Looking into pipes...

[OC Richard]

I'm also not a fan of imitation ivory, and these have a classic, universal look.

Very true! I too hate imitation ivory (and imitation horn) and I'd much rather have an all-metal-mounted set.

I used to have an old set of Lawries, probably from the 1950's, that looked just like your McCallum there except lacking the slides.

Nickle slides were uncommon in the old days, and the basic sets with blackwood projecting mounts usually had plain wood slides, nickle ferrules, and either nickle caps or ivory rings at the top.

Here's my blackwood Dunbars fully mounted in aluminum. Inexpensive, lightweight bling.

[Ogden_Piper]

I play McCallum AB3's and I love them!!

First, you'll hear people talk them down like they are El Cheapo or not as good as other Brands. But, I am a Working guy with kids and a Mortgage and I need a set of pipes that sound Great at a Great price. I have had mine for a little over a year and a half, and after I get them warmed up, they stay locked in tune.. I play tons of gigs every year and also play with a Pipe Band, and I get complements all the time for my tone and sound.. I say, if you have a small budget, go with McCallum's, you can always resell them later and pretty much get what you paid for them.

My 2 cents

[wvpiper]

He says, jokingly. I had considered the AB0, so if you're serious, that may be an option.

Only half joking. I want to get a set of MacPhersons.....maybe...

[OC Richard]

Just to show what some of the makers I mentioned have been up to...

... a couple MacLellan sets, first in blackwood, then his reproduction of an early c1800 set, in Cocobolo:





Here's some Douglas MacPherson pipes, first a bling set in blackwood then a couple interesting sets in Mopane:







Here's a nice set by the American maker Mark Cushing. I love the elegant button mounts:



Here's a couple nice sets by Dunbar, my full aluminum set, and a set I used to have with palm nut "ivory" mounts. Palm nut looks great, as it's a natural material with all sorts of cool varigation in it.





And here's a lovely closeup of an Atherton set using the Palm Nut "ivory" mounts:

[ohiopiper]

Listen to the pipes you are considering. Every maker has a slightly different proportion to the pipes and this gives a slightly different sound. I'd base a pipe purchase on 75 percent drone sound and 25 percent chanter. Chanters are 200 bucks tops. If you play in a band and solo, you'll own at least two anyway.

Ask owners of potential pipes what ease or difficulty they had reeding the pipes. Some pipes can have anything slapped into them and play fine. Others have to be reeded on second Tuesdays under a full moon.

A "basic" pipe from a maker sounds the same as a "top shelf" pipe of the same material from the same maker. A set of AB0 will sound the same as a set of AB99 (if they made such a costly thing). Dunbar P1 sounds exactly like a Dunbar P4.

[Mr. Woolery]

I have, play, and love a set of McCallum AB4 bling pipes. I've heard them called the Yamaha of the piping world. There are better out there, but nobody beats the quality at that price point. I'll never sell mine, short of true emergency need. After I sell the house, the car, the furniture, and my kilts I might consider selling my pipes. I love my pipes. McCallums have been played at the top levels of competition, just as many other makes have been. And McCallum chanters are among the best when it comes to a balanced tone and strong sound.

That said, there are others that may match the quality at that price point, so don't think I'm dissing any other makers.

My mother (been piping for over 40 years) has a set of Hardies as her primary pipe and has recently purchased a set of Soutar pipes. Duncan Soutar really delivers a gorgeous bagpipe with a very sweet and friendly sound. Very good price when the dollar is strong to the pound, too. The chanter on the Soutar pipes has smaller holes than my McCallum chanter and that makes a difference in ease of play. I don't mind the big holes as I have big hands. But my son (just turned 10) has a Soutar chanter on his pipes because it is easier for him to finger than any other chanter in the house.

MacLellan pipes are just plain sexy. No doubt about that. My one and only bagpipe student has ordered a set of MacLellans and she discovered that she'll be waiting 6-8 months for her bagpipes. And the prices on the website (at least as of a month ago) are not current. They are a lot higher than you would think from looking at the site. Be warned.

If you stick to one of the established name brands, you seldom go wrong. My local band has Krons, Lawries, McCallums, Shepherds, Hendersons, Naills, and Kidd pipes. And several I have not yet identified. They all sound good, all play well, and all are capable of truly fine music. The one make that has had any consistent problem was the single set of Naills in our band. I am aware of a total of 4 cracks and I personally repaired three of them. Naill was unwilling to deal with any of the problems when they happened and the owner actually sold these pipes and bought a beat-up old set of Lawries that have treated him a whole lot better.

The one strong suggestion I am going to give you is to pay for the upgrade to a blackwood chanter for your personal instrument. If you play with a band, they will issue you a band chanter to play, so there's no reason to have your personal chanter be a poly chanter like the band chanter. Instead, get a blackwood chanter so you can get the benefits of a really fine and vibrant chanter. I personally believe I play better on a wood chanter than on a plastic one. They do sound different, feel different, and play different. The upgrade is cheaper than buying a new blackwood chanter in a couple of years.

-Patrick

[Blupiper]

Chasem:

I've been playing pipes about seven years and my only set (the original) is a set from Celtworks in Ontario. They call it the Student Model and it's about analogous to the MD0 in appearance. It comes as a package, with chanter, reeds and a carrying duffel. They are plain turned--no beading or combing. Nickel ferrules and drone ring caps. Plain blackwood button mounts. Bannatyne bag. They are a robust sounding instrument. those I play with describe it as a Henderson-like sound. I purchased it when I had little money and haven't regretted the decision. It's plain, but has good sound and is well made. Less than a thousand dollars American, new, for a Scottish-made set of pipes. I am now a little more affluent and decided to upgrade to a set of Athertons, but they won't be ready until year end. Hope this helps in your decision.

JMB

PS-Atherton doesn't used palm ivory anymore--the supply of suitable stock wasn't regularly available enough.

[Kittel]

Only half joking. I want to get a set of MacPhersons.....maybe...

There should be no maybe in your statement.

I am pressuming you mean Doug who is making pipes today and not Hugh who made pipes, or were made by Sinclair, in the middle part of the 20th century.

I have had my D. MacPherson's for 2 yrs and they are wonderful. They create a great sound that will fill a room with warmth. You will hear the bass and tenors with neither being more dominant.

I like the fact that they are handmade. I like knowing that someone used their hands to make my set of pipes. That someone's eyes were watching the wood turn, looking for imperfections in the wood, and delicately turning a block of wood into a work of art. That someone took so much pride in making my set of pipes that they stamped their name, where it can be seen, on the middle and top bass sections. Finally, that my set is so special that it has a number stamped on the lower bass section.

Also, Doug is great to work with. His customer service has been above and beyond my expectations. He has always answered my questions and usually right away.



Cheers!
Jake

[DesertCeltic]

I am also just starting out and did a bunch of research. I decided on McCallums and got the AB4's. I have been a mechanical designer for over 20 years and I actually felt the manufacturing techniques used by McCallum (full CNC machines) would provide more consistency. I was interested in pipes by Dave Atherton also, but I have four little kids and am the sole wage earner in the family.

The pipes are beautiful and sound great to my untrained ear. I bought mine through The Piper's Hut as the owner, John, took time to explain and walk me through the different aspects of bagpipes and his prices were great. Good luck on your decision and I am sure that you will get a great bagpipe from any of the manufacturer's named in the previous posts.

[Mr. Woolery]

DesertCeltic- It isn't just your untrained ear. They are very good sounding pipes. While I have some real sympathy with those who prefer a totally handmade set (I make knives, which are so often made by machine that people are surprised to think of anyone being able to make them by hand), I am ultimately looking for a reliable instrument. My McCallums deliver great sound and solid value for their price.

Many other makers use at least some CNC machines to do a lot of the sound-critical steps, or so I have read. I am happy with my pipes and expect to remain happy for the rest of my life. At some point, all the details of a maker or a history or whatever intangibles you want to point at cease to matter so much as what the music sounds like. One of the best pipers in my local band isn't even sure what make of pipes he's playing. They are an old, beat-up, orange-mounted set of pipes that have not been treated all that well. They sound very good and they look abused. The piper makes wonderful music on them and so it doesn't matter to the ear whether they are Hendersons, Shepherds, or Lawries. What matters is that they are in tune and have a balanced tone. What matters is whether it is music or just noise coming out.

I care a lot about intangibles in a lot of things, including bagpipes. I'm not running down hand made pipes or saying that machine work is better (although it probably is a bit more consistently uniform - though that might not be as important as some people think). I'm saying that the ultimate purpose of the instrument is to make music. If you like the tone of a particular make, you will probably enjoy playing them and therefore will make more music on them. Kenny G plays a tenor sax he's had since high school. He can afford a newer, fancier, "better" instrument, but would he make better music on it?

-Patrick