According to the description… it’s Bob May’s personal set.
Starting bid: $900US
Irish Uilleann Half-set of Bagpipes
This is an unusual set. It was made by me, Robert May, and has been my own set.
The chanter is a narrow bore “D” made of blackwood and has two keys added on after it was built. It also has a “Stop key” in the reed cap to turn off airflow to the chanter to aid in tuning the drones.
The mainstock is hollow and breaks down into three pieces. Two of wood and the center is brass pipe with Celtic design acid etched into it. The air valve is in the portion closest to the bag so that it can be used as a practice set if the air valve is off and the brass pipe and drones are removed.
The bass drone has an “internal bend” within the hollow mainstock so that the bass drone protrudes only slightly more than the baritone drone.
I am including an extra tenor and baritone drone of a different design than the originals. One set is ABS plastic, the other set is blackwood as is the chanter.
The bellows are of Koa wood and very pretty. It has a “French Polish” finish. The intake valve has eight 1/4" holes around the edge instead of one large hole in the top so as not to suck in your sleeve while playing. The bellows leather is two layers thick and of very high quality. The bag is also of the same high quality bagpipe leather.
The connection from the supply hose to the bag is a high quality brass “quick disconnect”.
I also have a tenor and baritone regulator, but as I have’nt spent enough time with them as far as learning to make good reeds and tuning, I would not know what to charge for them. I’m sure that the right person, someone with more experience than I , could get them working well.
A picture from the auction:
