Master Series

Master Series professional djembes use the same West African hardwoods as Primo djembes, but only around 10% of shells make Master grade. Master shells are picked for symmetry, structural and aesthetic perfection, and are carved almost entirely from heartwood, the dense inner core of the timber, which gives them their exceptional, pure tonal range.

Additional time goes into sanding, oiling, and polishing, so every Master djembe looks as good as it sounds.

A Master djembe is made for professional players, soloists, and anyone who wants a top-tier drum for performance. When the African Drumming team takes the stage, they play Master djembes.
Founder Simon Fraser, who has played professionally for over 30 years, has a favourite: a lighter-weight khadi djembe from Burkina Faso, made by master carver Yecou and light enough for roving.
In Simon’s words, it “has that solo sound that lead players need when getting out front in the mix.”

Choose the timber for the sound and weight you’re after:

• Lenke if you want powerful bass. It strikes the balance between density and weight, with great projection and the full tonal range of sound, and is well-suited to bigger drums.
• Khadi if you want a dense, powerful drum. It’s the densest and hardest of West African timbers, known for powerful resonance and its signature tiger grain.
• Djala if you want strong projection. Its high density gives it strong projection, carving styles usually bring out the tone, and it’s most commonly a rich, dark red when finished.
• Dougarra (Cordyla pinnata) if you want something between lenke and khadi. It’s similar to lenke in density but typically carved lighter, usually sounding somewhere between a lenke and a khadi Guinea carve.

Country shapes the sound too. Mali shells are generally renowned for their smooth internal form, which supports bigger bass notes, while contemporary Guinea shells have a squarer internal ledge, which results in bright tones and slaps, and Burkina shells play like a mix of the two.
If you’re unsure, send us your height and budget and we’ll reply with three personalised video picks.

Master djembes are hand-carved in Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso by master carvers African Drumming has sourced from directly since 1998. Only the very top tier of shells is selected for the Master Series range.
In Burkina Faso, master carver Yecou sources his timber from the Banfora region, and in Conakry, Guinea, Abdulai specialises in the external design finishing and carving.
Every shell is then skinned, roped, and tuned in the Melbourne workshop.

A Master djembe gets additional time in sanding, oiling, and polishing, so the shell looks as good as it sounds.
The skin is the same quality as the Primo range, with particular attention paid to the colour and pigmentation so it matches the shell and rope.
Around one in every three or four Master djembes gets a floating, nail-free rubber base in place of the standard rubber tread.
It takes a fair bit of time, gluing, and craftsmanship from Abli, our workshop‘s drum maker from Accra, Ghana, who has been building and repairing drums for decades.

Custom requests are welcome across the Master Series range. We can help you find the right shell, then you hand-pick your favourite rope colours, the fabric for the rings, the oil finish you prefer (matt or gloss), and the all-important skin you want.
Get in touch through the custom-made djembes page.

A Master djembe shell is covered by a lifetime structural warranty under normal use.
The natural skin has a 5-month graduated warranty: full repair cover in the first month, then part cover through to five months. Natural skins vary, and a hidden flaw usually shows within five months, which is why the warranty runs to that point.
Damage from misuse or accidents isn’t covered, and the drum warranty page has the full terms.

A Master djembe ships free worldwide and arrives tuned for the climate it’s headed to, with a free drum care and tuning guide. It also comes with free lifetime tuning at the St Kilda studio.