I recently watched an interview with Andreas Rogge on pipemaking on the NPU site. He mentions that he constantly has apprentices and that a lot of people has worked with him in the past.
But when I am thinking about pipemakers in Germany, who would actually take an order for uilleann pipes, I only know of two (Andreas Rogge and Jens Güntzel). This seems strange to me, so I wondered if there are actually a lot more makers which are not that well known.
Swiss native, Tom Aebi apprenticed w/him some 20yrs ago. He’s returned to Switzerland, and I presume he makes pipes for people in Germany, as well.
Maybe you dont have to be interested in making pipes to work in a pipemaking work shop . It would be a good place for a woodturner to work or a good place for a silversmith to practice his trade or an engineer or leather worker to get started.
RORY
What about pipemakers in the Netherlands. Evertjan d’Hart is making superb instruments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqM1Wx5CWhQ
Fine piper Johannes Schiffert is playing a chanter by Evertjan he is very pleased with
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAcdTTSiYaY
Not everyone who apprenticed with Andreas decides to make uilleann pipes in his later career - Matthias Branschke for instance doesn’t, but he makes top quality Schäferpfeifen and säckpipor.
AFAIK Tom Aebi makes flutes in the first place, he offers chanters (which seem to be among the finest available) but doesn’t take orders for half or full sets.
And finally, not everyone who learned a trade decides to take the risk and set up a business of his own.
Not everyone who apprenticed with Andreas decides to make uilleann pipes
Indeed. There are many uilleann pipe making students that didn’t continue a solo career.
Some go and make other kinds of bagpipes or flutes and some go and get real jobs.
Many have discovered that it’s a hard way to make a humble income..
Tommy
Respectable pipe makers get 9-12k US for each full set produced. Pipe makers can usually make 6-9 full sets a year. That means a pipe maker can make anywhere from 54k-108k US a year. I hardly think that’s a humble income.
In 1985 My father ordered (5) full sets for himself and a small amount of pipers, from a respectable pipe maker in Ireland. EACH full set was made for only 1k US!!!.
The Pipe maker made all (5) sets in one year and only made 5k!!! Now THAT’S a humble income!!
I am pretty sure Evertjan can speak German.
And indeed he makes great chanters. I think they also are able to play some German music, if you want to 
Patrick
RoryBellows wrote:
It would be a good place for a woodturner to work or a good place for a silversmith to practice his trade or an engineer or leather worker to get started
Nicely summed up Rory - a pipemaker needs to learn a whole load of different skills. I was lucky to have my own set made by a pipemaker who was just a short walk away when I was living down south and was able to watch some of it being made. I can see why the NPU course of 6 weeks only allows you to make a practice set. GW reckons on maybe 4 sets a year so I guess 6 would be reasonable for a maker who is willing to work many extra hours than the average wage slave. Many more would almost certainly mean they have an apprentice(s) e.g. AR working for them or they are working themselves into an early grave with lack of sleep and any form of social life
John
Respectable pipe makers get 9-12k US for each full set produced. Pipe makers can usually make 6-9 full sets a year. That means a pipe maker can make anywhere from 54k-108k US a year. I hardly think that’s a humble income.
Well most US makers that publish their prices on their websites charge between $5600 and $10200. If you can turn out over 8 full sets a year you’ll be busy with practice sets and half sets too. You’ll be buying bags and probably bellows too. If you can’t afford to rent a workshop big enough to hold your CNC machine (which you’ll need to make over 8 sets a year) you’ll have to hire an assistant.
Two famous pipe makers in Ireland. One in Clare made everything from scratch. Rolled tubes, hand made keys, stitched bags and bellows. He could manage about 4 sets a year. His counterpart in Kerry had a CNC machine for turning wood and metal tubes and another machine for cutting keys and end mounts. He could manage 7 to 8 sets a year.
So say a $100,000 worth of pipes, 20 to 30K for an assistant, liability insurance, health insurance, materials, workshop rental so you’d be left with about 40k -income tax. So maybe $600 a week. Well above the poverty line but no Caribbean cruises.
In 1985 My father ordered (5) full sets for himself and a small amount of pipers, from a respectable pipe maker in Ireland. EACH full set was made for only 1k US!!!.
Thats about right. My first practice set was 150 pounds in 1984 from Dan Dowd and Johnny Bourke and i think their full sets were about 600 which was about $1000 then.
“I think they also are able to play some German music, if you want to” Patrick. 
In fact Evertjan doesn’t belong in this topic as he makes bright sounding Williams based chanters.
Patrick
Lets not forget the up front cost of enormously expensive tools, CNC machines, lathes, shop space, etc.
And the time spent learning the trade as an apprentice.
Just to get in the business would seem like a huge outlay of time and money. 
I admire pipe makers but never envy them.
I noticed that when a topic comes about pipe makers the money becomes an issue. I wonder why ???
But perhaps thats an other topic
Patrick
“In fact Evertjan doesn’t belong in this topic as he makes bright sounding Williams based chanters.” Patrick.
Tell us something we don’t know, duh!. I think you need to relax a little Patrick. German, French, Irish, English, it doesn’t really matter does it? Pipes are pipes 
You mention some really interesting points I did not think of before. My question was mainly because of interest after hearing the interview, but of course it can have advantages to have a pipemaker near you.
But I don’t get this posting at all:
What did you mean by that?
Lets not forget the up front cost of enormously expensive tools, CNC machines, lathes, shop space, etc.
And the time spent learning the trade as an apprentice.
You may be overestimating the sort of equipment needed to make pipes. The finest pipes can, and are, made in a small shed using a minimum of machinery. A good lathe, a drill press, a polishing wheel and a bunch of hand tools go a long way in the right hands.
That was one to think about !
Because its a topic about known or unknown German pipe makers or apprentice from Mr Rogge…
Everjan doesn’ t really fit in this story
But as you probably will know, Friesland isn’ t that far away from the border to find very nice pipes made by him: http://www.hartdd.com/pipes.html
But you made a point: were and who are those apprentices ? I assume that there are more hobby-pipemakers who make there own set and perhaps a few more? I think if all starting pipe makers will do this work as there job it doesn’t do good either
Patrick
Cut your output figure in half and deduct expenses, and you get a better idea of the reality.
I’m sure the output figures differ from maker to maker, and the way the pipes are constructed ie, hand rolled tubes vs pre-rolled tubes, etc. This extra work will obviously take a tremendous amount of time, thus the production output will be effected.