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Geoff doesn’t number his chanters, sets are numbered on the mainstock. The design has changed a good bit over the years.
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I am not sure about the Bflats, I think they were modelled on John Wayland’s pipes in the university museum downunder, most other pitches had considerable design overhauls over the years. that said, the first set Geoff let me play was the bflat for John McMahon back in 83 and that was going (and still is) lovely, another one I played often is Rolf Knusel’s which is nr 69 (1986), the sister set of my own and that is lovely too.
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I have an early C chanter made in Australia by Geoff. Ken McLeod remarked upon seeing it that it looked to be based on an Egan design? However the owner of the chanter, it was made for his father, sent the chanter to Ireland in 1998, and Geoff modified the bore according to his current, I assume Harrington, bore specifications. I purchased the chanter in December, 2000, unreeded and unseen, and it was sent to Sweden from NSW. Geoff sent me two reeds, but I was unable, my fault, to get the chanter sounding it’s best, and in tune 100%. Geoff reeded the chanter in July 2001 during Willie Week, and it’s been going well since then, the same reed, summer and Swedish winter. The overall finish of the chanter, made up of blackwood and brass, fully keyed, is of good quality as you’d expect, although rougher than on Geoff’s Harrington based chanters, which I think look nicer, but everything works, all the keys, and it plays very well just like you’d expect a Wooff C chanter to. I paid the same price to the seller that Geoff was charging for a new chanter in 2000, which Geoff himself thought was fair enough, as I didn’t have to wait. Needless to say really but I’m very pleased with it
Do it. You’ll never look back. You’ve got the right hands and fingers. Is it a lefty? If you should reach an impasse, I could chip in, but then you’d have to send it to me half the time. 
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Swap? Okay…I’ve actually got the drones for that set so maybe we could trade every six months. I don’t play much in the winter anyway, but I’ll need them by St. Pats.
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Geoff did number his chanters. I have the first Bb chanter and drones he made; in late 1978-early 1979. The chanter is stamped 7, about 6 cm above the thumb-hole. The regulators were added in early 1981. The baritone reg was replaced and the drone stock modified to the Harrington-Wooff arrangement in 1990.
They are a copy of the Egan set owned by Wayland that belong to the University of Western Australia. The chanter and drones are of African blackwood, brass, and whale ivory. The regulators are blackwood and elephant ivory, although the ‘new’ baritone reg may be ebony.
My memory is that Geoff was numbering his sets consecutively. Sets 1 to 6 were concert sets and Northumbrian sets. When I ordered a set from him I expressed interest in a flat set. Geoff got a bigger lathe just at the right time, so he was able to it.
The tone of the chanter is slightly darker than the brighter tone more typical of Geoff’s ‘standard’ sets, but this varies with reeds (the original Egan chanter is also a bit brighter). It does a briliant ghost-D tight triplet, a la Robbie Hannan’s Jenny’s Welcome to Charlie.
Ausdag, do you know who was selling, and who bought, the practice-set?
Cheers, P.
Hi PCL
Where are the uilleann pipes at the University of Western Australia? (I’d like to have a look - I work there, but have never heard of them).
No, sorry. But I could find out.
Wow that was for nothing.I heard that new a chanter from geoff woof was 1500 euro and that second hand ones were going for a lot more because of the length of the waiting list (these maybe fully keyed chanters)
Two years ago his price for a full set was 9000 Euros. Probably climbed a bit since…
This practise set was a real bargain. Hopefully it went to someone who can appreciate it.
/Morten
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