Argh, it occurred to me that most Central Asian countries should be added to the boycott ... Alas, no tonbaks from Iran or santurs from Iraq ... Hell, boycott ALL Japanese synthesizers, Mexican telecasters, German glockenspiels, Mississippi harmonicas, Italian piano accordions, Romanian ţambal, Serbian gusles, Albanian çiftelia, Bulgarian kavals, Russian balalaikas ... It's a GLOBAL BAN ON MUSIC! Except Swedish folk music, of course ... We can all start playing Swedish folk music ...

Kobe is one of the members of this tribe. Try going to his profile, and from there to his website.

You are not comprehending what I hope you are reading. There are at least 8 topic posts with about 150 responses on this tribe's main page that cover what you are asking. You can go over to Middle East Percussion tribe where you will see at least an equal number of opinions. This does not take into account the archives which will provide you with somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 responses. Kobi's drums are covered both pro and con, etc.

"}I am really just trying to find a drum that will last me for years to come and that people have quality experiences with."

...and you want it *urgently* and for $100, right?

Not gonna happen.

Again, I agree, valid points indeed. How about those Kevork's? I want to offer the best, so this is why I'm here getting feedback on these drums (and obviously promoting my biz). I'm new and have but one supplier as of now, but want to expand my line, and offer the best drums. Honestly, I am concerned about the Alexandria line, after hearing the feedback. So on that subject, let me tell you about my return policy. All items (except for written material and DVDs), are backed by an unconditional 30-day return policy. The customer has to pay return shipping, which is part of the reason that I offer free shipping on Continental US orders over $199, so that the customer wouldn't have to pay shipping twice. This is a generous policy and is, or should be, the standard for online businesses, check them out for yourself. Some offer the same free shipping, but returns are always paid by the customer. Also, many sites have limitations and restrictions on their "free" shipping offer, such as weight and size, but I do not. So, to answer your question, no, I do not guarantee that you will be getting a perfect drum with no problems or issues such as what you mentioned. But if you don't like the product for ANY reason, you may return it within 30 days in the same condition it came in and we will gladly refund your money. Obviously, this is not the ideal way for a musician to buy an instrument, but the reality of the situation for many people who do order online is that they don't have the convenience of going to the local music shop and trying out a bunch of hard to find Middle Eastern Instruments. So in this case, they have the option of ordering online. Of course you can't try it out at the store, so you are taking a chance in that regard, and you stand to be out the shipping cost if you don't like it. Of course many people order things online that they already know about, such as replacing their instrument with another of the same model, so its not like they are trying something out for the first time.

This is why I am seeking product reviews and feedback on various lines of drums and other instruments, so that I can find out what musicians such as yourself are playing, and go from there. If people keep saying that the newer Alexandria doumbeks are crap, I am going to remove them from my site. If I keep hearing that the Remo Doumbeks are cheap cardboard like you seem to think, then I'll remove them. It's my choice, and I want to offer the best for the best prices. BTW your mention of the Acousticon shells being weak and breaking is the first I've heard mention of that. Are you sure the drum wasn't abused or dropped? I was just observing that the one I have (yes I do have a sample model), seems very sturdy. Of course I haven't dropped it or anything, so I can't totally attest to its strength. It just looks and feels solid. It also weighs 9 lbs, so it doesn't seem light to me. Maybe that is considered light for a doumbek.

Let me also explain that the way my online only business is set up. I use dropshipping, which means that I don't have a warehouse. You order from my site, and I order with my supplier(s). Maybe I'm breaking some unwritten rule about keeping this hush hush, but I appreciate honesty myself. So I don't actually have any of the things I sell on hand. No shop, just my computer and a totally secure and verified e-commerce website. I guarantee that most of the businesses you find that sell on the internet and don't mention an actual physical store sell their products in this same fashion. And yes, my supplier is Mid-East Manufacturing. Many of us that have suspiciously similar things get our supplies from them as well, that is why our product pictures and everything else is similar, like prices.

So there you go Mark, you called me out! So, tell me about the doumbeks you like. You mention the Kevork. Sounds like its a real pro level drum. What is it about that line that you like? I am going to look into carrying those on my site as well. So, maybe instead of criticizing for a while, you can actually be helpful and tell us all about what YOU like, we already know what you don't like. Just an idea.

Thanks!!
Ted
ps- No link to my site this time! Can you believe it?!?!? ;0)