Small Pipes

[Ancienne Alliance]

Hi all !
I would like to purchase a set of Scottish Small pipes, mouth blown, in D.
Can anyone help me ?

thanks

[highlander_Daz]

i know a craftsman who made mine but they play over A drones. I dont know anyone around here who does them in D

[beloitpiper]

I have a set of John Walsh smallpipes in D that I absolutely love! Check it out:

http://www.johnwalshbagpipes.com/car...ge=small_pipes

[Ancienne Alliance]

I have a set of John Walsh smallpipes in D that I absolutely love! Check it out:

http://www.johnwalshbagpipes.com/car...ge=small_pipes

Wow ! they look great !
thanks for the link and info.
Robert

[castledangerous]

Gibson has smallpipes in D also
http://www.gibsonpipes.com/smallpipes.htm

[Ancienne Alliance]

Gibson has smallpipes in D also
http://www.gibsonpipes.com/smallpipes.htm

I heard of these Gibson Fireside pipes. Anyone actually tried them out ?

[Jimmy Carbomb]

The Gibson and Walsh pipes are both wonderful sets, and I've played them both. Replacement reeds are also available easily through Song Of The Sea. MacCallum manufactures a set of "Reel Pipes" for Fred Morrison which may be played with the bellows or the mouthpiece. These are what I play in concert. Incidentally, the Walsh reeds are interchangable with them, so the replacement costs of reeds is affordable.

You really can't go wrong with any of the three! I will admit that the Walsh pipes are very mellow and sound great with any instrumentation. The Reel Pipes are a perfect fit with fiddles... especially in a "session" setting.

[Mr. Woolery]

I own a set of Walsh Shuttle pipes in A. My dad has a set of Walsh's A smallpipes. My mom has a set of Gibson Fireside pipes in Bb. I've played all three.

The shuttlepipes are the most comfortable to me. The drones are a little more touchy (go out of tune easily with uneven blowing) than the smallpipes. I think this has to do with the double reeds in the drones (like practice chanter reeds). Not sure though. I like the look of the real wood, too. The black plastic of the smallpipes just looks too utilitarian for my tastes. The drones sticking out to the side feel really weird to me, but that's because I'm coming from a GHB background. Nothing wrong with them, but I don't really like the way they feel.

The fireside pipes are probably my favorite for sound of the three. The chanter is bold and assertive. This isn't just the key, I think it has a lot to do with the reed. However, for all that they are set up like GHB with the drones on the shoulder, for some reason these pipes just don't fit me. They want to slither off my shoulder and the bag doesn't quite fit under my arm. If I ever get a set of my own, I will be asking very nicely for a set without a bag tied in. I'll then install my own bag.

As a note, my mom is much more comfortable with the Firesides than with either of the Walsh pipes mentioned. It is a matter of body ergonomics, not a matter of inferior design. Walsh's setup just suits me a whole lot better.

I actually started learning to play the bagpipes because of John Walsh's shuttle pipes. The sound was something I just had to make. I had those pipes for several years (about 4, I think) before I even picked up a set of highland pipes. Now, I prefer the big pipes, but I at least understand where people are coming from when they only want smallpipes. None of the instruments mentioned in this thread are "practice" instruments. All are good instruments on their own. And the Walsh and Gibson lines, while not as sophisticated as some of the blackwood pipes out there (the Morrison reel pipes are an example), are a little bit more affordable!

-Patrick