Just a little personal survey of what bodhrans you prefer for sound quality and good construction. And, is there really that much of a difference at the higher end?
Most people agree that the best bodhráns you can play in terms of sound quality are Séamus O'Kane drums. However there are other drums up there. Makers such as Brendan White, Roundstone, Belgarth, Alfonso, McNeela and Éamon Maguire are highly thought of although the sound quality is a bit erratic from drum to drum with some of these manufacturers. I play a great McNeela drum and I'm also partial to the thick skins on Belgarth drums which generally have a lovely tone. What you'll probably find now is that people will post the manufacturer of their drum and tell you it's great, but for sheer consistency it has to be O'Kane every time. If we're talking about build quality, to be honest there's not a great deal of difference at the top end. Most manufacturers build very solid drums that will last you at least half a lifetime or longer if you take care of them properly. You get what you pay for, so if you go for a really expensive drum you might get something that looks like it was put together by Fabergé and weighs as much as a small family car, however it won't sound any better than a drum costing hundreds of £/$ less.
I wonder if instead of price, you should be thinking of what features you want. Maybe Conan can help with that: tuneable? what kind of wood? how the wood is cut? What kind of skin, if natural, how it's cured, etc. Then pick a drum that has the features you need, hopefully for a price you can afford.
I have owned my Seamus O'Kane drum for less than a month now, and it was my 4th bodhran - and my last. I will NEVER play anything else than an O'Kane drum, they are that good! The sound of it is INCREDIBLE. I just can't say enough good things about it. And Seamus is the nicest man in the world to deal with as well.
Morganna, I'll second that !! I live in the carribean and first encounted one of Seamus's drums whilst on a family visit to Sligo, anyway, I ordered one over the phone, and Seamus would not take any money till the drum turned up safely and I was happy with it. You cannot get any better service than that.! It's a great drum that can produce a huge range of tones! which I think is due to the 6" deep rim, and has stood up to massive swings in humidity over the last six years. I don't know how much the skin contributes , but mine is verty translucent and comes right off the back bone of the goat ( sorry all you veggies) ,you can see the out line of the spine and the ribs ( double sorry) . When I recieved mine Seamus had eclosed a hand writen letter mostly regarding the care of the skin. Contrary to other makersd I have encountered Seamus recommended not using any kind of dubbin or other conditioners,and suggested that the skin should be good for ten years or so. I always slacken the drums head at the end of an evening
regards Pajic
As Glauber said, once you've decided on the maker, you can then start to look at different specifications of drum. I think for many people a tuneable drum is a must unless you live somewhere where humidity and/or excessive heat isn't an issue. Over here in Northern Europe you can get by well enough without a tuneable skin if you look after the drum. I would recommend a deep (6" at least) rim if you really want a good sound. Some drums have cut-outs for your arm to make playing them more comfortable. You can get drums wih a "sound box", a hollow rim more or less, which allows the tone to resonate a bit more. You might decide to go for a double-skinned drum or one with extra patches of skin fixed to the back which varies the tone a little. Then there's the cross-bar debate. Some people like a single or cross bar at the back to help them get a grip on the drum. You don't always need one - it's a matter of taste. The bar on my drum can be moved closer to or away from the skin, or removed altogether. If you have problems achieving tones by moving the non-playing hand at the back of the skin, you might decide to use a "tone bar" - really just a long thin block of wood that you move up and down the back of the skin. I think Mance Grady uses one now and again. Probably best not to have a fancy design in the middle of the skin as it will wear away over time. The size of the drum also has a bearing on the tone; generally speaking, the smaller the drum, the higher the pitch, although I have played drums that are small in diameter with a thick hide and a deep rim and heard a wonderfully deep, rich boom from them. Most bodhrán makers will be happy to build a drum to your specification; just be wary of the cost, especially if you are starting out. My best advice would be to try as many bodhráns as you can get your hands on. Go along to the workshop if it's within travelling distance and spend a good hour trying different sizes and depths of drum. And don't be afraid to send a drum back if you're not happy with it - someone else probably will be.
The O'Kane is without a doubt the best there is. I love the way it fills up the bottom end of the session. The two regular players in our sessions here play Eamonn's drums and they are spot on.
...to the tune of a different drummer
...to the tune of a different drummer
Just a little personal survey of what bodhrans you prefer for sound quality and good construction. And, is there really that much of a difference at the higher end?
# Posted on February 22nd 2003 by linda
Re: ...to the tune of a different drummer
Hi Linda
Most people agree that the best bodhráns you can play in terms of sound quality are Séamus O'Kane drums. However there are other drums up there. Makers such as Brendan White, Roundstone, Belgarth, Alfonso, McNeela and Éamon Maguire are highly thought of although the sound quality is a bit erratic from drum to drum with some of these manufacturers. I play a great McNeela drum and I'm also partial to the thick skins on Belgarth drums which generally have a lovely tone. What you'll probably find now is that people will post the manufacturer of their drum and tell you it's great, but for sheer consistency it has to be O'Kane every time. If we're talking about build quality, to be honest there's not a great deal of difference at the top end. Most manufacturers build very solid drums that will last you at least half a lifetime or longer if you take care of them properly. You get what you pay for, so if you go for a really expensive drum you might get something that looks like it was put together by Fabergé and weighs as much as a small family car, however it won't sound any better than a drum costing hundreds of £/$ less.
All the best,
Conán
# Posted on February 22nd 2003 by Conán McDonnell
Re: ...to the tune of a different drummer
I wonder if instead of price, you should be thinking of what features you want. Maybe Conan can help with that: tuneable? what kind of wood? how the wood is cut? What kind of skin, if natural, how it's cured, etc. Then pick a drum that has the features you need, hopefully for a price you can afford.
# Posted on February 22nd 2003 by glauber
Re: ...to the tune of a different drummer
I have owned my Seamus O'Kane drum for less than a month now, and it was my 4th bodhran - and my last. I will NEVER play anything else than an O'Kane drum, they are that good! The sound of it is INCREDIBLE. I just can't say enough good things about it. And Seamus is the nicest man in the world to deal with as well.
# Posted on February 24th 2003 by Morganna
Re: ...to the tune of a different drummer
Morganna, I'll second that !! I live in the carribean and first encounted one of Seamus's drums whilst on a family visit to Sligo, anyway, I ordered one over the phone, and Seamus would not take any money till the drum turned up safely and I was happy with it. You cannot get any better service than that.! It's a great drum that can produce a huge range of tones! which I think is due to the 6" deep rim, and has stood up to massive swings in humidity over the last six years. I don't know how much the skin contributes , but mine is verty translucent and comes right off the back bone of the goat ( sorry all you veggies) ,you can see the out line of the spine and the ribs ( double sorry) . When I recieved mine Seamus had eclosed a hand writen letter mostly regarding the care of the skin. Contrary to other makersd I have encountered Seamus recommended not using any kind of dubbin or other conditioners,and suggested that the skin should be good for ten years or so. I always slacken the drums head at the end of an evening
regards Pajic
# Posted on February 24th 2003 by pajic
Re: ...to the tune of a different drummer
As Glauber said, once you've decided on the maker, you can then start to look at different specifications of drum. I think for many people a tuneable drum is a must unless you live somewhere where humidity and/or excessive heat isn't an issue. Over here in Northern Europe you can get by well enough without a tuneable skin if you look after the drum. I would recommend a deep (6" at least) rim if you really want a good sound. Some drums have cut-outs for your arm to make playing them more comfortable. You can get drums wih a "sound box", a hollow rim more or less, which allows the tone to resonate a bit more. You might decide to go for a double-skinned drum or one with extra patches of skin fixed to the back which varies the tone a little. Then there's the cross-bar debate. Some people like a single or cross bar at the back to help them get a grip on the drum. You don't always need one - it's a matter of taste. The bar on my drum can be moved closer to or away from the skin, or removed altogether. If you have problems achieving tones by moving the non-playing hand at the back of the skin, you might decide to use a "tone bar" - really just a long thin block of wood that you move up and down the back of the skin. I think Mance Grady uses one now and again. Probably best not to have a fancy design in the middle of the skin as it will wear away over time. The size of the drum also has a bearing on the tone; generally speaking, the smaller the drum, the higher the pitch, although I have played drums that are small in diameter with a thick hide and a deep rim and heard a wonderfully deep, rich boom from them. Most bodhrán makers will be happy to build a drum to your specification; just be wary of the cost, especially if you are starting out. My best advice would be to try as many bodhráns as you can get your hands on. Go along to the workshop if it's within travelling distance and spend a good hour trying different sizes and depths of drum. And don't be afraid to send a drum back if you're not happy with it - someone else probably will be.
Conán
# Posted on February 25th 2003 by Conán McDonnell
Re: ...to the tune of a different drummer
The O'Kane is without a doubt the best there is. I love the way it fills up the bottom end of the session. The two regular players in our sessions here play Eamonn's drums and they are spot on.
# Posted on February 28th 2003 by breandan
Re: ...to the tune of a different drummer
Check out:
http://www.tradcentre.com/seamus/
Adh mor!
# Posted on February 28th 2003 by searai