instrument quality
Considerations for assessing the quality of asalato, which can be useful when purchasing asalato.
rope adjustability
In the Japanese subculture (as well as online), it is important to be able to adjust the length of the rope. Below is a pair of asalato where it is not possible to adjust the length, as the ends of the rope are glued inside the asalato.
These are not strictly "bad" asalato, rather, they are made with different playing styles in mind. However, asalato made this way will make it more difficult to perform many of the techniques popular in the Japanese subculture.
sourcing
It is recommended to purchase asalato manufactured by people who are also asalato players themselves, as they will have experience with how asalato should sound.
Some asalato are processed by these players through adding varnish, customizing the shake sound, or replacing the original rope that the asalato were originally sold as from West Africa.
The cheap, mass-produced ABS plastic asalato from China have unclear shake and strike sounds, and are prone to breaking.
sound quality
It is recommended to listen to audio samples (if avaliable) of the asalato before purchasing.
When listening to performance samples of asalato, a clear and articulate shake sound should be present, as well as resonant strike sounds. This is true regardless of material; even though the specific material may affect the timbre of the sound, the sound should still be very clear.