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Aconga Drums and Percussion
by Wildwood Instruments

About Us

Drums and percussion instruments handcrafted with dedication to quality at an affordable price. Drums made to be experienced.

Djembes, ashikos, djun djuns (dounouns), wave form drums, shekeres, frame drums, and unique one of a kinds.

We are a small group of craftsmen and women located in Columbia, Missouri. We have 20 years of experience in crafting and repairing hand drums. This experience has culminated in the instruments you will see while browsing this site. Our conviction to only producing musical instruments of the finest quality in tone and construction has made our reputation one of excellence.

Every drum we make is hand crafted one at a time with the greatest care to ensure the best quality. Our experience and dedication combined with the choices we have made in the materials we use and methods of construction make each drum special and unique. Let us know if we can personalize one of our standard designs for you by wrapping the tension rings in your favorite color or by adding the decorative ring of fur seen in some of our photos. Please visit our price list page to learn more about our policies.

The hardwood trees used for our drums are responsibly harvested from a local farmer's forest who then kiln dries the wood to exact specifications for the greatest stability. Hand carved drums come from trees that have fallen from storm damage or have been cut down on construction sites and would otherwise be wasted and burned in a large pile. We use high strength, low stretch rope to ensure your drum will stay tighter longer and require only minimal tuning. Recently, we have started to import only a handful of African djembes each year. Our commitment to using wood responsibly has allowed us to find African drums that are made with sustainability in mind. We purchase the shells from our distributor and then finish them in our shop to ensure the highest quality skins and rope are used.

The deer and goat hides that we use on our wooden drums also come from local farms and are processed at our shop using natural methods for curing to minimize the impact on the environment. These hides are kept at their full thickness for a richer sound and longer life. 

We have been doing repairs for 20 years and still offer free quotations on all repairs for African hand drums including djembe, ashiko, dounoun (djun djun) and other hand drums such as congas, bongos, dumbeks and frame drums. Please send us an email describing the type of drum you have and what repairs it needs and we will be happy to assist you.

We started making hand drums out of appreciation for the cultures from which the inspiration for our designs sprang and continue to share this appreciation with each new drum we create.  Please enjoy the rest of the site (be sure to visit our "Links Page" to check out the list of teachers, suggested reading and listening lists) and contact us if you have questions.

Thanks for Drumming!