used bagpipes Ebay

[OC Richard]

Here's a handsome vintage set, probably from the 1950s, that I'm sure would sound as good or better than the better pipes being made today.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Blac...8AAOSwIgNXrgoh

Currently going for under $500, which is absurdly low. The auction closes in a few hours.

I don't think they're Hardies at all, never seen Hardies that look remotely like that.

I think they're early Gillanders. Robert Gillanders started making pipes around 1930. The firm became Gillanders & McLeod in 1972.

A distinctive Gillanders thing is wide wood and narrow ivory on the drone ends. Lawries have the narrowest wood, around a 1:1 ratio there. Most makers are around 3:2 ratio wood:ivory.

Gillanders are the narrowest ivory probably around 2:1.

A known Gillanders set from the early 1970s



Anyhow if I were to buy these I'd tell the seller to keep the case and the two old pipe chanters. The case especially is worth less than what it would cost to ship it, and besides many pipes are damaged in shipping due to the seller simply putting them in a case. During shipping the pipes bang around inside and the imitation ivory mounts get chipped.

Best to have the seller take the whole set apart, wrap each wooden pieces separately in bubble wrap, and put into a sturdy cardboard box.

Old pipe chanters like that are practically worthless, and often arrive broken. The wood is very thin, and requires elaborate wrapping to arrive whole. Not worth the effort.