can someone tell me about these bagpipes

[Mr. Woolery]

I'm going to be the voice on the hill shaking the fist at modern sensibilities and telling you that you should not jump to get a set of Dunbar poly pipes.

Don't get me wrong, here. If you really want a set of plastic pipes, go ahead and get Dunbars. They look better than the Pipers Choice brand (and I would not buy anything that spendy with such a small photo, anyway) and they are a known and proven product.

HOWEVER, they are not as cheap as everyone seems to think they are. Best price I know of right now is $775. That's new, leather bag, cane reeds. Why are these details important? Well, if you want a leather bag (I prefer it myself), fine. If you want a synthetic bag (many pipers like this better as there is less bother with seasoning and maintaining a synthetic bag), you have to buy that.

I can tell you now that you don't want to start with cane reeds. You really don't. Yes, they sound better. Yes, I have played cane reeds. Yes, they are cheap. No, you can't be sure of being able to even make them play if there's a change in humidity. No, you can't go two days without playing your pipes if you want to be able to strike in your drones when you pick the pipes back up. No, the sound isn't worth the bother if you are just starting on the big pipes. It just isn't. So, now you are adding in the cost of a set of synthetic drone reeds. That's anywhere from $75 to $150.

So, best case scenario, you get Dunbar P1s and a set of Ezee Drone reeds. $850. That's American money. For plastic bagpipes.

What else can you get for that kind of cash in the piping world? Well, the McCallum AB0 set at www.jhiggins.net is $895 with MG synthetic reeds (very nice when you have them set for your pipes, these are the reeds I play). Still a no-frills design, but there's shiny nickel on them and they are made of real blackwood. If you are the sort who likes a wool kilt, you'd probably end up preferring the blackwood for your pipes. My opinion. Or, if that's steep for you, try www.thescottishpiper.net for the Wallace Student bagpipes, plain-turned in blackwood, nickel ferules, sythetic ivory caps, Ezee Drone reeds, for $750. With free shipping in the US. Wallace is a Scottish made pipe, if it matters to you. Cheaper than the Dunbars, even if you don't add in the new drone reeds (and trust me, you will end up with synthetic reeds for a while at least).

So, I am not going to say don't buy the Dunbars. I am going to say don't assume you have to buy the Dunbars because they are so much "cheaper" than other decent pipes. They are equal in cost to the lower-price range of wood pipes. And wood will improve with time, where plastic won't. And wood will look like wood, while the plastic won't.

I play McCallum pipes (the AB4 bling-pipes) and I love them. While there may be better pipes out there (MacLellan, for instance), it is not likely that you will find any pipes that offer a better value for price.

-Patrick

[JimB]

Patrick,
I went to the Higgins site and checked out the McCallum pipes. They (the A4's) are gorgeous! These are pipes that I can be happy with for a lifetime and even though they are several hundred dollars more, when I think of spreading that out over 20-30 years of use they are worth it.
Thanks!!
(Jim is now jonesing and saving!) (and practicing)

[Macman]

Patrick,
I went to the Higgins site and checked out the McCallum pipes. They (the A4's) are gorgeous! These are pipes that I can be happy with for a lifetime and even though they are several hundred dollars more, when I think of spreading that out over 20-30 years of use they are worth it.
Thanks!!
(Jim is now jonesing and saving!) (and practicing)

That's what I thought, too, so I bought them. I figured they were great value, and would be my first and last set of pipes.

[JimB]

That's what I thought, too, so I bought them. I figured they were great value, and would be my first and last set of pipes.

OH, I am so jealous!

[Nighthawk]

That's what I thought, too, so I bought them. I figured they were great value, and would be my first and last set of pipes.

I love this thread! Just to throw a wrench in the works here... what about those of us who are so clumsy that our families insist on plastic silverwear because we're less likely to severely impale the cats with those? People like me... who broke our first blackwood chanter almost as soon as we got it home, thereby severely hampering our ability to practice... If you are like me, and the idea of spending upwards of a grand on something that I am likely to break in a matter of weeks is horrifying, then the Dunbars look like a pretty sweet deal.

Just my thoughts on the matter. And this is the reason that I can't be talked out of my set of P1's in favor of a wood set. I'd love to have a blackwood set, but it's just not a good idea for people like me. And there are more of out there than you think. Consider that the next time you see someone running with scissors.