Pipers What d'ya blow and why?

[celticpride]

i own a custom set of polypenco bagpipes made by Duncan Soutar of St Andrews. they are similar to the DS-1C Plain turned (Antique Style) with imitation mounts, imitation centre bush. Beaded ferrules, beaded ring caps, nickel slides. this is my first year on pipes so wanted something durable but also sounded good.

By redeyeso00o at 2012-03-10

[ANP3]

McCallum P1 Poly Pipes, with standard poly chanter, MG Chanter reed, Bannatyne Large bag, and Bannatyne reeds. Chushing Long Poly PC with hand made Chushing reed.

[Jack Daw]

I have a stand of Dunfions and one of Naills. My chanters are a Shepherd and a Sinclair. I experiment with different chanter reeds, but like the medium Soutars the best. I'm experimenting with some new drone reeds, but don't want to discuss that.

[flyrod6057]

McCallum AB4's, celtic engraved, antique finish. Crisler custom blowpipe, Moose valve, gannaway bag without grommets. I got 'em cuz I know a few guys who play McCallums, and I love the sound. OH, and Aaron Shaw from the Wicked Tinkers plays McCallums. So does Willie McCallum. I was sold, and continue to be thrilled!

[Gael Ridire]

I only played for a few years before an injury paralyzed a quarter of my throat.
The pipes I have are Gibson, with MacVordo's blowpipe (is adjustable), with imitation ivory mounts.

The maker is Jerry Gibson of Cleveland, OH, USA. An immigrant Scotsman who was a piper with the Black Watch for nine years. He used his engineering degree (specializing in wood) and x-rayed an early set of MacDougal pipes from the late 1840s, then using his engineering degree, made improvements of the design.

Back in the late 1980s some Scots piper magazine asked for bagpipe makers to send in a set and they would judge who made the best pipes. The Gibson's won.:

I hope someday a grandchild will pick them up. Guess I need a grandchild first.

[OC Richard]

Odd that I started out with Lawries and ended up, at age 55, playing Lawries.

My first practice chanter (1974) was a new Lawrie, im ivory sole and the distinctive spun Lawrie ferrule. My first set (1975) was a new Lawrie set and by 1977 I was playing an old Lawrie chalice top set



It was around that time that I bought, for $200 at a garage sale, a full ivory set of Hendersons which had been played in WWI. Being a starving college kid I soon sold those, for $1300, a huge sum in the 70s. (A new Volkswagen Beetle cost $2000 then.)

Anyhow in the early 80s I bought a c1860 set of ivory and plain silver Glens for $1000 which I played for many years



Then in 2005 I bought a lovely set of blackwood Dunbars, fully mounted in hand engraved aluminum



which I loved, and played up until this lovely c1905 Lawries sort of fell into my lap for a bargain price





So those are my "big pipes" now. Why? They're beautiful, with ivory and hand-engraved German Silver, sound great (being ebony), and didn't cost all that much. Plus, they're very light on the shoulder.

I also play these 100 year old real ivory and cocus Miniature pipes (note the original cowhorn mouthpiece)



and this uilleann chanter, by David Quinn, which I bought new in 1977 and still play



and a bunch of whistles in every key

[rsvpiper]

That's some nice pipes you've got there Richard,

[Pyper]

I have a set of Duncan Soutar of St. Andrews with Kinnaird reeds tied into an L&M Scotian zipper bag. I play an McC2 chanter for solo stuff and the band has McCallum band chanters.

I also have a set of McCallum plastic pipes with ezdrone reeds and the McCallum chanter it came with. I use them for travel and camping.

I have the new Ross canister in my Soutar pipes, and I'm going to repurpose the old Ross into my plastic pipes.

[Neil Clark]

I play a set of Hendersons. ( New RG Hardie unfortunately, not the old ones)

Why, because I got them for nothing. But I do Love them. Oh, and for solos, an Inveran Chanter

[Nick the DSM]

Got a set of D. Niall pipes, not sure of year maybe the 90s. Got a new elk bag recently too.

Might upgrade someday to an older set of pipes.

And one a set of small pipes.