Wanting to play some sort of pipes

[toadinakilt]

I realize they're inexpensive and made in Pakistan, and probably therefore , but I was considering a set of these.

If nothing else I'd get a kick out of playing a Celtic reed instrument. I'm a strings player by training.

[piperdbh]

No. They're more trouble than they're worth. It's like buying a $300 car. You'll spend more time and money keeping it running than you'll get the enjoyment of travelling. Those cheap 'pipes are cheap for a reason. Because they're cheap. Save up and watch the classifieds. I bought mine for $375, and they've been appraised at $1,200. Sometimes deals can be had.

[toadinakilt]

Well, that was fast. Is there a manufacturer of small pipes that you would recommend? I'd rather not bellows driven, but I am looking for a set that could be used for small sessions (a lower volume sort of thing).

[Hothir Ethelnor]

I would bet that those aren't playable. (at least not any good.)

To get something worth playing you can check out Dunfion's smallpipes on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bagpipes-Smallpi...0#ht_500wt_928

A bit more money than the "junk" set but you will get a properly tuned instrument that is a joy to play. (I've had my set for 4 weeks now I think, and I love them.)

[EagleJCS]

I don't want to shill for any one brand/maker, but Walsh shuttle pipes are also something to consider. They use plastic reeds and come in two or three drone configurations. (The 'drones' are all in one stock - the shuttle - not separate pieces). I have a two-drone set and they play very nicely.

There are also a couple of other options - I've heard tell of practice pipes and Fairylore (may be a brand name) or parlor pipes.

[kid icarus]

i have a set of fairylore pipes by highland circus that i like and a set of gibson firesides that i also like.....however, i may be forced to sell either one or the other here (more than likely both) in the near future due to wedding costs and the rising debt caused by said wedding.

[SteveB]

I have a set of parlour sticks that I swap onto my bag in place of the Shepherd Highland sticks. Swap out the pipe chanter for a goose adapter and my practice chanter for a nice sounding indoor set of pipes. The parlour sticks use practice chanter reeds. I have all four as Abbott reeds for a full and robust sound that does not empty the room due to volume. I also have a set of Walsh small pipes that are fun to use with Celtic gigs at the local pub. There is nothing like lighting off the Shepherds in a large concert hall. The audience always responds well to a neatly kitted piper.

Slainte

[Piper]

I've got a set of Walsh A2000 and a set of Walsh D2000 smallpipes, very nice sound to them, both mouthblown. They're not as cheap as the MEM smallpipes, but much better value for the dollar.
As a bit of a caveat, my instructor liked my Walsh's, so he shopped around and ordered a set of Dunfion "Switchback" smallpipes. He never did come to like them, they were a bear to tune, and almost impossible to keep in tune. I believe Dunfion discontinued the model.
SteveB, are your parlor sticks the ones from Gerry Rooney at Pipeline? I bought a set of them a few months back. They sound nice in my Dunbars, but I think the Walsh has the edge in both tone and volume. I'm having an internal debate regarding selling them. Carrying the small case for the Walsh pipes isn't any more trouble than swapping out the drones and chanter.
I did use them to good advantage a few months back. The son of a friend was getting his Eagle badge, and I played at the ceremony. I used the Dunbars outside in the cold rain, and swapped out the sticks when I came indoors (small room, with a police dispatch office nearby)

[OC Richard]

Another vote for the Walsh smallpipes!

They are by far the best value in smallpipes.

John takes great care with the reeding and voicing and Walsh smallpipes are famous for being pretty much ready to play out of the box.

I myself much prefer the "Smallpipes in A 2000" over the "Shuttlepipes".

The shuttlepipe's drones are a bit on the loud side and sit right at your chest, between your ears and the chanter. I find that both different from the way smallpipes normally play, and slightly annoying.

The "Smallpipes in A 2000" play and sound like traditional smallpipes, with three seperate drones playing A, e, a. The drones stick out sideways like traditional smallpipe drones. The drones have a wonderful warm tone.
The whole set sounds great, is very stable, and (all the reeds being plastic) is trouble-free and maintainance-free. I played my set on stage with a Celtic folk/rock band and they were always in tune, come rain or cold or sun.

They make an ideal set for someone new to piping.

(The Walsh "Smallpipes in A 2000" and "Shuttlepipes" are both in the key of A and have similar chanters.)

[Mr. Woolery]

I personally like the shuttle pipes for portability, but I agree with Richard that the A2000 pipes have the edge for overall sound. If I had it to do over, I would probably get the A2000 pipes instead of my shuttlepipes.

Check on Dunsire for used sets of smallpipes. There's a set of shuttlepipes there right now for $400, which is about half price.

All that said, have you learned a scale on a practice chanter yet? I've self-taught a couple of instruments and bagpipes are a completely different beast from most noisy things. At least at first, I strongly encourage you to get a teacher. See the sticky thread "So you want to play bagpipes" on this forum.

-Patrick