What are some common types of standard cajon?

Literally translated from Spanish, standard cajon (with an accent & pronounced Ka-hon) means case, crate, coffin, locker, drawer or tray.

It may also be called pad cajon,box cajon drum & cajon box drum.

Here's a short video introducing the cajon ...

Nowadays, cajons are mostly around 48 x 30 x 30 cm in size and primarily made of birch or beech plywood, while some high end models are made of solid wood.

In commercial cajons, you either have string-cajons or snare-cajons. String cajons have two or four guitar strings as a snapping element along the back of the striking surface. This model comes from Spain and has a sensitive snare response, as well as a rather dry overall sound with an excellent bass and snare separation.

For something a bit livelier and perfect for drum set grooves, take a look at a snare-cajon. These are equipped with snare wires against the back of the striking surface which rattle when struck.

The third version of the Cajon is less common and represents the original archetype. These Afro-Peruvian cajons have no strings or snares inside, and with their very woody sound are very popular in flamenco.