• Roosebeck 16" Extra-Deep Tunable Bodhran, Removable Bar Black Mulberry stock photo
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Bodhran

Roosebeck 16" Extra-Deep Tunable Bodhran, Removable Bar with Tipper

$139
$139
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16" Diameter Extra-Deep Shell Comfort Cut-Out Goatskin Head Removable Single Bar

Ideal for: Players who want maximum low end from a 16-inch head, in rosewood or black mulberry

The deepest 16-inch shell we build, with a bar you can take out.

Most 16-inch bodhrans use a 3.5-inch shell. This one is roughly twice that, and the extra air column turns a mid-size drum into something that pushes real low-end volume. A comfort cut-out is scooped into the deep shell so your fretting hand still reaches the head easily, which is the usual tradeoff with a deep drum and the reason this one avoids it. Choose a solid rosewood frame or mulberry finished in black; the drum underneath is the same.

16-Inch Head, Full-Size Low End

Head diameter sets the pitch; shell depth sets how much air the drum can move. By keeping the 16-inch head and roughly doubling the shell depth, this drum holds the clarity and quick response of a mid-size bodhran while producing bass closer to what you would expect from an 18. If you like how a 16 handles under the tipper but wish it hit harder underneath, this is the answer.

About goatskin heads: Traditional bodhran heads are natural goatskin rather than synthetic. Goatskin responds more dynamically and produces a warmer, more organic tone, though it is sensitive to humidity and temperature.

Extra-Deep Shell with a Comfort Cut-Out

Choose your frame. Solid rosewood is dense and adds warmth and sustain from the wood itself. Mulberry finished in black is a traditional drum-making wood and gives the instrument a plainer, darker look. Both use the same natural goatskin head, the same tuning system, and the same shell dimensions.

A deep shell normally puts the head further from your fretting hand. The comfort cut-out solves that: a scooped section of the shell that lets your hand sit deeper against the skin so you keep full pressure control without reaching. Bolt tuning is mounted inside the frame and hidden from view.

The single crossbar is removable. Leave it in for hand and wrist support while you are learning, or take it out for a completely open frame once your back-hand technique no longer needs it.

Why the cut-out matters: On a deep bodhran without one, your hand has to stretch over the rim to reach the head, which tires the wrist and limits how far you can move the contact point. The cut-out gives back that range.

Tuning and Playing the Deep 16

Use the included tuning wrench to adjust the bolts inside the frame. Turn each bolt a small amount and work around the head in a star pattern rather than tightening one area at a time. New goatskin stretches in over the first few weeks of regular play, so retune often early on, then far less once it settles.

Hold the drum against your chest, reach through the cut-out to fret the back of the head, and strike with the tipper held loosely between thumb and fingers. The deep shell responds well to a full stroke, and pitch bends from back-hand pressure are more dramatic on this drum than on a shallow one.

Coming from a standard 16? Expect noticeably more volume and a longer decay. You may find you need to play slightly lighter in a small room than you are used to.

Technical Specifications

Diameter 16 inches
Shell Depth Extra deep, with comfort cut-out
Frame Material Solid rosewood, or mulberry painted black
Head Natural goatskin
Tuning System Inside bolt tuning
Internal Bar Single removable bar
Weight 4.35 lbs

What's in the Box

Every extra-deep 16-inch bodhran ships set up, ready to be tuned and played.

Tipper Tuning Wrench Owner's Guide (PDF)

Have questions about this instrument? Contact us or browse all Bodhrans.

Questions about this instrument?
Talk to our team or browse all bodhrans.
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Roosebeck 16" Extra-Deep Tunable Bodhran, Removable Bar with Tipper

Black Mulberry

$139
$139
Tradition you can feel, craftsmanship you can hear.
Solid tonewoods
Cured, cut, and chosen for sound.
Voiced by hand
Fretboards dressed, action set, bridges fit by our luthiers.
Made to be played
Built for working musicians, designed to sound better the more you play it.
Since 1973
Five decades of building instruments that last generations.