I love the fact that this instrument exists in the world ! I have been an experimenter of percussion - both home made and purchased - and wanted to get something that could be used with a sharpness and precision without the backbeat that often accompanies shakers, tambourines etc because of the manner of the movement of their contents.
This does what cabasas do - and everything that cabasas can do this one is certainly well capable of.
The first thing i did when it arrived was to dismantle it to see if i could loosen the metal beads a bit. I did want a bit of a looser feel now and again, but the beads cannot be loosened on this model - there is a place for a screwdriver but this only serves to hold the cabasa together with the handle. When you loosen the handle you also lower the sound - it is possible to have it sufficiently tight as to keep it together but have the pitch altered. I settled on a sound and soon got used to this medium cabasa.
It is nice and loud - the sound cuts through well - although for a live setting i think other larger cabasas would be more ideal, but that is not to say that this could not be used live , i think it would be fine and will be trying it out.
For a percussion instrument you can do a lot with the cabassa in terms of playing techniques - and even tho the beads on this one are not really loose those 'rolls' where the cabasa is lifted and kind of scooped round (so the beads slip round) are still easily achievable.
As i have seen this from the inside i can see that the construction is basic but for the price i think the quality and functionality of this is very good.
