The joys and dangers of Ebay pipes

[Toxpert]

This one is a cautionary tale in the making.
Check out Ringo’s website for Henderson stamps when pipes are not Henderson specs. https://www.thebagpipemuseum.com/the...derson-or-not/
The ebay pipes do not line up with Henderson specs. The tenor tops are a giveaway with only a total of 4 beads and the Lawrie Classic scribe line on the blank.see here for Ringo’s reference
https://i0.wp.com/www.thebagpipemuse...1%2C1000&ssl=1

Yeah…the silver and ivory are worth the coin…but not the pipes. The wood is not made to Henderson specs….inside or out. Chances of these pipes sounding like Henderson is a gamble I would not take.

Long story made short….the buyer is will get some quality silver and ivory and a set of pipes stamped Henderson that are not made by Henderson,

[Toxpert]

Follow up comment….
Someimes, you can find some real deals on eBay bagpipes. If you do not know your subject matter….you can get burned.
Are these Greg Sharp era Henderson, Lawrie-made?
I feel sorry for whomever buys this eBay set of non-Henderson pipes. The Henderson stamp appears on pipes in at least 3 instances: made by; sold by; forgeries. The last 2 categories of Henderson-stamped pipes have been around for years and more will continue to pop up…and unsuspecting buyers will be taken.

[Toxpert]

Here’s a link to a set of 1964 Henderson pipes from Greg Sharp era. Note 6 beads and Henderson style beading/combing….and the Sharp-characteristic thick beading on the ferrules.
https://www.cascadiabagpiper.com/for...erson-bagpipes

[OC Richard]

Nice pipes!

Yes that's what I've been told, the really good 1950s Hendersons have fat beads on the ferrules.

I didn't know it was connected to the Greig Sharp era, thanks!

Only problem is that those beads only appear on full ivory or full imitation ivory sets.

There's a certain style of wood projecting mount I associate with Hendersons of that era, I've seen several sets, but I don't know if there was a particular period when all their wood-mount sets used that pattern, or if it was just one of a number of patterns they made concurrently.

[Toxpert]

Well, the “Henderson” set sold for a bit over $2,000 USD. Not a bad price for just the silver and mounts. The pipes are not turned in the classic Henderson style. The story is over for now.

[OC Richard]

Yes sometimes just the silver is worth the price!

As a piper friend said "I had a set of silver remounted with new wood".

[OC Richard]

I just bought a vintage set of Lawries on Ebay.

I hope it will be in the "joy" category!

I'm currently playing an inter-war/pre-1953 Lawrie set that I love. It's got beautiful fat Robertson-like wood projecting mounts and a big bold tone but sadly the bushes are ivory.

In a month our band will be in Scotland, playing at Perth and The Worlds, and I've been trying to figure out what pipes I'm going to take on the trip.

So up pops a nearly identical-looking Lawrie set on Ebay but with Catalin bushes. I made an offer $350 under the Opening Bid price and it was accepted.

The pipes were purchased in Britain around 1955 by the seller's father, and hardly played since. I've messaged the seller to find out whether it was purchased new or used. If purchased new, it would have been in the Donald MacLean of Lewis and Captain Charles Smith (ex-Black Watch Pipe Major) period which began in 1953.

As a bonus, with the pipes is a lovely blackwood Sinclair pipe chanter and an equally lovely David Naill blackwood practice chanter.

It's not common to find a Lawrie of that vintage with all original parts and no missing ferrules.

EDIT: My "new" Lawries arrived! They must have been purchased new. They have 100% of the original factory varnish and there's no evidence of wear.

Here they are with the great-sounding set I've been playing.

The two sets are very close in tone and appearance. All the turnery and combing look identical, as if from the same hand, except for a few things I've spotted

1) the "new" set has wider Tenor drone Cord Guides, which crowds the Fountain slightly, leading the turner to use a narrower combing tool there.

2) the drones are slightly "waisted" on the "new" set, the extra slimness making that set a tad lighter on the shoulder

3) the wood on the "new" set is more brown.

EDIT: besides my two, there are two other Lawries I know of with those big wood mounts.

One was bought at an auction in the UK, it was in the original box "by appointment to the King" so pre-1953.It's fully combed and beaded but otherwise identical.

The other was just brought to my attention this week, an Ebony set probably from the interwar period, pretty much identical to my open-combed ivory-bush set.

[OC Richard]

These are appropriately priced quite low.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/32620407009...ndition=4%7C10

I was working in a Highland Outfitter at the time these were originally purchased (1984) and we were Hardie stockists.

I remember when Hardie introduced this model, their "Number 0". Yes, it was cheaper than their traditional "Number 1" (wood mounts, nickel ferrules, imitation ivory rings and bushes).

We were well familiar with Hardie models from their #1 to their silver & ivory sets. All seemed to have the same quailty wood and craftmanship, very nice combing & beading, nice smooth bores, etc.

The #0 that arrived was a different beast altogether. Bores were rough and there were burrs. They didn't play like the usual Hardies did either. It seemed impossible for them to have been made in the Hardie workshop by the Hardie turners.

Coincidentally around that time I had a chat with Mickie Zekley, owner of the shop Lark In The Morning (rest his soul). He had just returned from a business trip to Sialkot. He had taken with him his magnificent early silver & ivory Hendersons, his mission to find the best Sialkot pipemaker and have them attempt to replicate the Henderson, so that his shop could carry low-cost great-playing pipes.

He told me that he was astonished to find one shop making pipes which they were stamping RG Hardie Glasgow.