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| This
instrument was made for Mark Lee (of Rocket
Reeds) in late 2006. It features well-seasoned
African Blackwood that is exceptionally
dark and straight figured. There is no finish
on this bagpipe other than a light waxing.
This underscores the quality of wood used
in the manufacturing. The bores on this
pipe are based on early David Glens, but
the bells are somewhat larger, and the bushes
are somewhat smaller. This set has African
Blackwood projecting mounts in the style
of Glen/MacDougall/MacDonald. This style
is known as "parrot's beak" as
the beads closely resemble the latter. There
are no ring caps on this set. The beads
on the tops are integral to the wood. Again,
this highlights the quality of wood used,
as such a large surface area of end-grain
would certainly check (crack) if the wood
was not properly dried. The bells on the
tops have a large number of scribe lines
and several sets of combing. Note that they
are all perfectly matched. This is a direct
influence from Donald MacDonald who was
known to place a set of combs just under
the bell. The bushes feature another MacDonald
influence with several scribe lines and
some fancy cut-ins on the bush itself. This
type of treatment to the tops and bells
is labor intensive as the tops have to go
from boring center to lathe, then back to
boring center and lathe whilst keeping everything
perfectly matched. Standard artificial ivory
was used for the both the bushes and the
ferrules. |
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Close-up shot of the two tenor tops.
Note the delicate scribe lines and
radiused cut-in
on the two bushes. This is a direct
influence of Donald MacDonald. There
are no ring caps on this bagpipe.
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A
side shot of the the three tops.
Bass top in the foreground.
Note the sets of combs and immaculate
smooth turning of the wood. |
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A
nice underside view of the three
bells. |
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The two superbly matched tenor tops.
Note the irreproachable combing
and beading.
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The
two tenor top mounts showing the
parrot's beak style of projecting
mount. |
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The
two tenor bottom mounts. Sometimes
referred to as "stock mounts"
because all the
bottom mounts sit on a stock. |
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A
macro lens close-up of the bass
bottom top mount.
Note the elegant and classic proportions
of the mount. |
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The
bass top. Elegant yet bold.
Note the bead made of wood. There
are no ring caps on this set. |
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Side
view of the tenor tops showing the
faultless combing and beading and
the ferrules. |
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Top
view of the tenor tops. |
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Another
top view of the tenor bottoms. |
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Another
shot of the three tops. |
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This set of bagpipes is made from
ebony. When I received the wood
it was already ten years old. I
bored the billets and put them on
the shelf for another few years
before making this pipe. The wood
was so stable that it didn't even
need to be reamed after the set
was made. The wood was not so kind
to my hand tools however. When ebony
is turned it creates a very fine
dust that tends to polish the cutting
edge on tooling which required frequent
sharpening of my hand tools. It
destroyed an entire half of a combing
tool.
Ebony can be quite unpredictable.
It is prone to checking as well
as cracking for no apparent reason,
but this set has been defect-free
since I made them 7 years ago. Amazingly,
the end-grain on the tops has remained
crack-free despite the large surface
area since there are no ring caps.
The set features artificial ivory
ferrules, bushes and projecting
mounts. The projecting mounts are
made in the tradition of Glen/MacDougall. |
Side
view of the Bass top and middle
joint.
Notice the incredible tightness
of the grain and smooth turning. |
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Side
view of the three tops showing the
end-grain and art. ivory bushes.
There are no ring caps on this set.
Note the classy scribe lines on
the bushes. |
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The
MacDougall style bottom mounts. |
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Side
view of the bottom mounts and stock
ferrules. |
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|
 I
made this set in late 2006. It features
exceptionally straight figured African Blackwood,
sterling silver ferrules, water buffalo
bushings, and water buffalo projecting mounts.
The matching chanter has an identical 26
tpi comb and sterling silver sole. The blowpipe
features an aluminum tip that is threaded
onto the wooden blowpipe. There is a brass
tube that runs through the wood (without
touching it, to compensate for the wood
moving) that connects to a brass hemp tenon
on the bottom (which is also threaded onto
the wood).
The
projecting mount on the blowpipe is threaded
onto the brass tenon. It's indestructable.
The brass tube on the inside is made airtight
on both ends with internal rubber O-rings.
You can't see any of this on the outside
because all that craftsmanship is hidden.
It takes more than a day of labor for the
blowpipe alone. |
The
projecting mounts on this set are made
of water buffalo horn. I copied the shape
and detail on the mounts from a set of
mid 1800's David Glens. The grain of the
horn mounts is really evident in some
of the close-ups. The bores, though, are
1912 Peter Hendersons.
The
ferrules and ring caps are sterling silver.
All the mounts, bushings, and projecting
mounts are perfectly threaded, fitted
and glued. This is how the true craftsman
did things and I do it the same. I chuckle
at those who call themselves "makers"
and then slap it together with glue, only
to have their "master" creations
fall apart in two months. This is the
type of superior work that cannot be copied
by a machine. It takes a Master’s
touch and a whole lot of experience to
make a fine instrument. You will not see
close-ups of inferior pipes because they
cannot withstand close scrutiny. |
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I
typically wax my instruments, but for
this beauty I used ultra-pure blonde shellac
that I mixed up fresh from scratch.
I used three super fine coats. The finishing
alone took me a day and a half. I steelwooled
and buffed between each coat. The finish
is so thin and perfect that it will always
have a classy sheen yet will never chip.
Beware of cheap thickly lacquered bagpipes.
Thick finishes are used by those who are
trying to cover up a multitude of sins
(translation..crap).
As
always the combing and beading is second
to none. Perfectly symmetrical and even
it's the hallmark of a true bagpipe maker
but unfortunately is rarely seen on today’s
churned out rubbish.
This
set was completely hand-made the way true
instruments should be. Workmanship
like this is almost never seen today for
several reasons. First, few makers have
the actual skill or even knowledge to
make such a set. They don't have the knowledge
acquired through an apprenticeship in
the finer points of instrument making.
Unfortunately, a lot of the old masters
skill and knowledge is going to be lost
and forgotten due to economics. A lot
of today’s makers don't even know
how bad their pipes really are because
they lack the training and historical
basis to know any better. Secondly, few
pipers demand such workmanship in today’s
"mass production" environment.
I refuse to cut corners.
I make bagpipes to the standards of the
pre-war Masters such as Glen, MacDougall,
and Donald McDonald. It's easy for someone
to *claim* that they're pipes are "best"
but when you actually break down the aspects
of craftsmanship and compare and contrast
the tangible aspects of making it's very
obvious that the vast majority of pipes
being made
fall into the sub-par category.
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They
are made of water buffalo horn. Note the
nice grain and perfectly matching vintage
shapes. They are threaded and glued, of
course. The fine details and smooth turning
of this material are impossible to duplicate
using "modern" machining methods.
It takes true skill to hand-turn something
this nice.
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Here's
another macro lens shot of the water buffalo
horn.
Note the extremely fine detail in the
shape of the mount and the smooth turning. |
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Side
view of the blowpipe with mount.
Of course, all bottom mounts are perfectly
matched. |
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Close
up of the bass bottom combing and beading.
I used a 26 tpi comb for this set.
Note the perfectly symmetrical pattern
and perfect spacing. Now *this* is workmanship. |
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Close
up of the bold bulb mouthpiece made of
water buffalo horn.
The inside of this MP has a sleeve that
is threaded into the horn so it won't
come loose, and also to prevent moisture
from ever touching the horn. It is coated
with blonde shellac.
Super smooth hand turning.
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Close
up of the two tenor top mounts. Perfectly
matched and aesthetically pleasing.
The shape differs from the bottom mounts
as this was the style in the pre-war golden
age of pipemaking. |
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Tenor
tops the way they should be. Matching
in every way. |
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The
silver bands on the two tenor tops next
to the sole of the pipe chanter.
Note the matching pattern on the bottom
of the chanter matches the pattern on
the tops.
This is RARE attention to detail not seen
since Donald MacDonald. Fantastic! |
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The
full set. This set is guaranteed to be
an heirloom someday. |
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Another
great shot of fine turning. Ever wonder
why other makers are afraid to take close-ups?
Because they don't look so good...
A lot of mass-producers make all their
parts on automated machinery and then
attempt to comb and bead by hand. The
results are disastrous because they have
so little experience with hand tools,
as well as no eye for quality because
they never had developed an eye while
cranking out parts on a machine.
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A
nice shot of the water buffalo bushings.
Note the delicate scribe lines and perfectly
fitted bushes. ALL of my bushes are threaded
for a lifetime of airtight playing.
Inferior makers simply glue them and hope
for the best but they eventually fall
out.
Demand quality from your maker or buy
something else.
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Is
Donald MacDonald still making pipes?
Only in spirit because I turned these
last year...
Perfectly matching tenor bottoms. I've
yet to see anyone replicate the fine detail
of the old masters work using so-called
"modern" machining methods.
Macdougall, Glen and MacDonald set the
bar very, very high. |
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