# maclellan highland pipes **URL:** \ **Category:** Bagpipes (Non-Uilleann)\ **Created:** [September 20, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/maclellan-highland-pipes/72769 "2010-09-20T12:17:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sjcavy](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/sjcavy/32/1518_2.png) [@sjcavy](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/sjcavy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/maclellan-highland-pipes/72769/1 "2010-09-20T12:17:42Z")
Sp I just switched back to my maclellan chanter and spent a ton of time fine tuning everything, plus broke in a cracking new chanter reed. Very happy with the whole set up. I’m not going back to my Dunbar elite two. Mac chanter has a sweet top hand and ballsy lows. Great chanter. My drones really blend well with this chanter too. Just an update. ---
**Author:** ![pancelticpiper](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/pancelticpiper/32/5323_2.png) [@pancelticpiper](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/pancelticpiper)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/maclellan-highland-pipes/72769/2 "2010-09-22T12:19:02Z")
I haven’t had the opportunity to hear a McLellan chanter. The chanter I’ve been very impressed with recently is the new Peter Henderson blackwood solo chanter. A friend got one recently and I got a chance to hear it and try it. A big rich woody tone and very even scale. The chanter he had been playing before had a somewhat thin/wimpy upper hand but on the new Henderson F and High G are full-sounding and there’s a nice High A. ---
**Author:** ![sjcavy](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/sjcavy/32/1518_2.png) [@sjcavy](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/sjcavy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/maclellan-highland-pipes/72769/3 "2010-09-22T14:06:42Z")
That sounds really nice! The MacLellan chanter is thick throated, and has a great high hand, very sweet but loud at the same time. The lower hand is very bright, and (forgive me) ball-sy. You sit up and recognize that it’s there, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Cullen](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/jeff_cullen/32/704_2.png) [@Jeff\_Cullen](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Jeff_Cullen)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/maclellan-highland-pipes/72769/4 "2010-09-25T18:21:01Z")
Panceltic…I’m pretty sure you have heard MacLellan chanters…that’s all I’ve played for the last 4 years…both for solo and for the Bb stick. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![razzmaster](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@razzmaster](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/razzmaster)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/maclellan-highland-pipes/72769/5 "2010-09-30T04:12:57Z")
Jeff- What type of reed do you use in your MacLellan Bb? ---
**Author:** ![CHasR](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/chasr/32/1246_2.png) [@CHasR](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/CHasR)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 12:11pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/maclellan-highland-pipes/72769/6 "2010-09-30T12:11:43Z")
I have 3 MacL chanters, A440, Bb466 & standard (478?). In terms of new chanters on the mrkt today, I feel Roddy;s and Strathmore’s are head& shoulders above all the rest Ive played: yes, Im quite confident about saying that online. 🙂 (havent yet tried that new hendy you metion PanC) The A440 gets the most use, had tried re-tying reeds onto a longer staple at first; but now I find elongating the scrape, all the way down to the binding, produces a better result. E was tricky. Narrowing the reed helps also. Im preferring Sheps, Gilmours, or Higgins reeds in them. Troys are good too, but they take a lifetime to break in. The standard pitch can certainly hold its own in a band situation. If I ever let one go, it would be the Bb: there’s nothing wrong with it at all, but I just so much prefer my vintage 1960’s Hardie for Bb work. When I was shopping for a ‘primo’ set of drones 2 years ago, out of 3 ‘finalists’ I chose Atherton & MacLellan, this says a lot for Roddy;s drones. the ONLY thing I would change on my Macellans, would be exchanging the flared stocks for straight ones, and an oval mouthpiece, but thats simply my prefernec, & im sure had I mentioned it Roddy would have made it so. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Cullen](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/jeff_cullen/32/704_2.png) [@Jeff\_Cullen](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Jeff_Cullen)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/maclellan-highland-pipes/72769/7 "2010-09-30T18:41:39Z")
I’m using Apps reeds in all of my MacLellan chanters. It took a lot of tape to bring the A chanter down to pitch, but the Bb is ‘plug and play’ with an Apps reed. I have a 70’s Hardie chanter (that I bought new in about '75), but it exhibits a collapsing F with many reeds and I prefer the sound and hole-spacing of the MacLellan.