I may be stepping in a big pile of dog doo by even asking this but there seems to be enough Xmarksers conversant with the bagpipes that I would think I might get a straight answer here.

Let's say this friend of mine...let's call him Bold Bargonian...was interested in attempting to learn the pipes. He's been playing the recorder, Boehm Flute, tin whistle, Irish flute, etc. for a while...not the best player but a reasonably competent amateur...what's the best suggestion for an economical set of pipes to start with (got a practice chanter...but that's part of the conundrum)?

Obviously a set of pipes can run an easy $1,000 US and up....are any of the less expensive sets made in Pakistan even worth getting? One sees a lot of them on ebay and in various online music stores and I have to think that there may be some of them that are adequate if not great...and I can settle for adequate; this is for my own amusement only - don't intend to perform publicly. If that is a possibility, I would think that there are some pipes in this class that are better than others or some online dealers who sell a better class of merchandise or who tweak them up a bit before shipping them to buyers...anyone have any insight into this?

The practice chanter (gift from my mom...I think she bought it off QVC or something) is obviously a product of the Sunny East and ain't exactly what I'd call a precision instrument...just wondering if all of the "imported" pipes related gear is as un-wonderful as this chanter or if there are any possibilities out there.

best

AA