I see them on ebay all the time. A full set would bring you under $1000 usd. Just wondering if anyone has actually played them. I am looking for a set to start out on and I don’t have a ton of cash.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2563211585
this sounds too weird “Chanter sold separately” http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2563211585
it’s best to start of with a practice set from these makers on e-bay
http://www.uilleannobsession.com/links_makers.html
They are pakistani made pipes. These companies are always trying to flog them off on unsuspecting newbe’s by selling them in pieces. The UP are a modular instrument, but not as modular as these folks would have you believe. These pipes are not meant for playing, they should only be used for hand to hand combat… or as firewood.
I own a half set of these exact same pipes, they were my first set. And though they do not compare in the least with the works of art by master pipemakers, they are eventually playable, and more importantly, affordable to those who are interested in getting started on the instrument but not at the cost of an arm and a leg. Too often have I read the sob stories about how someone purchased a set of pipes to the tune of $4,000.oo plus, and discovered it was not what they thought it would be, and now had to sell them to buy back the farm. Even some of the practice sets are pretty costly. These pipes are affordable, but if you go with them, buy a set complete with chanter…pretty useless to have a chanterless practice set, eh?
A word of caution, if you should purchase this instrument, be prepared to replace the bag as the bag that comes with it is worthless. It took a bit of messing around to get the chanter reed to play well and in tune, but I got it there. The drones are bold in tone but not overbearing, and overall, it is a very playable instrument once you have made a few necessary adjustments. All bagpipes (even the really great ones) need constant maintenance in order to keep them working to the precise specifications of their owners… it is the nature of these beasties.
Good luck on your hunting, and if you are dead certain that the uilleann pipes are for you, and that money is no issue, go with a recognized and highly regarded pipe maker. They are out there on the web, and they are most deffinately worth investing in.
The style looks alot like Kirk Lynch’s sets, I wonder if somebody copped his design??? 
Yes, they bear remarkable resemblance to Lynch Pipes and I wouldn’t doubt that that just may be the case. It is the opinion of Kieran O’Hare (and Kirk) that they are and according to Kieran, Kirk was somewhat less than pleased about it.
I found all of this out just a few weeks ago.
There is a long and honoured history of bagpipe making throughout the middle east. There is some conjecture that the French musette de couer, previously thought to be the precursor of all bellows-blown pipes in Europe, was actually ripped off from a Moorish design for bellows-blown pipes. We may well be slagging someone in Pakistan who has been making some perfectly acceptable middle eastern bagpipe for many years, and has now branched out to make UPs. In that case, one could argue that Occidental pipemakers ripped off the design from the Pakistanis. Then again, having heard some middle eastern bagpipes, I’m not sure who would want to steal such a thing. 
djm
Yes, the outfit making those has been in the last 4 years called, “The Ethnic Musical Instrument Company” and has been called, “Mideastern Manufacturing,” and a third name I forget at the moment. Something New Age sounding.
The US partner/s are based in Florida while the manufacturing is done in Pakistan, Sialkut I think. In fact the US end of it sent out a set of Lynch pipes to be knocked off specifically because of the rise in the market demand due to Riverdance and so forth. The first generation had some problem with reeds and chanters, the chanters being dorked with to play these odd plastic stubby little modified GHB practice chanter reeds. The second generation that came back in country here about two years ago, had worked out a lot of the problems with reeds and general playability.
They’re not great but they do the job, though I wouldn’t really buy a set myself, I’ve seen several played and they do play after a reasonable fashion. The basic chanter I think now comes with two keys, Fnat and Ab/G# and is pretty cheap too.
Royce
I don’t know if there are any left now, but there used to be well-trained pipe-makers (GHB, anyways) working in Pakistan, from the days of the Raj. The Ghurkas still play some sets of pipes of origin in that part of the world, not exactly MacDougall’s finest hour but as good as any middle of the line stuff you can buy nowadays.
There are some old threads on RMMB about this.
Cheers,
Calum
The latest Paki chanter has three keys, C nat, Fnat and G#. It really isn’t as bad of an instrument as many folks have made them out to be (unless you take into consideration directly copying Lynch’s design as stated above…and I am assuming without permission), and the set I have still plays very well and is copmatable with other concert pitched instruments in tuning and volume. For the price, and at the time money was an issue, I felt I purchased a good instrument. Knowing what I now do about the origins of it’s design, It is not likely I would have bought the pakis. Ofcousre, " Immitation is the deepest form of flattery". Hmmmmm…we’ll see. I am not so certain that I believe it.
How would you go about protecting intellectual property, especially in an “ancient” i.e. pre-patent instrument? If someone in the international realm copies it what recourse do you have? It seems a crippling and frustrating situation.
Marc
I’m not sure you really can protect an istrument design that has been in the public domain for as long as bagpipes have been (bellows blown or other) as a part of the human community worldwide. I am sure one can make a claim that their own particular twist on an existing idea can be protected, but I imagine it would be near impossible to defend. In the case of the Lynch inspired Pakis, the closeness of design is practically unmistakeable. However, as ‘marcpipes’ points out, how can you protect itellectual property? I don’t think it would be an easy thing to accomplish, and may just be a vast exercise in futility within the theater of the absurd.
You couldn’t gain copyright protection for it, I think. You could, if you were feeling enthusiastic, get a trademark on distinctive design features; for example Coyne might have trademarked his regulator keys, or you might trademark your mounting design.
Don’t know that it would actually be commercially worth it for the makers, but it is possible.
Of course, in the present case, it’s too late; OTOH, is anybody knowledgable enough to identify makers by eye going to be fooled by a Pakistani set anyway?
CHeers,
Calum
Very much a case of “caveat emptor”. If the Pakistanis copy a Stradivarius and the buyer is too ignorant not to wonder how he got a Strad for $10 is anyone else in the violin making world going to worry about it?
djm
I would imagine that If Stadivarius were still alive, and his violin business suffered as a result of hundreds, perhaps thousands of folks flocking to scoop up the $10.oo copies, he might be a little concerned
…
Yes I agree that mass produced replicas of someone’s instrument would piss that person off. But being in the situation that I am in I am torn on what to do. The Uilleann pipes seem to be extremly highly priced ( Viewing from my measly income) and almost out of reach. A full set which you can get for $1000 seems like a pretty good bargin. But I am not sure if it is the same with pipes as whistles. You can get a $10 whistle that is playable, but when I bought my Burke whistle, I then knew the difference from a whistle made from a respected maker and a whistle made out of a moulding machine. My Burke makes playing easier and the support from him is great as far as returns etc.
So I think I will go with what I feel is probably the best choice, not for my soon to be starving kids, but for the quality of music I would get from a respected maker. I think I am going to keep an eye out for a used 1/2 set. If anyone has one or knows of one forsale. Feel free to PM me.
Thanks to everyone for their comments.
Careless of me, I am sorry. I use the shortened word/name for purposes of being too lazy to spell it out entirely (not that it is a long word). I mean no disrespect. But I was only referring to the instrument and not the people of Pakistan. I am not an idividual who delights in slagging people of other nations or backgrounds, in fact, just the opposite. I celebrate our worldwide heritages and diferrences. Peace…out.
You have done nothing to apologize for, Joseph…thank you for your informative contribution to the forum.
Whistler,
If you do consider the Pakistani pipes, definitely check out Tim Britton’s reworked sets http://www.skep.com/britton/ . He makes them play pretty well, and you get all the service and advice you’d expect from a maker if you bought one of their own pieces.