Bards are probably the least gear dependent class in the game (in later levels). I played a Bard on live up through PoP and found that unless I was fighting something with an AOE, I could do my job just as effectively naked + instruments as I could with my elemental raid gear on.
Your DPS is negligible once other classes start to get their DPS abilities. Your AC doesn't really matter since you won't be taking melee damage. You don't really need int unless you do a lot of charming which isn't particularly often if you spend most of your time grouped. Some people swear up and down that unless your CHA is capped you're the worst bard on the server but I didn't really notice much of a difference back then. Maybe 2-3 extra resists over the course of an evening.
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