Hey Cillian
Glad that it works for you! Mine had another airing last night and was put to the test in a good session. Another thing I notice is that it doesn't 'slide' in the hand,(no hand grip needed as long as the wood isn't varnished) and has nice control of the 'click' just by having a small piece of movable tube.All I do with any Tipper to kill the 'slide' is wind a few turns of thread just at the optimum spot, with a little pva glue. This one is 8.5 inches (notice the mix of imperial and metric? - I'm working on it.) I will make up a 10 inch when I get more of the dowel.The first one I made several months ago went for a walk and hasn't been seen since....
Everyone is right of course, in that we shouldn't get too obsessed about the tipper, but that said, balance and sound surely come into play. Anyway, I didn't hear any complaints.....
Have fun
John

Yes i will have to make another, only probem is the
only dowels i have are 6mm - bit too thick..

Experimentation when makin tippers is the best way to go!
Sometimes you get an amazing one, or you could get a
rubbish one just as easily :D

Cillian.

Hi
I am trying to get to grips with the top end style and was slightly overwhelmed by the choices of wood and lengths available for just a simple rod type of Tipper. In my local model shop I bought a one metre length of 8mm carbon fibre rod for about £10. Out of this I made four different length tippers. I know the choice of material may offend traditionalists but carbon fibre is very dense and easy to cut and shape. Once the ends are rounded a small dab of superglue on them just finishes the job. The tippers may not be traditional but at least they may give the user an idea of what they do and do not like regarding density and length.

I also tried making a hotrod style tipper with some much thinner carbon fibre but I found it quite heavy to play with and there wasn't much of a click to it.

Regarding tippers made from bamboo BBQ sticks. Be very careful. Even if thy appear well rounded and smooth to the touch they can cause serious damage to the skin if the playing is heavy.

I hope this is of use.

Regards, Wigwail

Hello i was just wondering if anyone made a Tipper from Birch? im getting started on one no idea what style or form just know i need to have one made from birch even if i never will play it;) and yes Bitch is my tree and since it stands for rebirth and new begginings, basicly just something new which i am to all of this it just feels right;)

Hi all,

New to the bodojo website. Great site by the way for all those who love to whack a goat now and then. I have been playing the bodhran for a little over a year now. I am not one that is able to stick to the boundaries of the norm and occasionally creep beyond the norm, that goes for goat whacking as well. I have 15 tippers in my case, 6 of which i have made myself. Of all the tippers i have, my favorites are my 2 metal tippers i made. Yes, i said metal. I made them about 6 months ago from some common materials. One Tipper is made from 1/4 inch steel rod, and the other 1/8 inch steel rod. Each has 2 grips on it that allows for both kerry style and top end style playing. They also have rubber tips for protection of the skin. They are roughly 3-4 times heavier than the average wooden tipper which allows for a greater "boom" when playing, and allows for easier triplets. You would think that because they are heavier they should be more difficult to control, however i think they are comparable to the wooden tippers, especially when playing kerry style (top end style presents with greater control difficulty). I have supplied an image of each tipper to give an idea of what they look like. I would gladly offer more information regarding these tippers for those that are interested.

Happy Playing,

Rich

here's a link to some of my tippers


http://chabbz.googlepages.com/cipins

all wood is manuka, unless specified

chabb