tautening is necessary in order to achieve a fine varying tonal spectrum.
• Bass-, Tone- and Slap-Beats are very clear with our drums and easy to differentiate! Djembé professionals know about these relationships and consequently prefer such instruments.

Premium Cordage of a 5 Star Premium Class Djembé made by Gavin Grosvenor