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Percussion Production
Percussion Manufacturer Meinl
Made in Germany:
Material & Ecology:Wood has been used in the construction of fine musical instruments for ages. This is in no small part due to wood's ability to be bent, shaped, pressed, and assembled into musical instruments of various types with exceptional sounding results. Wood is a natural product with a unique and individual character dependent entirely on the species. Percussionists love the magic of wood.
Wood is a natural raw material which is present in almost every part of our daily existence. Trees are an important part of the complex eco-system and healthy forests are imperative for the earth's atmosphere. Therefore, Meinl observes the CITES-regulations set forth in the "Convention on Inter-national Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora" and only uses wood from environmentally controlled forests or from industrial wood plantations.
The bongos and congas of the Meinl Collection and Woodcraft Series are handmade in a traditional Bavarian factory. It is here that craftsmen create instruments using the old world "barrel" technique. We manufacture instruments using the following domestic woods:
German Moor Oak (Quercus s.pl. L.)
German Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.)
German Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.)
German Common Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)
German Mountain Elm (Ulmus glabra Huds. em Moss)
German Common Walnut (Juglans regia L.)
German Wild Cherry (Prunus avium L.)
An air drying period of up to six years is required to stabilize the moisture content of the wood. This is important to prevent further cracking of the shells after final assembly. This perfectly seasoned wood is the foundation of our shell production. Solid stave blanks are cut from this seasoned wood and later machined using a special rotary planer into staves. In a very time consuming process, which is completely done by hand, skilled workers assemble the staves into a shell blank. After boiling the shell blank in a water bath, the drum is pressed into the final shape by a hydraulic press. The shell blank is then dried again in a humidity controlled furnace to remove the moisture which may have accumulated from the boiling. Following these steps, the staves are permanently glued together and a precise bearing edge is machined onto the shell. After lathing, abrading, and finishing, they are prepared for the mounting of the hardware and heads.
After a final inspection, the bongos and congas are safely packed and prepared for shipment
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