Before too long, I will put my Ray Sloan fully mounted narrow bore chanter with 4 keys (all in Nickel Silver, African Blackwood, and immitation ivory) with it’s generously sized bellows and bag with black velvet bag cover up for sale on eBay.
It’s a great-sounding and -playing set. However, I have a handle on a half set near me and that deal is too good to pass up.
The full-sized case and two reeds (in great shape) will be included.
If you’ve any questions a priori, please email me directly (I just don’t check this site as often as I’d like): tommyk@stickist.com
The practice set will go up for sale in April on eBay (unless someone makes me a good offer before that time).
African Blackwood, Nickel silver, and immitation ivory, narrow bore, two good reeds, 4 keys, windway shut off key, black velvet bag cover, double-padded bellows. Sounds very sweet. In all but perfect condition (the all but = the bag to chanter joint and the bag to bellows joint could use re-threading).
Why not post an asking price, and consider waiting until it’s closer to selling time. Anticipation my be nice for some things, but “I’m selling my set in 2008” gets kinda tedious.
Dionys
Why not post an asking price, and consider waiting until it’s closer to selling time.
I agree. You never know who’s lurking on the uillean list (a whistler like me who has an interest in a practice set) who lives near you (across the river in York Co.).
Joe
Well, it’s not 2008. It’s one month away.
I just want to hold onto my set for an upcoming scheduled lesson.
I haven’t posted an asking price because I really don’t know what to ask for it:
It’s a fully mounted practice set in african blackwood, imitation ivory and nickel silver with wooden reed cap, windway shut-off key, four keys, and a double-padded bellows and black velvet bag cover.
I got it in November, so by mid April I will have owned it for five months and it’s in almost perfect condition (“almost” because I probably should rewind a couple of the connections - bag to chanter and bellows to bag). It comes with a full size case, two good working reeds, and a popping strap.
I paid $2,100.00 for it. Right now, the same set new would cost $2,530.00.
Perhaps someone can give me an idea of a fair asking price (someone not really interested in buying, that is 
[quote=“tommyk”]
I paid $2,100.00 for it. Right now, the same set new would cost $2,530.00.
quote]
And the award for ‘most expensive practice set’ goes to…
Alan
Actually, no. I just checked Seth Gallagher’s site. An analagous set (Blackwood and silver with 4 keys and windway shut off, plus the bag cover - which is $50.00 extra) would cost $2,540.00 right now, before shipping.
Plus, that’s with a standard chanter. The narrow bore costs more than a regular chanter.
Ouch! Ouch! OUCH!! Sufferin’ Succotash! 
Well, I appreciate your honesty but that’s a wee bit more than I wanna’ spend on somethin’ I’ve never played (meaning not your set, just never played a set myself). I’m NOT criticizing. I know you get what you pay for!
Wow, I could get a golfbag full of high end whistles for that. 
Hey, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Oh well…off to the bargain basement for me.
Thanks anyway! 
Joe ← your neighbor across the Susquehanna
Wow, I just added it all up: my collection of high end whistles (8 Abell Bodies, 5 Abell headjoints, a Lon Dubh, a Fred Rose, and a Sweet pro blackwood with 3 keys and an interchangable fife head) actually cost me even more than that!
Time to stop, me thinks?
Ray is the only maker I know who charges more for a narrow bore than a wide bore of the same pitch. He’s probably trying to pay for his new reamer. He is a great craftsman and one of the highest price NSP makers. He is NOT known for his UP chanters, and I know of no experienced UP players who play his stuff. However, bags, bellows and turning are common to all the pipes he makes and he is no newbie to making pipes. The only wide bore D chanter by him I have seen did not have a very good tone, but it looked good. The bore is a straight cone of his own design. He is another maker of of Scottish pipes trying to cash in on the UP demand. Let the buyer beware. Price is what the market will bear. The tone of his chanter is not in the same league as K&Q, Williams or Wooff etc. but his prices are up there with them. Pictures of his full sets are now on his web site. Some strange stuff IMHO.
Ted
Ted, thanks for that honest and revealing glimpse into who a particular pipemaker really is and what he’s up to. It would be nice to get more inputs like this on other makers from people who are able to make an assessment based on experience with multiple makers, and not just on one or two.
djm
Amen. There’s something about a qualified assessment that rings true. Every once in a while we get lucky, and it’s good to have Ted around.
Time to stop, me thinks?
What? And tamper with a perfectly good case of WhOA? 
No Overtons? No Copelands? …well, okay, me neither but I do have 1 thing by Overton!..one of their awesome multi-whistle bags. It’s as close as I get to high end. 
BTW, I got PM’d by someone about a UP group forming in Harrisburg. If, sometime, you see a short, pudgy, early-40s guy who looks partly lost and partly like a kid in a candy store, that’d be me.
Joe
I’ve never really liked metal whistles (sound or playing feel). The closest I’ve come is truly entertaining some Burkes.
That would be our UP group. I’m the tall, pudgy, late 30s token liberal.
What specifically is it that you find strange?
Sorry to be unclear. By strange, I meant that there is a proliferation of pipes in the top end price range that vary from fair to excellent (read Sloan) craftsmanship, but not up to top quality response and tone one would expect from a top price set. That’s what is strange to me. Hence the caveat, “let the buyer beware”. Without mentioning any more names, I know of several makers whose instruments are the equivalent of high school band instruments in quality, none of which are being played by any top or even middle to top players, which recieve rave reviews from many on this list. Many,whose opinions I respect, give the same abysmal ratings to most of these pieces of kindling. Some of the newbies will end up developing a more critical ear with time, and will end up being able to separate the sheep from the goats.
Ted
Ted, can you suggest some sort of basis for measurement? i.e. a list of measurable, non-subjective things that someone might look for. As has been pointed out many times on this forum, few, if any of us, will ever have sufficient exposure to pipes by a wide enough range of makers to ever be able to make an objective decision.
I can’t fault people for trying to make themselves feel better for their purchase by endorsing their favourite pipemaker’s products. Its a pretty significant investment for most of us.
If you choose not to name names, then perhaps you could provide some objective criteria that “everyman” can use to choose a set of pipes, at least until someone writes a “Lemon-aid” book for UPs.
Thx,
djm
Am I missing something? The set in question is a practice set, right? just checked Seth’s site and his Deluxe (flat) practice set is a little over $1600 in brass $1375.. Half set was just a little over $2800…
Ted, thanks for the clarification. I can’t speak about Ray’s wide bore chanter as mine is a narrow bore D, but I find it extremely responsive and it has a great tone. While my experience is limited, a piper with 21 years experience played it yesterday and he like the tone as well, liked how quiet it was, thought it was extremely well balanced, and commented several times on the excellent quality of the craftsmanship.
Agree, Ray is not known for his UPs, but from what I can tell has an excellent reputation in the NSP world.
While I can’t judge the tone of my Sloan chanter against K&Q, et.al. as I’ve not heard them all, I know what I like. I recently heard several Kirk Lynch chanters, and really liked their tone as well. As you say, someday my ear/taste may change. If so, that will be my issue…not a fault of Ray’s pipemaking.
You did not actually say this…but the implication was that since no experienced UP player has a Sloan set; therefore, the tone must not be as good.
Perhaps, but I’ll take great tone with excellent craftsmanship in six months versus years long waiting lists for what to me is a barely distinguishable difference. If I was a professional player, I might have a different view…but I’m 43 years old and don’t have 10 years to wait to get a set!
This is called a free market economy. I see nothing wrong with a man taking his skills in one area and using them to make money in another related market. Yes his prices are up there, but I believe with his product you are paying for quality craftsmanship.
As with anything, you should always make an informed decision before parting with your cash.
Your intent, I hope, was to help educate everyone…not slam Ray. Please know that my intent is not to flame you, but to have a rational conversation about the pros and cons of pipes.
Cheers, Gary
You’re not missing anything, other than (perhaps) the silver keys. Even with those it seems to me to be a very expensive practice set. The most expensive I’ve heard of. You can certainly pick up a very good quality, used practice set for half that price (or less). If you’re lucky you can even get a good, in tune deluxe Leo Rowsome practice set for half that price. Just keep your eyes peeled.
Dionys