I am selling one of my Chris Bayley Barrel sets, as I am due to get my new set quite soon. This particular set is the first commercial barrel drone Chris made some years ago, and has served me well. It is the ideal instrument for sessions, as it sits compactly on your lap and does not trip people up.
Concert D pitch chanter in the old long-blocked Taylor style, C key fitted, with blocks for further 5 keys. 3 drones in a common barrel stock, bag and bellows. Chris has refurbished the set with new reeds and mounts. New drone reeds are working well and give a powerful sound. The chanter works perfectly, the bag and bellows are airtight. Chris has also told me that he can fit a new mainstock with bores for two regulators and a drone switch. Set is in ebony, brass and imitation ivory.
I have managed to break my digital camera which is now in for repair, so I will not be able to post photos until next week. Chris charges £1200 for a new barrel set, and I am looking for £950 plus postage/insurance. Please PM me if you want further info.
It sounds great as well - nice full tone, loud wthout being brash, excellent hard D/back D, pops nicely and screams in tune all the way up the second octave. Cross fingering C gives some really nice tone-colours.
That’s got to be one big piece of ebony. Is there anything to the instability of really big pieces like that? Wasn’t there something I read about them not being used for mainstocks (for example) because of splitting?
The diameter of the barrel unit is 36mm, and with 5 bores through it, it is quite light.
The problem with using ebony for mainstocks is that in large sections of wood there are likely to be holes in random places - air pockets, shakes and crystalline inclusions, all of which will blunt sharp tools, turn drills off-line, etc.
The risk of splitting is greatly reduced if the piece can be kept cool while being bored. The best way is to use air cooled gun drills, which means, because the bores remain cool, they don’t split and the danger of the drill running off into another bore is greatly reduced.
Ebony isn’t nearly as tempermental as one might think. I’ve got a lovely hollow ebony mainstock that’s been sitting in the shop now for 2 years. No sign of cracks yet…it was seasoned well so no major shrinkage or expansion either.
The stability may have to do with the fact that it’s not a SOLID piece of ebony. An unfinished solid chunk of ebony may indeed be more subject to cracking. While a lovely hollow resinator (walls about 2 mm thick) I made 2 years ago is in pristine condition even after suffering the extremes in climate changes of Minnesota.
Maybe someone smarter than me may have a better answer..?
Called in on Chris last Friday to have my pipes checked over as I am now moving a lot further away due to a job change. He has several of these on the go one destined for Germany and the other to Mike plus a few more bored out units for future use. As mentioned by Tommy his biggest problem is good quality timber and he has to bore them out and leave them to fully dry out before finishing
Must say I am very tempted to get one of these as they are so easy to carry around and ideal for crowded sessions but as usual I am short of cash and need to get some serious practice in before venturing to a session
PJ wrote (on the other forum)
It’s a great design concept. Well done Chris for coming up with it. It seems to me that someone planning to travel (in the backpacking sense) with pipes would find this a useful option.
Coming up with an original idea is very, very difficult as someone . somewhere will have done it before.
The Barrel units are based on originals by Malcolm McGregor circa 1815-1820 London. There are a number of surviving originals in various museums including a possible one in San Antonio Texas (was it played at the Alamo ?)
They are not the easiest things to make the first big problem being a stable piece of ebony (or similar timber). After that you have a minimum of 5 bores that need to run true - no mean feat for McGregor working with a treadle lathe and either ‘D’ or ‘parrot nose’ bits.
Well Chris, looks like your the man for the job some very nice work there on that barrel design, you may have started a new craze with this Chris, might be just the gear for a crowded pub when gigging, that barrel looks very sturdy, nice piece of kit, I like it. all the best
I think it is the fear factor that comes into play when an artist creates something new . Since art is a process that involves uncertainty untill the artist has deemed the work " finished " . And even then there are the critics to face ect . but those who succed will have realized that no piece will please everyone , and that it is not complete till the artist says so . At which point , another work can begin or as many do , they " quit " in the face of all that and never start the process again .
It is easier to stop , and then start again instead of quitting . Also some artists just let go of works in various stages so they can foucs again on something better ,. lol how did I know all this ?
Just a bit more in the advancement of design of the Uilleann pipes, a couple of these barrels & chanters in different keys would be very handy when travelling, they would pack well in a small case,very handy for limited space. all the best.
Peter do you think the barrel unit are handy for travelling with
saving alot of space, they are alot cheaper to make than a set of drones from I’ve heard.
some very nice work there on that barrel design, you may have started a new craze with this Chris, might be just the gear for a crowded pub when gigging, that barrel looks very sturdy, nice piece of kit, I like it. all the best