Amazing what talent Eamonn posseses. Have you seen his pipes?
Though his drones sound rock solid they’re missing pieces of ivory off the ends and the entire set can use a serious overhaul. He’s been playing the same reed over 4 years and hasn’t a reliable spare.
I play with a mismatched set and prefer the balance. I also know of several others who play mismatched sets. Keenan is just one of many, Denman does (or use to for years) and on this board (if I remember right) so does AlanB.
When I recently acquired my Roberts full set, I didn’t care much for the chanter, compared to my Quinn, so I passed it on to a greatful young student with the Pipers Club in Seattle. A couple of years ago I had another 1/2 set, and the minute I got my old vintage set back (after a 10 year loan to another piper) I passed them on to another greatful piper. I could have kept the vintage full set, but was satisfied with my current arrangement and chose to send them back home to Belfast to a personal friend of the maker.
I also know of several pipers who hoard vintage full sets of pipes. That’s their priviledge, but I figure out which ones I like best and pass the rest on to others. I also did that with the Quinn-Koehler B set because, after a few months, realized I prefered the higher ranges.
If you have more sets than you need, and are able to figure out which ones are best, I’d encourage you to pass the pipes on to others if you are comfortable with doing so, and if the buyer seems earnest. Why let them just sit around? I think the secret is knowing how to determine the highest quality in a set. Until a piper is capable of that, there is always a fear that he/she is letting a better set go.
And we’d never want to underestimate the abilities of budding pipers with great abilities. There are no across-the-board rules. I remember Todd D. was doing better with his 1/2 set, by the end of the first year, than most of us would achieve after 7 years, and went on to get his Lamb regs within a year or two after that.
I think of the genious of whoever wrote/put together “The Fox Chase,” using the regulators in ways they were never intended 
. I’ll bet (and I may be wrong) that if some teacher had restricted this persons imagination to just one element of the pipes, and then the next in proper sequence, and in some kind of limited controlling way, then the tune may have never been put together like it is. I always encourage freedom in thinking, and getting the tools to explore your potential talent. That’s how good stuff comes about and how good tunes are written.
But Uilliam and others make a great point on how just ordering a practice set first would free up a maker’s ability to cut down on the waiting time. If I’m not mistaken, many makers send out a full order in sequence of when they’re finished, like the chanter first, then the drones, then the regs. The advantage of ordering a full set is that you can disassemble them into whichever parts you are ready for, and not have to wait for years again when you are ready. And how do you know when you’ll be ready?
And by the way, I would think that a Patrick Murray delrin chanter would sound fine with many wooden drones. I’ll bet he’ll be making matching drones soon.
Too many points to react to them coherently, a few though,
Boyd, I know of the problems NPU is having with the practice sets on loan and having had to cope with three of them so far I am not so sure if they were help or hindrance. I suppose having them was a help, better than nothing.
Tony I have played most of my reeds for 18 years now without spares, Pat Mitchell nearly bolloxed his 1967 Willie Clancy chanter reed during a recital last year [actually it went a bit astray the night before but he shouldn’t have dropped the chanter with the exposed reed on stage I suppose]and he didn’t have a spare.
Lorenzo I think Keating Hyland wrote the Foxchase for the fiddle and never ever have I seen a written version with regulators included, that is for the piper to make up.
By the end of the day though I think the only viable long term solution to the problem at hand is the one I suggested before: the powers that be should some sort of training for pipemakers going so that a reliable quality supply of pipes is assured into the future.
“This sculpture, outside Cahir library, was designed by artist Mona Croome-Carroll, Cahir. It is of Edmond Keating-Hyland, the famous blind piper of Cahir, born in 1780 and died in 1845.”
Are you referring to this piper? Thanks for the tip. I wouldn’t have otherwise looked this up. Do you know any more about him? This sculpture is quite unique. Don’t anyone swipe it for an avatar!
That was an interesting glitch on my part, I had some reference in the back of my head about the foxchase coming off the fiddle. That’s the man though.
Peter, I realize good reeds can last a generation. In Eamonn’s case, his reed goes sour whenever it rains… it’s the rainy season in Florida right now. I hear the afternoon thunderstorms rolling in as I sit and type.
Perhaps your suggestions are already falling into place. At least on a small scale. Rogge as an apprentice, Gallagher has a few skilled helpers, Peter Hunter trained Davy who (by way of internet) has helped Davey, Brian Howard’s son now makes pipes. So there is some ‘passing of the torch’ going on.
why am i wondering if i might be that “certain class of customer a maker would like to get rid of”? 
it would be very hard for me to come up with the cash for even a half set. i have chosen a life of “abstact” poverty and making a middle class wage is not part of my picture.
yet i have two half sets(almost, a little more work on the B drones) for the price of the two chanters i had made for me and a few parts i did not wish to struggle with. i have learned much and am almost proud(one of the seven deadly sins - pride, they say) of the work and methods of construction and adjustment i have come up with. had the bags, bellows and drones not worked out so well i guess i would of come up with a way to buy them.
by not having the price or wish to wait, i took it by the tail and am completely satisfied with my labors. something tells me that some pipers don’t think this possible to do but it is. you must be a bit handy and innovative. years of single handed sailing helped, needing things that you could not buy on this planet and being forced to creat them yourself helped.
i feel very fortunate to have discovered many kind and helpfull pipemakers that treated me with total respect and enthusiasm,
even when i spent no money or only bought a chanter. one day i hope to find a special used full set by a great maker and a good price, but if that doesn’t happen it’s ok. i think i want just one reg, the high one,as that suits
my ear right now.
i hope my luck holds out and i never have to deal with a maker who would put me into a “class” 
boy am i glad this board is up and running, i truely missed all of
you 
best , tansy
Hi guys,
I think one of the problems is that people ordering full sets
are buying them like a fashion accessory I mainly play on
my custom half set in “D” someone mentioned bad practice sets
may I say there are just as many bad full sets if the chanter
don’t sing the regs won’t dance start will a practice set and
add drones get to know your maker I’ve never seen so many
full sets for sale on the NPU they’ll be tears before bed time
with all thee’s full sets I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous
as people waiting ten and thirteen years on lists for Uilleann
pipes. 
Hi guys,
I think one of the problems is that people ordering full sets
are buying them like a fashion accessory I mainly play on
my custom half set in “D” someone mentioned bad practice sets
may I say there are just as many bad full sets if the chanter
don’t sing the regs won’t dance start will a practice set and
add drones get to know your maker I’ve never seen so many
full sets for sale on the NPU they’ll be tears before bed time
with all thee’s full sets I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous
as people waiting ten and thirteen years on lists for Uilleann
pipes.
I wouldn’t be too paranoid, Tansy 
Maybe Peter was referring to the guys who take up an awful lot of the maker’s time [phone, e-mail, calling at the workshop etc], often asking questions that irritate him or making requests that take him away from the job in hand, or maybe the guys who collect several sets but don’t really play to a great standard.
Maybe we all irritate and perplex our pipemakers! 
But money is money is money…“the customer is always right” [??]
Boyd
Boyd,
That saying is not always true especially if the customer
don’t know what he’s talking about just like there are some
makers that dont know what there talking about either who
just work from a plan and can’t play. 
aye i want be boyd, peter’s statement just kind of rubbed my fur agin the grain. i am very kind and cosiderate to my pipe maker friends, they know i truely value them and their special time and knowledge
.
[..they don’t have an Emoticon with a tongue in it’s cheek..]
Boyd
There’s also customers who purchase sets on the speculation that they can sell them at a profit…They don’t help with high cost/high demand problem at all.
those buying on speculation are not the problem. thats just good old american enterprise and entails some risk. buyers can vote with their dollars (and increase the risk) by not buying such sets. although each buyer must decide for her/himself what to do, i would rather wait and know that i have a personal relationship with my pipe maker.
meir
Meir,
Well said I can not understand anyone thinking of buying
second hand pipes as a beginner unless they know the seller
or they know a piper who can try playing the set for them
before parting with there cash they very well might be made
by a good maker but but who knows if they been damaged or
tampered with we only here about the good sets of makers
but what about there bad sets if people are after practice sets
Hevia, Parrado Y Aragon are giving 21 days for practices sets
and they come with 12 months warranty and a case and with
there craftsmanship thats were I’d go the arhpa practice set
get to know your pipe maker if not buy from a maker who gives
a warranty in writing not verbally been there got the badge.
Stew,
Punctuation mate - fantastic innovation from at least Roman times: makes it a little easier to figure out what you’re saying.
Cheers, Keith
keith,
What I am saying is we only here about good sets by the more famous
makers but we do not here about there bad sets, the bad sets get past
on for sale so the buyer can get most of his money back how would a
beginner know if in the set he or she had a bad chanter or set of regs.
I would not recommend any beginner to buy a second hand set of pipes
unless they knew a piper who could lend a hand with there experience
in trying the set out, or if they knew the seller were trust worthy, I think
its about time people ordering or buying a set of pipes get in writing what
they are getting from the maker or seller or what they will get for there
money so if the set is faulty or poorly made they’ve got something to use in recovering there money back, it would help get many problems solved and if not they could use the small claims courts, you know as I do these
instruments are not cheap thousand of pounds or dollars I have never
seen so many sets of Uilleann pipes for sale on the NPU why are these
sets not selling if there OK.
I can’t believe people waiting for pipes on lists for seven to ten years
Hevia, Parrado Y Aragon are giving 21 day for there arhpa practice sets the chanter has a C nat key fitted and carrying case included in the price
there half sets the delivery time is 3 months all there sets come with a
12 month warranty, on there site you will see that they have made
chanters for Paddy Mollonie and there craftsmanship is fantastic, I play
on a concert "D"custom half set plays fine, next year I’ll get some new
regs or maybe I’ll find a good second hand set as long as the wood the
same I can soon make some ferrules to match them up with the set and I will get the sound I want, theres nothing wrong with a miss match set if it sound and looks OK probably better than some of the complete sets I’ve heard anyway there not a fashion item, Tony has the finest looking
set I’ve seen so far.
For what its worth I’ll toss my opinion in on the matter. NPU have roughly 50 full time makers listed on their site. Now of these 50 makers you can most likely count on one hand the ones who have a waiting list greater than 2 years. Is this coincidence? you bet your life its not. Now I’m not an experienced player (just over 2 years under my belt), but I know what sounds nice and what doesn’t, and there are some sets that I’ve heard from fellow students at NPU Tuesday night classes which will actually make you cringe when played, and certainly would have turned me off the instrument had I started on any of them. Again no coincidence that these same makers have little or no waiting list. The real pain is that NPU don’t give a toss which makers end up on their list of full time makers, and lets face it parents who have bought rubbish for their children only for them to pack it in because of sub standard instruments robs all of us of some potentially magnificent pipers. NPU needs to do 2 things in my opinion.
- Rate instruments: Every maker is required to supply a practice set to NPU for their pipes on loan scheme to qualify for the privelege of being listed as a full time maker (you don’t supply well then your not listed). Now they can be rated. I know only too well that personal tastes will always differ, but I’d be willing to wager that if 3 to 4 of the NPU board evaluated each makers instruments you could be guaranteed that the rubbish would be genuinely weeded out.
- NPU needs to establish a pipemaking school of excellence. They promote the instrument very well but do nothing in terms of producing makers. All resources outside of general administration and teaching should be directed at making the instrument.
To get back to the original thread subject, cutting down on waiting times will only be achieved by makers who can make good pipes and no matter what way you look at it there is precious few of them.
regards,
Mark.
Edited to remove swear words(sorry).
Making NPU an “accrediting” bureau isn’t the answer, nor does it guarantee the quality of a maker’s pipes. A dishonest maker may pour all he has into the one set of pipes he sends off to NPU and then go back to making borderline or substandard sets. And is the maker just supposed to “donate” his pipes to NPU to get them accredited and put on the loaner list? Rather a lot to ask of someone to give away something of that much value. And who then benefits from the NPU loaners? Only those people who live in Ireland, there are lots of us NPU members who live outside of the country who cannot take advantage of such largesse from the makers and NPU.
Now dont’ get me wrong, I too agree that NPU could take a more active stance (if they wanted to, and they may just want to stay out of it) on promoting the production of quality instruments. But I’m not sure your method is the right way of doing it. Perhaps it’s just my American/capitalist background, but the market always seems to level itself out - leave it to the consumers to sort it out. Poor quality and service will eventually become known. People need to do their homework before buying anything this expensive. Caveat Emptor.
Just my take on it.
Jeff