My new chanter from Martin Preshaw arrived last week and I just want to take a moment to say - wow! I’ve been playing pipes for almost twenty years and have owned sticks from several top makers and this one is definitely the best chanter I have ever owned. Heck - it’s about the best chanter I’ve ever played, period! I’ve been wearing it out for almost a week now and I still can’t get enough of it.
If you are looking for a rock solid chanter that just about plays itself, has a great bottom, is perfectly in tune, and sounds like a million bucks then you should call Martin now before his waiting list gets to be into the years and decades range.
Martins D chanters are indeed tops. I have had two wonderful chanters …still have one that I use all the time. The chanter has been the envy of many a fine piper. Cant go wrong with Martin’s work.
may be that’s why some excellent pipers play them, like John McSherry,
the price, for a chanter, is affordable, and delay is currently about 3 months ( may increase soon !)
I agree on all counts. :adminok:
I purchased a chanter from Martin Preshaw earlier this year and it has provided and continues to provide excellent service. The tone, intonation, tuning et cetera of the chanter was exactly what I was looking for.
His customer care is also second to none.
Joseph (the “satisfied customer” UK one)
had my D stick with 2 keys and wood top for 13 months. its loud. its also everything said above. beautiful, easy to play, well reeded, in tune without tapes and rushes. i would love to see his books fill up, he deserves it.
davidG,
believe it or not i am not sure. it was a present from my honey who took care of the finances. but thru some backhanded spying, the figure 1900 US comes to mind. it was the price on the web site, pretty much. shipping was a bear (apparently there is a problem with insured post from europe- there is a thread about that on one of the other forums right now). and payment was in GBP, cause he is in northern ireland, not ireland. about 35% more than the same thing from several american makers. but its worth it. certainly more so than regs i will not be ready to play for years.
were you the one who started the thread about a second chanter?
your thrust was an extra to knock around.
i also believe in a second chanter, for me at least, for a different reason. i am not great with reeds and will not be for some time. so would it not be nice, when one goes south, to be able to return it to the best person to adjust it or reed it again, and have a second to play in the meantime?
if you total up the pain and time that most beginners put into reed problems, i think the second chanter looks better and better.
incidentally, i have not had to touch (knock on wood) my preshaw reed in a year. when i first got it, it close up once and was easily adjusted. thats it. and that is in the US capital, where moisture swings are extreme.
davidG, this is the thread about shipping. i definately felt victimized by this, cause it was a shyteload of money. do not blame martin, its the system. the price was actually more than some cheapo chanters cost.
Ausdag,
Why not contact Martin Preshaw direct? He has a web site. He’s very approachable and laid back. I’m sure he’ll answer all your questions.
Aw go on, go on, go on go on go on,
Joseph (the UK one)
I did actually, last year, to which I received a friendly response but not about keyed, wood-top chanters. But as Meir said he had a 2 key wood top chanter and I happened to be ‘in the area’ I thought I’d simply ask him on this forum rather than send off another email to a busy pipe maker.
Thanks too, Meir, for the detailed response, although no, I wasn’t the one who started the spare chanter thread.
Cheers,
