Latin Percussion CP249 Cylinder Guiro/With Scraper

At a lower price, I got what I paid for. The sound isn’t as loud as I would like. That’s probably bc the striking wood rod is too small. However, even using a drum stick for striking, sound is a little weak. Holding directly to mic does help though.

I thought the sound of the apparently-popular plastic guiros being auditioned on youtube was rather harsh and, well, plasticky. So I bought this one for $16, about half the price of the plastic ones. I prefer the wooden sound of this one to the plastic clacking of the others.I was slightly disappointed because this one didn't have the build quality or sound that I remember from the only other guiro I've played which was a few decades ago. (For a deeper look at that situation, do a web search for A.E. Housman's poem "Into my heart an air that kills" or simply remember the maxim "Things aren't like the good old days -- and they never were.") The scraper is a little clunky for the sound I was looking for, but using just the tip produces a reasonably bright tone. And of course you can always use something else for the scaper. The one I remember was thin, light and made of hardwood. I'll look for the right scrap in my shop to make my own. A cheap hardwood chopstick might do the trick, too.Unfortunately, none of my microphones worked particularly well with this guiro. Fortunately, Amazon sells an inexpensive piezo pickup,  Piezo Contact Microphone/MIC Pickup for Guitar, Mbira, Kalimba, Violin, Banjo, Viola etc  for $15.99 that is a round disc that just happens to fit exactly on the flat front of the guiro. So for $32 I now have an electric guiro that sounds dynamite and can be heard over our too-loud band.Arguably, the guiro should get less than 5 stars (4 perhaps) since it doesn't match up to my inner picture of the perfect guiro and because it's obviously cheaply made, but if you need one of these for the price it's a no-brainer so I give it the benefit of the doubt..Off-topic: I keep wondering why Amazon wants to "label this review" so customers know I purchased the item at Amazon. Does that affect anybody's buying decision or the credibility of the review? After all, whether I check that button or not I'm still just some stranger who typed some opinion on a product. My motivation should be inherently suspect. I could be a well-meaning samaritan or I could be a shill, no matter whether the box is checked or not. <shrug> (And FWIW, I'll say for the record that I am not a shill. I simply provided the information I would have liked to know when shopping for this guiro, paying it forward for all those who have ostensibly done the same in reviewing other products.)

Let's begin with the fact that the Guiro arrived without a scraper. Not a catastrophe if you don't mind improvising with something like a chop stick or pencil like a real musician would. They probably wouldn't. That said the Guiro itself looks pretty nice. What I didn't like was the thickness of the body of it. It was so thick that when they cut out the wedge for the sound slot, the opening of the slot was very small, which made the sound coming through it very little. It was a good sized wedge cut out.While it doesn't have the sound of the Guiros that my musician friends have, it will make a sound. However I will say it does look very nice. It would make a nice decoration. It just sounded too solid. Perhaps I'll have better luck finding one more familiar to me at Olvera Street.

It is a basic tool for all Latin music and it will do the job. It is more suited for children then in a professional setting but will work in any drumming circle or percussion gathering. I would suggest getting a better scraper however.

Received the Guiro quickly and on schedule as I've become used to with Amazon Prime. When opened the first thing I see is a defect; a small crack or chip. I tried it for sound and the crack doesn't affect it. And I can play with the chip out of sight, and if I found it did impact the sound I'd send it back. It seems the manufacturer should have some product control to check for the aesthetic value before sending it out.

Ok, I gave it 5 stars because I have nothing to compare it to. But seriously, it sounds like what a guiro should, and it's got a pretty cool paint job. I multi-tracked some percussion instruments, and this thing stood out with a great sound that gives any music an instant and delicious Latin flavor.For the money, this baby does what you want it to do: great sound, great look, and added spice to your musical diet!

Doesn't sound like a real guiro but good quality/price

As I Believe was mentioned by others it did not come with the stick to scrape. Also the holes for your fingers are extremely rough. I know this was an expensive compared to others, but I'm somewhat disappointed in the lack of quality. I haven't gotten a play it with music yet... But that's my first impression