This drum is pretty awesome...I'm really happy with our purchase.The sound is excellent. I've not tested it with a chromatic tuner, but to someone with a pretty solid musical ear, the full octave is pretty spot-on, and popular melodies sound great on this.(It is worth noting that the pan is not merely "cast" and put in a box. It's obvious that the pan was professionally tuned...you can see small hammer strike dents and indentations on it, which is really neat. The note areas appear to be drawn on with marker instead of pre-stamped...which is also a GOOD thing...they wanted there to be some leeway so that the final product would have the correct notes and sound good, instead of assuming that the "D" note, for example, would end up centered at a specific spot.)The book that came with ours (the reddish "Island Tunes" version) is really useful and fun. I also purchased the "Reggae" version, which contains some popular and instantly recognizable songs that sound GREAT on the Jumbie Jam.The base is OK but not overly sturdy. This absolutely could be knocked over by a dog or a child, so a degree of care is advisable so that you don't knock the pan out of tune. It's really neat, though, the way the whole thing tears down and packs up neatly in the carry box...this is going with us to the beach for sure.The adjustable height is nice for either an adult or a child. The included mallets aren't as fancy as some online, but they work well...and I like that both ends are rubber-tipped so that our kids don't accidentally damage the pan with a wooden end.If you're looking for something fun/festive...something different...something to jazz up your acoustic "Jimmy Buffett" type campfire music...this is a great option. While only 1 octave, you can play a LOT of recognizable and fun melodies on this.I highly recommend...we've already gotten a lot more enjoyment and quality time out of this than many other $200 purchases.