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The Signature Bodhrán Set {2-Week Lead Time} Reviews

4.8 Rating 31 Reviews
Read McNeela Music Reviews


The McNeela Signature Bodhrán Set
Our brand new Signature Bodhrán is here - a luxe take on the quintessential McNeela bodhrán experience. The Signature Bodhrán Set includes our brand new 16" tuneable Signature bodhrán, with a choice of Lambeg or Vellum skin and a range of bodhrán accessories including a selection of our premium bodhrán beaters; a quality lightweight bodhrán gig bag; and free access to our Bodhrán Beginner to Master Course with Rónán Ó Snodaigh. The McNeela Signature Bodhrán offers everything an aspiring bodhrán player needs to get started on their musical journey. It's perfect for any level of player, from beginner to advanced.
Key Features of Signature Bodhran
Diameter 16.5” Rim Depth 6.5" Rim Depth at Cutout 4.5” Cutout Depth 3" 8 point hand-tuning system Rim cutout for playing comfort Highly responsive Wide tonal range Lush bass sound Taped edges for superior tone and extended harmonic range Choice of Lambeg or Vellum Skin
Each Signature Bodhrán Set includes:
McNeela Signature Bodhrán A selection of premium bodhrán beaters & percussion accessories Lightweight bodhrán gig bag Free access to Beginners to Master course with Rónán Ó Snodaigh
This highly responsive bodhrán offers great action and superb control. With a lush tonal range, it offers strong resonance and depth of tone with a rich, booming bass - everything you need to take your playing to the next level.
Featuring an 8 point hand tuning system, you're fully in control of your sound. It even comes with a choice of top quality Lambeg or Vellum goatskin, for a truly personalised musical experience.
The unique signature cutout style and the deep claret French polish finish is guaranteed to turn heads for all the right reasons. The Signature Bodhrán is truly worthy of the McNeela seal of approval. Lambeg vs Vellum Hand produced in Northern Ireland for the famous Lambeg drums, Lambeg skins were first adapted for use on the bodhrán by the legendary maker, Seamus O’Kane. These skins produce a strong clear tone, with an exceptionally resonant high end. Lambeg skin is the perfect choice for bodhrán players who favour a more melodic style of playing. They do however also offer a rich, resonant bass and offer plenty of volume - making them perfect for session playing.
Vellum is the art of producing paper from skin - many ancient Irish manuscripts, including the famous Book of Kells, are written on Vellum. Vellum skins offer a warm mid range while producing deep, dark, rich bass notes. They also offer excellent sustain. Vellum skin is typically quieter and slightly more subtle than Lambeg skin. Whether Lambeg or Vellum, each skin that we use here in McNeela is hand-selected for quality, responsiveness and sustain. This is a natural sustainable product and each skin will be unique to your bodhrán, waiting for you to explore its characteristic sound. We recommend using McNeela's to keep your new bodhrán skin in optimum condition.
Free Online Bodhrán Lesson with Rónán Ó Snodaigh Get Instant Access to the Complete Beginner to Master Bodhrán Course. with the magnificent Rónán Ó Snodaigh of Kíla (Worth €365/$410) Lifetime Access absolutely Free! Rónán is one of the greatest Irish bodhrán players in the world. What You'll Learn: Bodhrán Basics- Introduction To Rónán (5:43)- Learn the Basics (7:03)- Different types of Beaters & How to use them - Comprehensive Tutorial (18:33)Beginner Lessons- Irish Dance Beats: Jigs (14:41)- Irish Dance Beats: Reels (12:18)- How to Strap your Bodhrán & More (10:15)Intermediate Lessons:- Irish Dance Beats: Polkas & Hornpipes (7:39)- Session Tips (14:07)- Accompanying Singers in Basic Waltz Timing (1:56)- Alternative Beats - Turkish Beats & More (9:15)- More Alternative Beats (8:29)- Rosewood Performance Hand-Tuneable Bodhrán (1:36)- Pops, Snaps & Bass beats on the Rosewood Performance Bodhrán (5:09)- All About Rolls - Intermediate Level (11:02)- Rónán’s Unique Notation System (7:05)- Paradiddles (1:28) Advanced Lessons:- Accompanying Yourself Singing plus Hops, Inverted Beats and Dropping a Beat. (15:31)- Advanced Beats (10:50)- More Advanced Beats - Rónán plays along to three iconic Kíla tunes. (24:25)- Rónán plays along to ‘Turlough’s’ from Kíla Album ‘Lemonade and Buns’ (4:10) SPECIAL EXTRAS/Play Along:- Paraic on Flute and Rónán on Bodhrán - Session 1 (2:38)- Paraic and Rónán on Bodhrán - Session 2 (4:24) These online lessons cover everything from basics, to traditional Irish music session performance and alternative beats. Rónán will show you how to get the most out of your bodhrán, how to tune your bodhrán and everything else you need to get started on your musical journey. These free online bodhrán lessons are exclusive to McNeela Instruments and will have you accompanying your first traditional Irish music session in no time! Need advice? Check out our expert guide: The Bodhrán Maker's Guide to Buying a Bodhrán
Bodhrán Size The smaller the drum, the more flexible the head. This means our 16″ model will be more responsive to your hand pressure than a larger drum.
For this reason, if you currently have an 18″ model and are looking to upgrade, I would recommend making the change to a 16” bodhrán. It will give you a wider tonal range and a far greater variety of sounds to work with. The 6.5 inch rim depth produces a rich, deep bass tone. The deeper the rim, the more resonant the bass sound will be. The 6.5" rim is perfect for creating our signature McNeela lush, booming bass and great volume.
Hand Tuning System Our 8 point hand-tuning system makes it easy to adjust your bodhrán tuning, without interrupting your performance.
The tuners are easy to grip and fast to tune. The McNeela tuning system will allow you to get the best sound from your bodhrán skin, no matter the playing conditions.
Performance Adjust tuning with lightning speed to respond to performance requirements for when you need your bodhrán to match pitch, volume and tone. With the wide spread of tonal options available you can offer a subtle accompaniment in quieter session spaces and a full resonating bass in concert settings:
Good to Know:
30 day money back guarantee from the day you receive the bodhrán. See our Shipping & Returns Policy. 1 year warranty Free backup service for one year Free Priority Shipping Worldwide

Visit Product Page

Phone:

18322432

Location:

Unit 137 Baldoyle Industrial Estate, Baldoyle,
Unit 137 Baldoyle Industrial Estate, Baldoyle
Dublin
D13 X958

Can’t play yet but what fun!
Helpful Report
Posted 10 months ago
Great drum, does everything I want it to. Very easy to play. It lost 1 star because it doesn't come with the beautiful white wood rim as shown in the picture
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
This 16” is my favorite so far! It came ready to play. A little broke in maybe? Not stiff. I thought my 14” from you was the greatest. This is the MASTER! 16” size fits me better & plays with ease. The tone on both your drums really deliver! The drum case is well made with room for my tippers & spoons.
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
A beautifully made Bodhran. A pleasure to play.
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
I just had to double back and add to my original review of this exceptional bodhran. Having played it for a couple years now, I love the magnificent tone, easy tunability and stellar quality of this gem! Whether I'm playing on stage in Bridges Home or in jam sessions large or small, this drum never fails to favorably impress. It has pulled more music out of me than I Ever dreamed possible. I couldn't be happier with my decision to purchase from you.
1 Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
After a lot of googling and reading through reviews, I finally ended up ordering the Signature Bodhran of 2024 from McNeela. I choose Vellum as double layer, as I expect it to be with a nice and full bass once the skin is broken-in. I can say that what they say on the website is true – it IS highly responsive, it HAS a wide tonal range, and is HAS a lush bass sound. That is even before it’s truly broken-in (in case you don’t know – Bodhran skin usually needs some time to get flexible and “relaxed”, so that when you’re playing it, it does not sound like these horrible cheap ones you get from a tourist shop, sounding like a tambourine rather than what one has in mind when speaking about Irish music). The true sound you expect from a Bodhran comes from a true IRISH Bodhran, and that is exactly what McNeela provided me with. It is a tremendous pleasure to take this Bodhran up, feel the skin, play along the tunes you like and to get the sound you want to hear - it maked you feel professional even if you are not (like me, still trying to get anything above 110 bpm to be repetitive and true in the different DUDDUDUD or other patterns). BUT - I'm optimistic that I'll get there eventually, and one major part in that is to train on this amazing Bodhran. Throughout my transaction with McNeela Music, I had a very responsive support team that helped me to decide, to do the processing and to get feedback whenever I asked something that I didn’t find right away on their website. The shipment was fast, secure with professional packaging, and the Bodhran arrived within the given timeframe (of about 7 days within Europe). I can highly recommend this Signature Line when buying your very own Bodhran, but I would say from the looks of it that any other of the tunable ones are of similar high quality, Get one and start beating the goat - you goat the rhythm!
1 Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
Well crafted and beautiful sound! Thank you so much.
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Posted 1 year ago
Nothing like the smell of a NEW BODHRAN !! LOL!!. It was a very good decision to invest in this bundle, especially because it was on sale, even though i have only been learning Bodhran for about 5 Months just the sound on this bodhran motivates to keep learning, looks great, sounds great, the Lambeg skin gives it a nice traditional sound and great sustain, liking the selection of tippers and loved the included padded gig bag. I look forward to learning more and using My signature Bodhran.
1 Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago