For me it's a little bit of a toss-up. It's not just the sound, it's also the visual. My guijada de burro (otherwise known as 'the jawbone of some ass who owed me $) is in a dead tie with my vintage sistrum from the Bambara people of Mali.
I have a Roland SPD-s sampler that I use to fatten my bass drum up and also trigger ethnic sounds that I sample.I just sampled "Changes" from Yes to play as a vamp.
def. my electronics - i have a Roland SPD-s as well midi-ed to my Yamaha DTXREME IIs drum module and depending on the gig i might use a rack of Pintech Concert cast pads. i love to trigger lots of stuff, lol.
What nothing 'exotic'?!?
At NAMM one year I saw a 30" cymbal, that same year I think Peace made a line of these real cool greyish-white cymbals made from some kind a clay composite, any one else seen them?? And is it for sale?
My woodblock / cowbell combo on my nickle plated Leedy mount. I hit the woodblock - it goes KNOCK and then I hit the cowbell - it goes DING. I pull out my wooden train whistle and blow it sometimes. It makes the rest of the band look around in wonder. If they turn to look at me, I just point at Nelson.