Best bodhrans & frame drums according to redditors
We found 6 Reddit comments discussing the best bodhrans & frame drums. We ranked the 5 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 6 Reddit comments discussing the best bodhrans & frame drums. We ranked the 5 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I believe the drums they are playing are called "frame drums." I don't know if these links below are what you are looking for exactly, but it should get you on the right path.
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I honestly think its gonna be cheaper for you to get a $100 Chinese banjo off Ebay or craigslist. Its gonna sound better too. If you take the neck and tuners from a guitar the string spacing is gonna be off and its gonna be difficult to switch to an actual banjo after. If you plan to use a tambourine as the pot you still need a tailpiece, bridge, armrest. I don't think its feasible to build something that resembles a banjo for leas than the price of a very cheap Chinese banjo. The material costs are gonna be close and not to mention all the timel its gonna take and the end product won't be something worth the effort.
That being said. If you still wanna build one, look for a 10" frame drum or bodhran.
https://www.amazon.com/Remo-HD-8510-00-Fiberskyn-Frame-Drum/dp/B0002F7KGK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536944358&sr=1-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&dpPl=1&dpID=41LVEiM8ZAL&ref=plSrch
Ebay has cheap strings, tailpieces, and bridges. You're gonna need a nut that'll hold the strings at the proper height but that'll also ensure proper spacing. I think the hardest part is gonna be getting the neck done. You can either look for a cheap neck or try and modify the guitar neck to work. Modifying would require cutting down the width and length I believe.
Another concern would be the tension in the drum frame, the strings are going to be compressing the drum frame around the neck and tailpiece so you'll need to add a stiffening mechanism.
I'm actually going to go against the grain here and say that you should avoid one with a cross-brace even for a beginner (though absolutely go for a tunable with a synthetic head). No reason to develop bad habits or dependencies, and playing without a brace isn't really any harder to learn.
One of my past bandmates played one of these for quite a bit while he saved for his Alfonso, and loved it (he called it his 'black sheep'). It's got a much bass-ier sound than you'll find from most (not bad on the surface, but something to know), and was pretty fun to play. I don't play bodhran often, but I'm considering getting one of these for myself - it's a decent intermediate instrument with a beginner-level cost.
I've also heard folks say some nice things about the Meinl ones available on Amazon, though I haven't gotten to play one myself.
And, as mentioned elsewhere, Albert Alfonso and Metloef are widely considered to be excellent drums. If your SO is already a practiced bodhranista, one of these makers may be a good bet.
Outside of those recommendations, my thoughts:
Get one of these. That's easily the best $20 I've ever spent on anything, ever.
This is what I used for the banjo head. You may want to go with a 12" if going with a full scale length. My banjo is only 23" scale length.
http://www.amazon.com/Remo-Fiberskyn-Frame-Drum-10/dp/B0002F7KGK
Here are the plans I followed. The main thing I did different was how I attached the neck.
http://www.bluestemstrings.com/pageWineboxBanjo1.html
The old ways are best