When we (Arab Instruments) build mother of pearl doumbek, there are some aspects that we need to take into consideration.
We use extra layer of aluminum for all our doumbeks , this is why our "New Generation Darbuka" weigh around 11 lib (5 k"g) and our sombaty plus darbuka weigh around 13.64 lib - 14.3lib (6.2kg - 6.5kg).
This extra layer produces higher quality Arabic sound which make Arab Instruments darbukas to be on the top in terms of sound and quality.
Building mother of pearl darbuka takes a long time (around 2 - 3 months) . First step is to polish the aluminum perfectly so it will be ready for pasting the pearl in a smooth way and accurately.
After the polish stage has been done, we draw and mark on the darbuka the illustration and the design we would like to make.
Next step and also the long one, is pasting the mother of pearl one by one, piece by piece. It's important to know that there are different types of pearls and we choose very carefully the brightness of the pearl we use and the quality of every piece.
On the final stage we will add a glass layer, install the skin and make the final polishing on the pearl so the darbuka will glow. Now with the colors, pearl and final tuning you will get the best mother of pearl darbuka ever made!
And what about the sound? Please watch the video and decide.
