Someone asked me the other day what I paid for the beehive set and also how much I’d sell it for.
I’ve probably got more in it so far than anyone else has paid K&Q for a set to date as I had a hollow mainstock added. Price is confidential.
How much would it take for me to sell it? How about $100,000. The set is worth far more to me than it would be to someone who does not own it. I suppose that most would not understand this and hope that your pipes are the same. Interesting how the marketplace works. A man’s home, even his car, is always of more value to him than it would be in the standard marketplace.
Were they asking you because they wanted to prise that set from your death grip, or just to get a feel for the market place? Isn’t it truer to say the set is worth what you’d be willing to sell it for if they offered you a sufficiently insane price?
I am totally open to offers by people insane enough to meet my price.
I paid (or rather my wife - on my behalf) paid a great whack for the Froment 4 reg set originally made for Jim McGuire.
Was it worth it.
YES YES YES. I’m making money with the set and it is slowly paying for itself.
It’s going really well and with some overhaul costs of a new bag and reeds it’s playing great.
A good set of pipes that play well and get well played are worth more then gold.
The sentimental value of our pipes (especially when they are working perfectly) cannot be priced. Glands Beehive, were it mine, would be worth far more than what he is pretending to ask… I would only be able to part with it once dead and in the ground… er… providing I didn’t decide to take it with me… but no, a set like that should be allowed its’ shot at eternity.
a set like that should be allowed its’ shot at eternity.
Oh yeah. I agree. I’d never take a set like this one to ground or leave it to be unattended. I’ve already decided to whom the Beehive set will go in the event of my death provided that my immediate survivors will not want it to play. He’s a red-headed fella residing in Dublin and his Da is a good friend of mine.
Well, once upon a time I was a student…and a pretty good one at that. If I recall a-rightly, an old economics professor once told me that a good or commodity was worth precisely what a buyer was willing to pay for it and a seller was willing to sell it for. If I’m willing to pay $101,000.00 for your beehive set (which is, btw, a thing of legend) and you’re willing to accept that price, then that’s what it’s worth. No more, no less.
I often have people asking me how much pipes cost, I am reluctant to tell them because they are often so shocked. I want to just say, “Hey, compared to a new piano, it’s NOTHING!”
Hey Snoogie. I’m just the guy to help ya. I’ve got the stomach for it. I worked in a morgue to pay my way thru college and medical school. I’ve assisted on about 150 autopsies and was the prime dissector on another 250 (they gave me lots of leeway when I got into med school…on the other hand…there’s only one way to slice 'em). Seen lots of interesting things and could tell stories for days. More importantly, I know and can cut all the right tendons to release that grip on the pipes! Just bring a scalpel and your shovel…no crowbar needed. Geez…on the other hand…ya know…Joseph would figure out some way to get us in the end. Mmmmay…mmmmmaybe we’d better not…
i got a gallagher full set a few months ago. there’s only a few here in ireland and anyone that’s heard them is blown away. a couple of my friends who have sets that cost nearly twice as much prefer my set.so does that mean my set is worth twice what i paid for it or their sets or worth half what they paid for them???
Your set is worth what you have invested into it spiritually and emotionally. The price tag does not necessarily reflect the worth or quality of any instrument.
I have heard sets by little known makers, that didn’t cost their owners nearly as much as better known sets… and these sets were very beautiful in tone. Their owners thought them priceless, and I certainly agree.
I find this kind of attitude very refreshing! Particularly because it becomes more than a possession or plaything, or status symbol. It becomes a tool itself that helps one earn a living (or create pocket change). I feel this way about my cameras - I buy the best I can and I get someone else to pay me to use it properly. (I have some wicked cameras!)
I venture to say that the pipes of a “famous” piper are not commodified during their professional tenure because of their intrinsic qualities. A passionate amateur like me quantifies the dollar on a hobby in a much different way methinks. As a professional I would never compromise the quality of my tools. Unfortunately for my bank account I’m like this with most objet désiré - quality is paramount.
This is all capitalism at its finest. A pipemaker will charge what people are willing to pay for a set. If no-one buys from them they either have a quality issue, or a price issue. He would be foolish not to charge what the market will bear (unless he’s already rich). But if no-one will pay his price, he must re-evaluate his operating costs to see if it is worth being in this game.
Similarly, we as buyers try to ask intellegent questions and listen to as many sets as possible in advance of a purchase, but price and availability will ultimately decide what we will get. As in all things, price does not guarantee quality, but points us in the right direction. There are so many variables to the final sound, such as reed setup and abilities of the player, that the quality of the set can only be a part of the equation. A cheap set by an unknown maker (even from Pakistan) that has great reeds in it will always blow away an expensive set with dead reeds.
If you are looking to buy, “how much is it worth” is not the right question to ask. What potential users should be asking is “what is the going price range in the current market, and where does that place me with my budget in the general scheme of things”. Let’s say, for example, that the current market for a full set of concert D pipes is between $4K and $12K. If you can only afford $6K, you know that you are somewhere below the middle of the market in terms of going prices. Special materials, extra keys, etc. will all be factors in the final price. How you justify the expense then becomes a matter of “cost of doing business”, personal or professional. Can you afford to be in this game?
Buy what you can afford, and what you will reasonably be able to play within the next few years. You can always upgrade later, but start out with the best you can afford now so that you are not hampering your learning with a piece of crap.
We discussed this before. SOMETIMES it’s a matter of finances. The best sets often go to the ones with the money who can afford them, regardless of their piping skills and not necessarily to the (probably) better (or professional) pipers. Top end pipemakers are limited so there is now a shortage or longer wait to receive prized sets.
Considering all the time spent making pipes, they are somewhat under priced. In relation to other musical instruments as a whole, they are high in price. Let’s face it, for $6,000US I could buy enough instruments to supply a whole band!
I don’t believe UPs are high in price compared to other hand made or hand finished professional instruments -
A mid range pro bassoon is $12K +, a Heckel $25-30K
Pro oboes $5 to 10K
saxes up to $8K for a pro baritone
string instruments - all over the place
Every musical field has the issue of rich amateurs affording the best with struggling pros finding it hard to jutify the price. However, if you look at the price of a good Gallagher set for example, it’s about the same as an eight year old Honda Accord. Pretty good value.
You also have to factor in the warranty / level of after sales service a good maker will give beforing comparing to the discounted prices you see for many ‘cheaper’ looking instruments mass produced instruments.
yeah my harp cost me €4,300 ( approx $5,200 ) a couple of years ago and the pipes $7,900 or €6,400. honestly, both irreplacable as far as i’m concerned. maybe if somebody was crazy enough offer me over 12,000 for the pipes…, the harp, never, as the maker, Larry Egar, is retiring soon.
my old harp cos £IR 1,000 in 1990 so that’s about €/$1,500 today. I’ve been offered €3,000 for it a couple of times. Even though i play the new instrument more, i’d never consider selling the old baby - for the same reason as above.
