The Trinity College TB-2 Bodhran is a traditional Irish/Celtic hand drum. Trinity College bodhrans are built to the traditional 18″-diameter with twin crossbar support. The genuine natural white goatskin head is attached with tacks, giving the drum the traditional look and feel and has a dark green painted laminated wood rim.
$ 43.00
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
 VERY good product for the money!, By
Gary M. (IN United States) – See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trinity College TB-2 Bodhran with Dark Green Rim (Electronics)
This was a very cool drum for the money! The tipper i received looked different than this picture, but still works fine! The drum sounded a bit tinny when i first got it, but if you do your research you can find out what you need to do to get the drum to loosen a bit over time , which will give it a deeper sound. Honestly though, as a beginner, i don’t think you will do much better than this drum. Simply put it’s the perfect drum to start learning to play this wonderful instrument!
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20 of 25 people found the following review helpful
 This is Great!, By
WoodsyGirl “There are three kinds of falsehoo… (Independence, MO USA) – See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trinity College TB-2 Bodhran with Dark Green Rim (Electronics)
July 2013 Update: The price for this item does not appear to be stable. I purchased mine for .99 in December 2011 and it’s currently listed for .89, so I stand by my reduction in stars for that reason. It’s still a great drum and I love playing it, although I don’t use it often enough for it to show significant wear; so I don’t know how well it would hold up under heavier use. It’s still an excellent drum for anyone wanting to explore this instrument without making a large financial investment. ——- November 2012 update: The price of this drum has increased since I purchased it. I am happy with my drum, but probably would not have purchased it at this price. For this reason, I have decreased it by one star. Just FYI. ~WG ——- Let me preface this review with the caveat that I know next to nothing about drums. (I did read several reviews before ordering, as well as look up a few bodhran-specific terms in Wikipedia so I wouldn’t be making a completely uneducated selection.) That said, this seems to be a great drum for my beginner needs. Although a bit “tinny” to my untrained ear, for the price I am inclined to ignore this small concern. Besides, it is possible the tone will soften out if I dampen the head (will update review after trying this) which is, indeed, real animal skin. It appears to be glued on, then tacked down with studs in a zig-zag pattern, as shown in the vendor’s photo. There were three or four small scuffs on the high-gloss enameled frame, but again, this is a minor inconvenience for the cost of the item. Besides, it won’t matter much since I’m planning to apply some Celtic-style decals over the enamel to spruce it up a bit (since I can’t paint worth a crap). (Will consider having someone paint the head at a later date if I run across a qualified artist who charges significantly less than s/he is worth; I’m guessing a decal would unfavorably alter the sound if applied to the head, not to mention making dampening out of the question.) Construction seems sturdy, and it is much easier than expected to maneuver the flat of my hand under the head by pressing the back of my hand against the support struts (please note that I have long arms and large hands for a woman). The drum’s weight could become a concern if I ever have to play it while standing longer than 15 minutes (but then, I’m out of shape, fat, and approaching 50); for now that’s not an issue. In addition to the two cross bars inside, there is a slender “reinforcing” block attached to one side of the bottom edge of the rim. I’m not sure what it’s for, but it doesn’t impede my playing and may at some point become useful if I want to wedge my hand inside in a less obvious manner than I ken at this time. Or it could simply be a “stop” by which to hang the drum from a peg/nail with a flared end. Regardless, it does not come into contact with the head. The tipper supplied with the drum is lighter-weight than I at first wanted, but the lighter weight may allow for quicker tempos with less effort; without prior experience I can’t say for sure. Regardless, after using it I like it better than I thought I would. The groove is off-center which I like, but I think I would prefer a ridge instead of the groove to keep it from slipping without having to grip as hard (no, I’m not gripping very hard: to allow rebound action I have to hold it fairly loosely). Of course, with practice–and some on-line reading–I expect to be able to accommodate this factor. The inner packing box is designed to be used as a tote, but the plastic handle comes out of the cardboard freely, making it risky to carry as intended. With some modification/reinforcement I suspect it can be made to work. For now it serves its function as a static storage container, protecting the bodhran from the rabid dust bunnies that have savaged my home. All in all I consider this an excellent buy. It is not a perfect instrument, but I paid less than for it (I’ve not seen one this size at a brick & mortar store for less than …and I’ve been looking several years). It is an excellent choice for someone wanting to investigate this style of percussion without making a commitment-level financial investment. Of course, the jury is still out on how durable the thing is (there are several websites I intend to visit which discuss the care and feeding of bodhrans). Will update as time passes. June 21, 2012 update: It seems the price for this item has increased slightly since I posted my original review. Still, however, even for the + this drum lists for now, it is an excellent price. I did experiment with dampening the drum head which pleasantly flattened out the tinny sound and deepened its voice significantly. Each drummer will need to experiment to discover the amount of water which produces the sound…
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
 Good for beginners, By
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This review is from: Trinity College TB-3 Bdhran with Black Rim (Electronics)
This drum is simply a larger version of the 14 in bodhran I purchased. Like the 14 inch bodhran, this drum is a too high pitched and it rings, but this can easily be corrected. The crossbars are only 2 inches from the inner face but the larger drum has more space between the bars, so they may not need to be modified.
The tipper or beater that came with this drum is 8 inches and unlike the 6 inch tipper that came with the smaller drum; this one may be useful however I still suggest buying additional tippers of different styles to find what works best for you. I like the 14 inch drum but I recommend paying a little more for your first drum and buying the larger 18 inch bodhran because it is easier to hold and easier to play, then watch the “Taping a bodhran” and “Tapeing a Bodhrán” (yes, it is spelled wrong) videos on YouTube; sand, tape, and oil (Neatsfoot Oil) your drum and I believe you will be very pleased with the results. 0 |
