I mostly love the variation and adaptability of a Bard. They're the prototypical face, useful and strong to boot.
The problem I have is that no archetype exists that gets rid of spells. I'm not saying Bard Spells are bad or anything, but sometimes I want the performance aspect without also being a sorcerer for no reason.
Rather than spells, Masterpieces should be the bread and butter of this Bard. They should be the quasi-magical avenue that this bard focuses their power into. You can trade out spells known for them, but sadly for all their flavor and potential, they are mostly a waste of good performance rounds, and you're still left with the abilities and penalties of being a spellcaster.
What I'm asking is what archetype could be formed without spells? Could a theoretical 'Maestro' reduce Masterpiece bardic performance costs or something? As much as I want to trade out spellcasting, it's hard to find something as a suitable replacement without rewriting Masterpieces entirely.
Check out pfsrd20, and the 'archetype packages'. You can give up your spellcasting ability for some nifty stuff.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/super-genius-games/adept- godling/archetypes/super-genius-games---adept-godling-archetypes/weapon-cha mpion#TOC-Bard