just wondering what the rest of the world is playing with… i have a mccallum abs chanter and a warnock reed with mcallum drone reeds. i love the sound : )
I didn’t know McCallum made their own drone reeds. Are they Rory Grossart’s reeds?
I have Naill drones and play Kinnaird reeds for my band set-up and Selbie tenors with a cane bass for solos. I play a Ross reed in my Naill blackwood chanter.
For photos and notes on just about every brand of drone reed ever made check out this link.
I have two sets of Highland pipes, one set up for the pipe band, the other set up for gigs (weddings, funerals, etc). The pipes are set up entirely differently because the demands are completely different.
The band pipe has a Gannaway bag, Kinnaird drone reeds, a McCallum band chanter (with the oval holes) and a Steve Megarity reed. Stevie plays in our organisation and the reed he gave me recently is the best I’ve ever played. Incredibly loud but not hard to blow. No moisture control system as per band orders.
The gig pipe is set up to play perfectly in tune when dry. It has a Ross zipper bag, Ross canister system (with the chanter chamber entirely full of granules), an EzeeDrone bass, and a Wygent tenor on a homemade extender, because this set is set up to play at 466 concert B flat. I use either an old Hardie chanter or a Dunbar chanter, reeded to play at 466. The current reed is by Sam Browne, chosen because it plays well dry.