Cone Tassa vs Tank Tassa: Which Drum Should You Buy?

If you are buying your first tassa, or replacing one that has seen a few too many processions, the choice usually comes down to two drums: a cone tassa or a tank tassa.

The short answer: a tank tassa is the harder-wearing, louder, more forgiving drum, and it is what most modern sides play. A cone tassa gives you a rounder, more focused tone that many lead players prefer, and it is generally easier on the shoulders over a long procession. If you are starting out and want one drum that will survive everything, buy the tank. If you are playing lead and care most about tone, look at the cone.

Here is the longer version.

What a tassa drum actually is

The tassa is a bowl-shaped kettle drum of North Indian origin, carried on a strap and struck with two thin flexible sticks. It came to Trinidad and Guyana with indentured labourers between 1845 and 1917, and the Indo-Caribbean tradition that grew out of it — tassa drumming — is now its own art form, played at weddings, Hosay processions, Phagwah, and every kind of celebration in between.

In a full side, the tassa is the voice on top. Underneath it sit the bass drum and the jhal cymbals. One tassa plays lead, or “cutter”; the others hold the supporting pattern.

Traditionally the shell was clay and the head was goat skin, tightened by holding the drum over a fire before playing — a process known as standing it up. It works, and it sounds superb, but the pitch only holds for twenty or thirty minutes before the heat dissipates and you have to do it again. Almost every drum sold today solves that problem with a synthetic head and bolt tensioning instead. The question is what the shell underneath is made of.

The tank tassa

The tank tassa is the drum that changed the tradition. Builders in Trinidad started cutting empty coolant and freon tanks in half, welding brackets around the rim, and bolting a synthetic head across the top. The result was a drum you could tune with a spanner in thirty seconds and leave in the back of a van overnight.

What you get:

• A dense metal shell that projects hard and cuts through a full side outdoors
• A bright, sharp attack with a lot of top end
• Tuning that holds for an entire event, in any weather
• A shell that survives being knocked, dropped and stacked

The trade-off: metal is metal. Some players find the tone twangy compared with clay, and the tuning range is narrower than a skin head gives you. It is also the heavier of the two on the shoulder.

The cone tassa

The cone tassa uses a moulded conical shell rather than a repurposed tank. Same synthetic head, same bolt tuning, different body underneath — and the shape and material change what comes out of it.

What you get:

• A rounder, more focused tone with less metallic ring
• A shell that is usually lighter to carry
• A cleaner response at speed, which lead players tend to prefer
• A more consistent build, because it is moulded rather than cut from whatever tank was available

The trade-off: it is generally the softer of the two in raw volume, and a moulded shell will not take the same abuse as welded steel.

Head to head

	Cone tassa	Tank tassa
Shell	Moulded conical shell	Cut and welded steel tank
Head	Synthetic, bolt-tensioned	Synthetic, bolt-tensioned
Tone	Rounder, focused, less ring	Bright, sharp, cutting
Volume outdoors	Strong	Loudest
Weight on the strap	Lighter	Heavier
Takes a knock	Good	Excellent
Tuning stability	Holds all day	Holds all day
Best for	Lead and cutting, long processions	Everything, especially first drums

So which should you buy?

Buying your first tassa? Tank. It is louder, it is nearly indestructible, and you will not be babying it while you are still learning to tune and strike properly. Almost every new player is better served by the drum that forgives mistakes.

Playing lead in a side? Cone. When you are the one cutting, tone and articulation matter more than raw volume, and a lighter drum makes a real difference two hours into a wedding.

Buying for a school, temple or youth programme? Tank, every time. Multiple hands, storage between sessions, and no time for maintenance — you want the drum that survives all three.

Building a full side from scratch? Mix them. A cone on lead and tanks behind it is a common and very effective combination. See the full tassa drum range for what pairs well.

Recording or playing amplified? Cone, usually. Less metallic ring means less work at the mixing desk.

What else you need

A tassa on its own is not a side. To play properly you also want:

• A bass drum or tassa bass for the low end
• Jhal — the brass hand cymbals that lock the whole thing together
• Sticks (chob), traditionally cut from wild cane, now usually fibreglass for the speed and rebound
• A strap that suits your height, and a spare head

If you are ordering a first setup and you are unsure what goes together, tell us what you are playing and we will put a list together.

Looking after it

Synthetic heads are low-maintenance, not no-maintenance.

• Slacken the head slightly if the drum is going into storage for weeks. Constant tension shortens head life.
• Tune in a cross pattern, opposite bolt to opposite bolt, the same way you would a snare. Going round the rim in order pulls the head unevenly.
• Keep it out of direct sun before you play. A hot head will go sharp on you mid-procession.
• Carry a spare head and the right spanner to every event. Heads fail at the worst possible time, and a five-minute change beats sitting out.

Frequently asked questions

Is a tank tassa louder than a cone tassa? Generally yes. The steel shell projects harder, which is why tank drums dominate outdoor processions.

Can I still buy a traditional clay and goatskin tassa? They are made, but they are rare and they need heating before every performance to bring the pitch up. Most players keep one for tradition and play synthetic for everything else.

How long does a tassa head last? It depends entirely on how hard and how often you play. A side playing weekly through wedding season will get through heads far faster than a player practising at home. Keep a spare.

Do I need two tassa drums? Not to start. A full side runs a lead and at least one supporting tassa, but you only need one to learn on and to join an existing side.

Which is better for a child or beginner? A smaller, lighter drum matters more than cone versus tank. Weight on the shoulder is what makes a young player stop.

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Ready to pick one? Browse the full tassa drum collection — every drum is tuned by hand before it ships, so it arrives ready to play. We deliver across the US and Canada.