Hey guys,
I was wondering are pipes parts interchangable? On occasion I see like a really cheep chanter, reed or belows etc. So could I just buy random parts from different makers to put together a set or do you need to buy a set from one maker? Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Geoff Maher
You can certainly interchange the major parts like that (bellows, bag, drones/regulators, and chanter). Almost every piper I know will play a chanter that doesn't match the set from time to time, if not all the time.
But cheap certainly isn't the first consideration in a set of pipes. A lot of the "deals" that you see out there will be Pakistani-built, and virtually unplayable.
I'm sure the pipers around here will chime in with other recommendations.
to begin with, get a decent bellows, bag, and chanter from a reputable maker. over time you can add a different chanter if you need to.
do NOT go for cheap. trust me on this... i would guess virtually every piper in the session will chime in with similar advice. email me from my myspace site for more advice (www.myspace.com/antriur)
I have a Frankenstein set of pipes myself. Usually when people ask who made my set, I answer with, "The better question is, who didn't make my set." Two of my drones are from Eugene Lambe, one is from my friend Dirk in Colorado, the chanter is from Mickey Dunne, as are the bellows, and the bag and reeds are from Benedict Koehler. I am about to get a regulator from a Jim Daly. Some day, I will get one or two more regulators, preferably from someone else the way things have been going.
It is a good thing to have a nice set from one or two makers, but right now I need to take what I can get when and where I can get it. Such is student life. But the Frankenstein pipes technique works so long as all the parts are decent.
pipes
pipes
Hey guys,
I was wondering are pipes parts interchangable? On occasion I see like a really cheep chanter, reed or belows etc. So could I just buy random parts from different makers to put together a set or do you need to buy a set from one maker? Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Geoff Maher
# Posted on May 15th 2007 by insert username here
Re: pipes
You can certainly interchange the major parts like that (bellows, bag, drones/regulators, and chanter). Almost every piper I know will play a chanter that doesn't match the set from time to time, if not all the time.
But cheap certainly isn't the first consideration in a set of pipes. A lot of the "deals" that you see out there will be Pakistani-built, and virtually unplayable.
I'm sure the pipers around here will chime in with other recommendations.
Pete
# Posted on May 15th 2007 by Reverend
Re: pipes
to begin with, get a decent bellows, bag, and chanter from a reputable maker. over time you can add a different chanter if you need to.
do NOT go for cheap. trust me on this... i would guess virtually every piper in the session will chime in with similar advice. email me from my myspace site for more advice (www.myspace.com/antriur)
# Posted on May 15th 2007 by maze
Re: pipes
I have a Frankenstein set of pipes myself. Usually when people ask who made my set, I answer with, "The better question is, who didn't make my set." Two of my drones are from Eugene Lambe, one is from my friend Dirk in Colorado, the chanter is from Mickey Dunne, as are the bellows, and the bag and reeds are from Benedict Koehler. I am about to get a regulator from a Jim Daly. Some day, I will get one or two more regulators, preferably from someone else the way things have been going.
It is a good thing to have a nice set from one or two makers, but right now I need to take what I can get when and where I can get it. Such is student life. But the Frankenstein pipes technique works so long as all the parts are decent.
# Posted on May 15th 2007 by TheSilverSpear
Re: pipes
Reed from Benedict and a chanter from Mickey. I don't think I would care where the rest came from. How old is Mickey's chanter??
# Posted on May 16th 2007 by I_Fel