I’m curious as to what kind of effects buying pipes from a humid climate, say Ireland, and bringing them back to a dry climate such as Phoenix, Arizona would have on the pipes. I don’t mean the reeds necessarily, but the actual wood pipes themselves. Any horror stories? I hope not…
-Eric
The most common one is that your reeds will shrivel up and die. One more reason to lean to make your own reeds. Sometimes a reed will recover from the shock after a few days, but mostly not. Some Irish pipemakers have stopped gauranteeing their reeds in N. America just because of the difference.
djm
Eric, if the reeds do die, give Jason a shout, he’ll set you right. However, djm speaks wisely when he suggests you learn to make your own reeds. Really, it is the best way to save money and time, especially should you find yourself in a tight spot without access to a reed maker.
You may also have to add some hemp to the joints as the wood may shrink a little.
No E
So that’s it, as far as the wood of the pipes is concerned, they shrink a little? And that doesn’t affect tone or other variables?
In the worst case, I had one half-set from Ireland where the metal ferrules were all glued to the wood (that’s the way that maker does it). The ABW shrank so much on the drones that the ferrules were falling off, glue and all.
The wooden cup that is supposed to plug in the mainstock to the bag shrank so much as to vanish altogether. The drone holes in the (solid) ABW mainstock all split and leaked like #$%*! I sent the mainstock back to Ireland for repair. Six months later it came back with the drone holes carved out into great ovals so that nothing could go into them and be air-tight ever again. This from a “name” pipemaker in Ireland. It cost me several hundred dollars to get that half-set repaired here to the point that I wouldn’t be ashamed to sell it on (at a loss).
So, yes, bad things can happen. It doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen to you, but it can happen.
Hope that makes you feel better, and that you’re glad you asked twice. 
djm