Latin Percussion LP188 Foot Tambourine

Latin Percussion is widely popular and for good reason. I play guitar and find self-accompaniment adds a great dimension. I have elaborate foot operated cajon and high hat set ups but nothing beats this simple, portable and light tambourine.One of my more recent performance partner has one, and if one of us forgets to bring theirs we have a lot of back and forth over who gets to play the tambourine 'this time'.I also have a professional full size tambourine and have experimented with various contraptions to anchor it to the ground but really it is all just a waste of time when all you have to do is pick up one of these great little instruments. You can even place a microphone on the floor, just duct tape it down rather than pay for an elaborate microphone stand as you might do with other set ups. If playing acoustically or at lower volumes the tambourine is loud enough to be heard over a steel string acoustic guitar.The sound fits in well with a wide variety of styles and is subtle enough to go along with almost any style of music. Seriously, this is one of the best low cost upgrades to a solo or ensemble musicians' array of tools and one of my favorite products in the entire Amazon musicians' inventory. NOTE: The elastic band is not as durable as the rest of the instrument but you can purchase flat webbing at your local hardware store if, after years of use, it is necessary to repair.

LP stands up better than the cheaper options. Deep tone cymbals and it fits the foot properly

I bought this to accompany a parody song of Jingle Bells I wrote about baby Jesus' birth ("A tiny baby boy, wrapped in cloths and hay, soon would grow to know our suffering and shame...!"). I'm super excited to play it for my grandparents - this foot tambourine is STELLAR and produces a bright, vibrant sound. It enhances my acoustic guitar by negating the need for a full drum set! Psalm 150: "Praise him with TAMBOURINES and dancing, with stringed instruments and woodwinds" (emphasis mine). I'm super excited to praise God with an actual tambourine like the psalmist exhorted, but it makes me sad when I read Psalm 144 because David says he will praise God with a TEN-stringed lyre, and I have a SEVEN-stringed lyre! Anyway, this is a grand foot tambourine and deserves six stars outta five.

Decent jingle quality and volume. Appears well-made. One possible improvement would be to supply it with adjustable replaceable strap with quick release buckle or velcro rather than the elastic one, which is a little tight even on my narrow size 9 foot. It's definitely a two-handed procedure to apply it, but once on it stays in place well. Also, that would address the possible issue of strap breakage and replacement after repeated heavy use.One other observation about the sound, and this is not a fault; it's just due to the very nature of it's design: it's difficult to attain a sharp attack like you get when striking a tambourine with your hand, a stick, or a foot tap (when resting your foot on top of one on the floor). The LP188 (and probably any foot tambourine) jingle is initiated with foot motion before impact with the floor, so it can sound a bit blurred and delayed. Tapping your foot harder will mask this effect somewhat, but might lead to fatigue if you're not used to doing that. Another trick I've found helpful for this is to strap the tambourine up higher onto the midfoot rather than the forefoot. There is a little less motion there so the jingles will be less sensitive until impact. Also they will respond almost as well to heel tap as well as forefoot tap, giving you the option of heel up and heel down playing, thereby lessening fatigue.Overall, a very handy inexpensive instrument, especially for cajon players.

Very nice foot tambourine…well constructed and nice bright sound.

I’m not picky, so to have this little thing even though sure it may not be the highest quality, it works perfect for all my jam sessions and playing. The elastic strap is really nice and makes it fit really well on your foot!

Didn't need to mic this one up! I got this for a few shows where I played accordion at a brewery. It carried well enough in the space where you could still hear it under the accordion. Only thing I mic'd up were vocals.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this little instrument but was happy to find that it has a really nice sound without being too jangly and it is capable of quite a bit of volume. I do wonder how the strap will hold up but so far, it's working out well. We're using it with acoustic guitar and uke. It's a really nice addition to many songs and is so much fun.