Meinl FD14IBO 14"x6" Irish Bodhran

Albeit a former drummer, I have zero experience with traditional drums and I only bought this as a gift for my older sister who is an Irish music afficionado. Suffice it to say she fell in love with it, and it seems to do the trick for beginners to the instrument or the genre, at least. Some personal research on my end prior to the purchase of this instrument, furthermore, revealed that there are few other choices in the way of a mid-range Bodrhan, so I guess this might work for intermediate players too!

Works perfectly with beaters that you can find on this website.

My sister is very satisfied this latest addition to her instrument collection!

I wanted to start playing the bodhran but didn't know if I would end up liking it, so I didn't want to spend too much on it. I also know that if you have a very bad quality instrument, there is not much you can do about its use and sound and, as a beginner, it can make you quit pretty easily. This revealed to be a happy middle.

I was afraid that the sound would be too high pitched with a 14'' frame, but it actually sounds deep enough for me and the people I play with, to everyone's surprise. The size is perfect for my arms (I am a 1m67 tall woman) and it is quite light and easy to carry.

I really like the fact that it is tunable, which helps a lot when you need to play in an ensemble. The skin was really tense when I received mine (it seemed to be tuned like a regular drum), so don't hesitate to loosen the screws until you hear that your tonal hand placement actually makes a sound difference.

In conclusion:
- very good for beginners;
- nice sound;
- don't hesitate to loosen the skin.