I have been lurking on this forum for a long time. I saw the Martin Preshaw chanter review just posted and I felt I also had to share my experiences with the amazing chanter Martin made me a while ago. I have no association with Martin other than ordering a great chanter from him. Looking at past reviews of Martin’s chanters. I must say I share the exact same view of Martin’s work and the experience of dealing with Martin.
I had heard over and over that Martin made some great stuff and I really wanted a good chanter that was stable and in tune. I made the leap and ordered from Martin. Martin’s work is not cheap and even more expensive with the exchange rate. But as they say you get what you pay for. Martin knows how a good chanter should sound, play, and function. The extra you pay really is for Martin’s skill and experience, plus your satisfaction. I consider having a good chanter that is solidly in tune and sounds good as priceless. I really feel owning a chanter that is great as compared to one that is mediocre can make all the difference in the world when playing the pipes.
Dealing with Martin was great! He even delivered the chanter a week ahead of time. The wait was also very short, a little over 3 months. I promptly received the chanter and I was really worried that the reeds would not make it due to the fact the new home would be chanter hell aka Phoenix Arizona. The day the chanter came it was 113F or 45C outside with 25% humidity in my house. The chanter had about three hours to cool off. I pulled it out of the box and played it and to my total surprise it was in tune, in fact so in tune I could hardly believe it. Coming from wet Northern Ireland to total dry Arizona desert, I was really amazed how well it played. Now it is 110+ everyday and we are in the monsoon season when moist air travels up from Mexico. During this time of the summer the humidity and temperature is really high. The humidity can jump up to 60% during the day and even higher when afternoon storms move in. Almost two weeks ago it was 116F 46.6C outside and a big storm rolled moved in causing the humidity to soar. It felt like an oven, but even during the storm I pulled out my pipes and the chanter still played in tune with itself against my drones. It almost seems like the chanter is making the reed play in tune, not the other way around 
This is one acoustically sound chanter.
One really distinct thing I really love about this chanter is the tone, it is amazing! I will try my best to describe the tone and qualities of the chanter keeping in mind that tone is very subjective. The chanter has a full round dark tone like any good woodwind. This chanter is not overly honkey or buzzy to me. It’s tone is strong and mellow, but bright enough to give the notes distinction when doing graces and tight stuff. Some of the roundness seems to resemble that of a good flat set, but you still get the assertiveness of a concert D. All the notes are very well balanced and blend very nicely. The back D and C and C nat do not sound to shrill and cause no trouble. On the finer points the chanter colors notes very well. Vibrato sounds distinctly wavy and not to buzzy against the drones. The chanter swells and shades notes well and alternate fingerings work very well. Also barks and whoops from the chanter have a nice bite to them. The chanter is definitely a Rowsome type widebore and has an assertive sound that will be heard, but at the same time it is not overly loud.
The workmanship is very nice. All the turnings are clean and have a nice aesthetic to them. The keyposts on the chanter are well placed and turned. Also Martin puts a slight scallop on the holes that I find very nice. The wood Martin uses is very well seasoned. There has been no distinct shrinkage that I have seen as compared to every chanter that has been shipped to our climate. Another nice thing is this chanter looks like it is very easy to reed. I disassembled my spare reed so I had a guide to make others. The reeds use a normal 3/16 straight staple and the reed head that looks like a general Rowsome type head with a 3 or 4 mm copper bridle. I have not had time to makes any reeds for this chanter, but it looks like it will be straightforward.
Martin told me he is trying to get some more exposure in the states and in general. With great work like this I think it is only a matter of time before Martin’s waiting list becomes years instead of months.
Jason Smith
Arizona
[Here is what others have said so far]
MattL wrote -
My new chanter from Martin Preshaw arrived last week and I just want to take a moment to say - wow! I’ve been playing pipes for almost twenty years and have owned sticks from several top makers and this one is definitely the best chanter I have ever owned. Heck - it’s about the best chanter I’ve ever played, period! I’ve been wearing it out for almost a week now and I still can’t get enough of it.
If you are looking for a rock solid chanter that just about plays itself, has a great bottom, is perfectly in tune, and sounds like a million bucks then you should call Martin now before his waiting list gets to be into the years and decades range.
Kudos Martin - keep up the great work!
Matt Loranger
Chicago
wharfedalecarving wrote -
This may sound like blatant advertising guys but in essence it is not and is meant as a possible help to any piper’s considering either a change of pipes or an additional set. It may also benefit anyone out there who has yet to purchase their first set and is bewildered by the pros & cons of various makers.
I have been playing the pipes for over twenty years and although I have a full ‘D’ set (with Peter Hunter chanter & Finbar MacLaughlin chanter) and also a full ‘C#’ set (with Froment chanter) I recently wanted a ‘D’ chanter that was easier to play. Basically, the Hunter chanter is superb but requires a high pressure to get the best from it. I required therefore a chanter with good intonation, bright sound and good volume without the high pressure reed so often needed for wide bore chanters.
After a long search through the w.w.w. and also snippets from Uilleann pipe message boards I began to form the opinion that Martin Preshaw was producing good quality pipes both in looks and musicality. In addition, the opinions I received through others was that Martin’s pipes had excellent tone and intonation and his concert chanters were based on the famous Rowsome design.
My concern of course was “buying blind” as it were because Martin is based in Northern Ireland and I live in the UK. Not a million miles away I know but still far enough away from his workshop to my home should I be unhappy about a potential purchase.
As it transpired I had no need to worry because when I ordered a concert ‘D’ chanter it arrived in playing condition straight out of the packaging.
In addition, the chanter plays at a pressure that suits me personally and has a tone that is a real pleasure to listen to. It is in tune in both octaves and plays a very clean and crisp cran with an excellent distinctive hard ‘D’.
The chanter I purchased from Martin is in ebony and brass with box wood
mounts and the workmanship is of a very high standard.
On the day of delivery Martin 'phoned me to make sure everything was ok and to check if I was happy with my purchase. Indeed, Martin is a friendly person to deal with and takes a real pride in his work and goes out of his way to ensure that his customers are happy. His after sales customer care is second to none.
Finally, I made the right choice in my search for a quality chanter and I
have no hesitation in recommending Martin’s pipes to any potential
purchaser.
I have never met Martin personally and I have no connections with his business so in all honesty this post is based on my own experiences and hopefully it will be of use to potential purchasers in search of a quality instrument without the sometimes “10 years” waiting list often quoted by some well known makers.
Joseph (the UK one).
