[Striiker]

I've never played a bard so I can't provide a comparison. I chose an enchanter here due the how much I enjoyed playing one on live. The fun factor I guess depends upon what you consider to be fun. I always loved playing an enchanter because of the effort required to play it well. Keeping a large pull mez'd while the group works through each mob is great fun and challenging. Enchanters can turn a potential wipe into a well-fought victory. I played a wizard to 50 on live and didn't care for the play style in groups as it was too sedentary for my taste (plus I became a clarity addict). So for me, fun is defined by the challenge of handling mobs on big pulls. Charm is another fun aspect. I found that charm on this server was broken when compared to how it was on live in 1999 / 2000. I was unable to use it reliably until level 39 with Cajoling Whispers where the difference was night and day in terms of charm reliability. Charming in groups is another great source of fun for me. On big pulls, I have some times mez'd the adds and then swapped in my charm set up and grabbed a mob to help chew through the mobs. Charming also allows one to effectively solo. Prior to level 39, I relied upon my animations (summoned pet) for soloing and it went well (not as well as I could solo on live with my enchanter because on live, charm was superior to here).
I don't usually have too much difficulty getting groups currently and have generally been able to get into groups as I leveled up.
As for rarity, yes bards tend to be rarer on P1999 in my experience.
Hopefully this helps you with your decision..