Ahhh, my Fair Alison, and don't I just love it when you talk this way.................LOL.

I love hearing all these opinions from so many bodhran players. It is a great instrument, the heartbeat of the Celts, and I am currently getting ready to buy a new tuneable from a brilliant drum maker in Canada, Fred Halpin. On my non-tuneable I use the skin preparation wax that Malachy Kearns (Also known as Malachy Bodhran) markets. It is a great preparation that conditions the drum nicely and keeps the skin with that wonderful low tone that I love so well. It is available through Elderly Instruments website. (www.elderly.com)

If you are going to buy a drum, it is a good idea to find out what the conditions are like where it was made and try to get one that is made in the same approximate conditions that you are in for the most part. This is why the Fair Alison's Irish drum is not all that thrilled with Oz.

Enjoy your drum. They are a versatile instrument, that will awaken a very old part of your soul, if you will let it.

Big Mick