I am about to buy a used set of this maker’s pipes. Can find very little information on line. Should I be worried? Anyone have any comments on these pipes. I would really appreciate any honest thoughts. Thank you. Pipermarsh
I know Desi Seery is a maker of Irish flutes, but I am not sure about UPs.
Matt
I haven’t played Desi’s pipes so can’t comment.
I do know Desi has historically been pretty determined not to sell pipes outside of Ireland due to the hassle of dealing with over-seas customers who’s reeds flake out during shipment from Eire and the hassle of selling pipes to novices that can’t keep them working. From what he’s told me, he likes to have the buyer in his shop playing the things so he can see the buyer is capable of understanding the danged things and making the commitment to the lifestyle.
I’m guessing that’s why you don’t hear more about his stuff on this side of the pond.
I’d guess he’d be happy to sell a set to an off-shore buyer if the buyer were an experienced player and a capable reed tweaker/maker.
Doc
I have played Seery pipes…the set I played worked well, they belong to a piper in Pitlochry. He told me Desi sent them away to get reeded, a reed shamen somewhere in Ireland.
The finish quality was good, and my Pitlochry pal can play well, so the yokes sounded v good…
Desi is nonetheless predominantly a flute maker and there arent all that many of his pipes going about.
Buying second hand, I think you want to try the things out before you part with any cash…there’s no way of telling at a distance whether they will suit you or not.
If you strap them on and they play for you effortlessly and you love them…get your wallet out.
Otherwise be cautious …there are people out there who have even bought Wooff or other top-quality pipes only to discover that (excellent though the set was) it just wasnt the right set for the individual.
If you are a tea drinker, you ain’t gonna like coffee quite as much
Horses for courses
and any other similar analogies you wish!!! i think you know what i mean
B
Boyd makes good points here (as usual). You might also look into what your options are for getting them reeded or re-reeded should the need arise
Doc
I’ve owned a Seery half-set for three years now. They are very reliable. He uses Dupont Delrin for the stock, and stainless steel for all the metal bits, so they stand up to a lot of carting about and are quite tolerant of temperature/humidity changes. As your profile places you in Alberta, I’d call that in the plus column. Chanter and drones are ebony. I believe this is the case for all the pipes he makes nowadays. Depending on how old your second-hand set is, the stock might also be ebony.
As Doc Jones pointed out, Desi likes to know who he is selling to. If he isn’t convinced that you are serious, then he just won’t sell to you. He doesn’t want any of his pipes to end up nailed up on the walls of Irish-American pubs, so yes, he likes to meet and hear any potential buyers at his workshop before he lets the babies go.
As for the reeds, the chanter and all three drones are still going strong. Desi works pretty closely with his reed maker, and has a preference for stiff reeds, so they should last a long time if they are treated well. Mind you, if you do have a problem with the reeds, you’ll probably be on your own. As you’ve noticed, he doesn’t even have a website or email access anymore, so you pretty much have to make the trip to Wicklow if you need a hand.
Anyhow… long and short… good staunch pipes. I plan on getting Desi to add the regulars to my set later this year when I’ve got the scratch together.
Hope that helps.