Meinl TOPCAJ2WN Slap-Top Cajon

I chose this special type of cajon over the normal designs because after some hours of sitting on that normal box my back begins to hurt. The slap top cajon can be played sitting in a convenient position without stressing my back.
As the cajon arrived I was quite suprised about the size of the box it came in. I expected a normal sized cajon with these "T-ears". But the Meinl is significantly smaller! Like a child's cajon. Instantly fear creeped up that the sound might be to thin. But that's not the case. The Meinl provides enough bass for live playing. And for my purpose, home recording, it's even more okay as I can support the natural sound by tweaking on the EQ.
Really incredible is the separation of the different sounds. In the middle on the Meinl logo is the boomiest bass sound, at the corner you have a bongo-like open slap sound and on the "ears" to the right and left there is a wonderful snare sound available.
For me it's the ideal cajon, because it's convenient to handle, I can produce distinct sounds and the sounds suit my taste.

My primary reason for purchasing this was the amount of back pain I suffer from after extended playing sessions in rehearsals and gigs on a traditional cajon. This design allows you to play in an upright position with a nice straight back. I was also pleasantly surprised by the sound quality - it produces a solid bass when struck in the middle but and a nice bright snare sound at the sides. The snare compartments are completely separate from the bass so there is no snare noise when you play the middle section - but it is a lot more resonant. Because of this you need to leave your hand on the surface after striking it if you want a tight bass sound, but this also means there is a very clean open conga sound if played on the front edge - a sound which is difficult or impossible to get on a traditional string cajon. The only weakness I can find is that the snare sound is quite high pitched - you can't get the more solid snare sound which is available on a traditional cajon. Because of this I would probably recommend this for playing traditional cajon rhythms rather than the simulation of drum kit rhythms, However, this might be something that can be addressed by boosting the EQ on the snare mic when going through a PA?

I liked cajon, but I never really liked the way you have to play on it. This instrument is how I like to play percussion plus cool sound of cajon!

The top (striking) surface is made from wood as well as two covers for the strings, while all other body is some kind of recycled material (100% eco). If you unscrew covers, you can easy access the strings and adjust tension using screws there (when I bought it was a bit unbalanced, had to adjust it).

I have to give 4 stars for quality, because I was able to scratch the front surface of a drum. Just by putting it against the wall with a rough surface (stone).

Also, be aware that you have to pay 1/3 price for the case if you want an original one from meinl.