Are Koehler and Quinn taking orders? There seems to be some confusion; I have heard both ‘yes’ and ‘no’ from different people.
OH NO,now the wife will have to get a second job! 
This is weird - why post the questions as to whether makers are taking orders on the forum when the best / only people to be able to answer them acurately are the makers themselves.
First Rogge and now Koehler and Quinn. Perhaps we should have a dedicated thread from all the makers saying whether they are taking orders, how long the wait is, how much they are charging to save us all toubling them with tiresome personal enquiries. 
Well… yes and no 
Pat.
I’ve heard that to get on the list you have to pass a series of interviews and auditions where you are rated not only on your piping skills but also on deportment and presentation. The final decision only taken after a 3 hour written exam - essay-type questions on the history of piping and pipemaking with points deducted for spelling and punctuation errors.
You forgot the stress test… 
I think the answer to your question Tim, will be forth coming should you give 'em a call. They will tell you with absolute certainty whether or not they are accepting orders.
There is sadly much more truth to this comic statement than one may think - and from more than just one maker.
Sadly? I do not see it that way. To my way of thinking, an interview process could lead to shorter waiting times… in regard to good pipes going to those who actually play them instead of some who might want to play or others who want to turn around and sell them at a mark up.
Yeah - sadly. But to each their own.
Cheers
I forgot to mention the swim-suit competition. 
That might be taking things a little too far… I think…
money talks,to bad i don’t have any!
Maybe enthusiasm, dedication to the music, instrument, reeds, and youthful vigor or perhaps talent or promise might help.
You can e-mail Quinn (and I think he monitors this bbs), but Koehler isn’t into computers, so you have to telephone or write him.
I think Benedict Koehler may have moved, so sorry I can’t furnish either.
in regard to good pipes going to those who actually play them instead of some who might want to play
I sort of disagree here. I think that anyone, good, bad or otherwise should have acess to quality instruments, and not just the pros. Has it not been said that a good instrument is paramount for the novice to begin on? If they are left little more than Paki sets, future generations of pipers are esentially screwed. I believe that if someone has the money and the patience to order from a super-reputable maker, he/she should get his/her pipes regardless if he/she has never played before, or if he(not she in this case) is Paddy Moloney.
People buying pipes from reputable makers just to turn around and sell them sort of gets my goat (meyah), but a purchaser has every right to do what they please with their purchase. I’m not promoting it by any means though. However, injuries can happen, and a person may suddenly (and unfortunatly) find themself unable to play the instrument they have spent so much time and money waiting for/buying. Then, its totally great and noble of them to make it available for someone who can do it justice, instead of letting the set rot under the bed.
I dunno, there’s my $3.50 on that subject.
I tend to agree that people should be free to do what they want/need to, with their instrument. It’s also good that someone who’s no longer going to play should sell the instrument to someone else who will - there aren’t enough (really good ones) to go around. However, I find myself in a Jeckyl/Hide situation: it also seems unfair to sell on what is essentially a brand-new instrument for double what it cost. Not only the maker, but also the new owner are being shafted in this situation.
It seems to me that the honourable thing to do would be to go back to the maker and say “Look, this isn’t working out as I thought it would (don’t like it as much as I thought; unexpected financial difficulties; illness; etc.) You have a long waiting list. Can’t we work something out where you match me with one of your customers who’s got the same thing on order? I’ll sell it to them for no more than 10% more than I paid for it, and give you a 5% referral/refurbishment fee.”
I mean, clearly there are ways around this, with enough ingenuity and commitment (and what pipemaker doesn’t have both of those in spades!) Do any makers have a buy-back program? If you make it easy enough for people, they might just take that route before searching for buyers on the internet, shipping, etc.
With the waiting lists as long as they are, people will absolutely pay a (substantial) premium for a used instrument now (‘a bird in the hand…’). On the one hand, a long waiting list is the pipemaker’s insurance against unemployment. On the other, this kind of profiteering by others off their instruments after they’ve left the shop is the dark side of that arrangement, and seems almost inevitable until the waiting lists are reduced.
-Frank
If a pipemaker feels bad because someone else sold their set for more than they charged, that would seem to imply that they’re undervaluing their product. That’s not the fault of the re-seller any more than the maker in that case. And again, that’s a pretty subjective thing - how a pipemaker or re-seller feels about something’s value. don’t think any finger can be plainly pointed in that case.
On the other, this kind of profiteering by others off their instruments after they’ve left the shop is the dark side of that arrangement, and seems almost inevitable until the waiting lists are reduced.
It’s simple economics. People ought to be able to sell anything at market value.
The long wait time is unfavorable to pipemakers. As an example, I placed an order with David Quinn for a full set in C# some half a decade ago. At the time, I suggested and we agreed to a price more than $2500 greater than the price of their usual set so they would have funds for R&D. I have already paid for about half and also supplied an extra $600 for an upgrade to Mammoth ivory mounts. The total price of the set I will have paid, when eventually delivered, will be less than what some are probably paying for full sets these days. I think makers should start offering pipes at a price to be determined when construction of a set is half done.
T
EXACTLY!!!
This is the secret handshake-wink-wink-nudge-nudge-whassthepassword business model I mentioned in the other thread!
The phone operates two ways, and so does email. If you want to order a set then for cryin’ out loud contact the maker. If not, then shaddap!! The only secret handshake you need is the one where you personally introduce yourself. Though it will not change the fact that the waiting times are long. BTW, this thread is about David and Benedict, so cross-referencing that thread to this is not particularly parallel. Sorry, reedbiter