SS Helm for eyeball.
Diamond/
Blue Diamond resist gear (if you plan to raid one day).
Otherwise, spend it on another character.
You won't see epic without massive MQ plat for the white & red scales or a guild to provide them via kills.
By the time you need a better instrument than MM Lute/Drums, a guild bank should have plenty to provide.
Gear outside of resists aren't worth it if you can't earn them on your own. You could argue Velious quest gear gems, but PoG drops (
Melodic) are equivalent to dwarf (
Resonant) armor. Don't pay for gems unless you're getting Giant (
Troubadour) or Dragon (
Twilight) turn ins. You shouldn't be taking hits and bard melee DPS is a joke.
Sionachie's Partisan,
Jade Mace, and
Crystalline Short Sword will be more than enough for the weapon's department, less than 1.5k total.
If you do want to spend money on yourself, then I recommend prioritizing:
If raiding: resists > HP > armor > CHA
If grouping: HP > resists > CHA > armor