Meinl Percussion 14" Frame Drum, Extra Deep Shell Irish Bodhran-NOT Made in China-Goat Skin Head, Brown Burl, 2-Year Warranty, FD14IBO

I am just learning the bodhran. This one seems a good fit for me and am loving how it sounds. I have a 16” bodhran by another maker as well. Being a short in stature female, this Meinl is the right size for me and stays closer to be in tune than my other one which can be a little fussy.

I bought this as a present for my wife to play in our Irish music sessions. She is very happy with it. It has a really nice tone and is well made. It has a synthetic head rather than the traditional goat skin head, but the tone of the synthetic head is very nice.

I would rate this high for being a "polite" group session bodhran. It looks nice and has a "tight" factory type construction. But I think many people will have the urge to deepen the sound to get some real bass sound out of it. I would caution people about dampening the drum head more than lightly as too much dampening can lead to weakening the drum head leading to holes and cuts in the head. That might mean having to buy and remount a new head. Keeping this bodhran in a cool place between use is a safer way to get a lower tone. If you wish to dampen the head, do it to the backside of the drum head inside the drum with a lightly dampened wash cloth. The 14 inch diameter works fine with the modern top down type playing while holding the tipper somewhat like a pencil or pen. If you are playing the old style "triplets" with both ends of the tipper 14 inches is a little tight. Everyone needs to be careful with the typical wood tippers or the type of tipper made from bunches of wood dowels as they can damage the taping around the drum head. I have used foam rubber pencil grips whole or cut in half on the end of tippers for eliminating damage to the tape and achieving more of a musical note being played than just percussion. You can use your non tipper hand on the backside of the drum head to move the sound up and down with a backslide technique. You can also use wood or other rounded types of objects as a backslide tool.. The idea is to play just above or below the backslide pressure to raise or lower the tone. This increases the resonance. I would strongly recommend Meinl expanding the line and coming out with a 38 or 40 cm diameter bodhran in the same model style for people that want more of a full bass and more aggressive playing than just for the usual public sessions. I have a 40 cm bodhran from another leading German company and it adds a new dimension to playing to be able to access a real deep resonant bass sound.

I purchased this drum for my wife, and we were both dismayed when the head of the first drum (as shown on the left side of the photograph) appeared to be used and somewhat aged. Therefore, we scheduled a return and requested a replacement drum, anticipating that the second one would be in good shape. Regrettably, the head of the second drum (as shown on the right side of the image) was similarly stained and also had an aged appearance. Regrettably, we decided to return the second drum and not order another one. We expected that a drum being sold at this price would be in better condition.

Where do I even begin? I love this drum. My first bodhran was an 18 inch diameter, 3 inch deep frame, NON tunable drum and while it was a great beginner's bodhran, it was time to upgrade to a more modern style drum with more features. The Meinl 14 inch tunable bodhran with deep frame SO fits the bill. As any new natural drum skin would, this drum initially produced quite a tinny sound. The skin simply wasn't broken in or soft. But, with each day, the tone of the skin is improving. I had similar tone issues with my first drum. I did do a very mild skin treatment on the front outside of the drum head (I made sure the oil used did not come into contact with the black tape surrounding the drum skin) and it helped some. The biggest thing I love about this drum is that it is tunable. Seriously - takes 30 seconds and you're in business. Easy to tighten or loosen with the provided key. Also, the tonal variation that this specific model drum allows is just phenomenal. It can go from very high tones to very low tones with relative ease. The only "con" about this particular drum is that I feel like it is better suited to top end style playing. I initially learned everything I know in the Kerry Style as found on Michelle Stewart's Bodhran Expert channel on YouTube. It can be played using the Kerry Style, but as I started out on a much larger drum, I find there is a lot less surface area to work with which makes certain techniques a bit more difficult, though not impossible. As such, I'm trying to learn the top end playing style. Definitely a steep learning curve to learn a new playing style, though it is certainly not an insurmountable challenge. All in all, I really love this drum and for the price, would strongly recommend. Well done, Meinl on providing such a great instrument!

Solid entry for the Irish tunes person looking for a 14" deep rim bodhran. Quality excellent and pricing more than fair. Like all things we are going to do someday, purchasing this bodhran gave me the chance to hone my skills and stop wishing for the day. Buy it with confidence is my offering.

I love the sound the look. and the price. I was worried the allen wrench would be a pain to store, but it's suspended inside so it doesn't affect the sound or touch my hand or anything. It's very securely attached by Velcro. I was really pleased with that. The product details are misleading as the shell is plastic rather than wood, but it looks nice and still sounds fine. For the price, I love this drum. It's my first Bodhran. Super stoked.

This is the first deep bodhran I have bought. The overall build is very very good, I love the finish on the wood frame. As someone who has never played a bodhran without a bar in the back it was weird at first but I am getting used to it, can get an amazing range of sounds from this beauty. I already want top buy a 16" one now, totally hooked. Great purchase.