Greetings fellow pipers! I have just joined this forum and I’m hoping that someone can give me some much needed advice. A few months ago I bought a set of pipes from an aquaintence of mine and have been working with them since. I like the set, but I’m really not happy with the way the chanter works. I would like to buy another chanter to replace the one I have, but I’m not sure what I should do exactly. I don’t mind spending the money to get a really good chanter, but I don’t want to pay for another chanter if I can’t be sure that it’s going to be better than what I already have. What should I do? Should I be looking for a used chanter, or would it be better to have one made? Either way, I figure if I want to get a chanter that guaranteed to be good, I need to buy one from a maker who’s well known for his quality. Preferably I would like a bright/loud chanter rather than one that’s mellow/quiet; are there pipemakers that are known for making chanters with volume? And new or used, are there specific pipemakers that I should be on the lookout for??? Please help!
Art, where abouts are you located? Are you close to the chanter’s original maker? Is there another pipemaker near to you? Is there someone experienced with reeds near you?
The reason I ask is that a lot can be done with a chanter either through manipulation of the existing reed (e.g. opening it up a little), or with a new reed, without the expense of replacing the chanter. Also, it’s difficult to know what your expectations are. Instead of trying to express this verbally, you are far better to spend sometime on-site with an experienced maker to see if your expectations are realistic, i.e. who’s sound are you trying to emulate that you think your existing chanter is not up to par? Hopefully, a little experienced help in playing around with your current chanter will bring it more in line with what you are looking for.
If you really think you must get a new chanter, and there is no-one nearby to help you out, you can find lists of pipemakers at NPU’s web site, or Patrick D’Arcy’s Uilleann Obsession site. Just about any maker can build a real loud honker. The challenge for most makers is to build something quiet and sweet, so what you’re describing really shouldn’t be too big a challenge.
What key is your set, flat key chanters usually are quiet,
Why do you want a loud chanter? better with a chanter which
has a nice tone, try having your chanter fitted with a new reed,
it can make a world of difference,most concert chanters are loud
anyway, but if you want a good maker to make you a new chanter
try one these, their nearly all here, all the best.
To try and answer any questions people had for me:
-I live in Louisiana (in a small town i.e. not near much!)
-the set that I got is in the key of D
-the reason that I was asking about a loud chanter is because I am playing acoustically with some instruments that get rather loud… I guess that it’s really not extremely important to have a chanter that’s loud (obviously to have a chanter that sounds good would be a more pending issue), but the one I’m playing seems to be so quiet, that I figured that it’s something that I should ask about.
I guess really my 2 biggest questions would be: 1)Should I be looking to buy a used chanter, or would it be better to have one made?
AND
2)In either category, new or used, who would be the top 5 or 6
pipemakers that I should be looking for???
Really what would be most important for me would be a chanter that sounds good. In other words, a chanter that would preferably be stable, and all of the notes be in tune. (I of course understand how pressure regulation, reed adjustment, and even tape will affect the sound of a note, and so I’m not implying that every note would have to be perfectly in tune all the time. Just so I’m able to get it in tune without having to have the chanter sent somewhere for adjustments.)
Quinn and Koehler have about the best reputation in the country for wide bore concert pitch pipes. Kirk Lynch and Seth Gallagher have a good rep as well. Brad Angus only makes quieter narrow bore D chanters now. There are newer makers too, Patrick Murray, Dave Boisert, Joe Kennedy, Dave Daye, Michael Hubbert. Haven’t really heard the scoop on their stuff. There are other, perhaps more dubious makers of longer established reputation, too, you’ll get pros and cons about them.
Kirk Lynch definitely makes pipes with the sessioner or band musician in mind, he’s a good guy, and he’s up in Missouri. You’d be good to pay him a visit, talk shop and the like, and try out some of his stuff.
Always best to check with the makers directly on what they are doing as information is always best gotten directly from them.
You might try Brad Angus at 360-699-4409. He makes both narrow-bore and wide-bore D chanters as well as flat chanters in C, B, B flat. Half set and full sets in D, C, B, B flat can all be ordered from Brad.
With Brad, the customer can customize the chanter to their needs. Well worth a phone call!
Re: Koehler and Quinn, I heard it mentioned at the Pipers’ Gathering that their waiting list is up to 6 years! Debbie Quigley had a new K & Q set at the Gathering, and it was very fine. Still, if you are over 50, 6 years could be a lifetime.
If you want a wide bore D chanter from Brad Angus you’ll need to discuss that with him, he says he’s making narrow bores only now. He has made Rowsome style pipes before and still has all the tooling, too, of course. These were of medium volume, too, much more mellow than the norm, so keep that in mind as well.
This wierd thought crossed my mind. What if Brad was commissioned to make a piping display for the Hard Rock Cafe in Belfast. Whould they be narrow bore or wide bore??
If one is looking for information about a pipemaker’s business policies, personal policies, etc, PLEASE GET THE LATEST INFORMATION DIRECTLY FROM THE PIPEMAKER. Do not depend on someone getting it for you. Second-hand information is like second-hand smoke, very dangerous!
Due diligence is extremely important for choosing one’s instrument maker, especially with the commitment required today to buy an instrument. I am astounded and disappointed at the low quality of some of the information that is bandied about.
NPU dealt with this issue decades ago by deciding to not endorse anyone in the pipemaking community. They have always shared pipemaker’s names and made ad space available in the Bulletin and, thus, place the onus on the individual to sort out the current pipemaking landscape - “Caveat Emptor”, Let the Buyer Beware.
My own advice for one looking for an instrument is to seek out an experienced player and get their private opinion. If one does decide to focus the search on a specific pipemaker, it is fairly simple to ask the pipemaker for a recent customer and/or find a recent customer in our networked uilleann pipes world. Hearing a recent customer’s instrument would be incredibly valuable, as well as making a journey to the pipemaker’s lair.
Do a web search on either. If you want a chanter to be heard in a band run away from Angus and anything else narrow bore, and the two makers above will in fact probably stun and amaze you for what you want, and in terms of delivery times.
Just don’t get in ahead of my own order with Bruce or I’ll have to kick your arse. I think I found some staghorn for the mounts and if so I’ve just nailed down an order with him.
I think both deliver in about 6 months, and Seth apparently can deliver an entire set in that if any pipe maker is to be believed in such matters.
I spoke with Brad Angus today, and he is making wide bore D pipes, although he prefers narrow bore, finding them somewhat more reliable than the wide bores. I’ve played his own wide bore D set and it is as easy a set to play as any I’ve tried. I’d say these are of medium volume, though, there are makers that make much louder pipes, if that’s what you’re after. My apologies about the misunderstanding, Brad had told me before he was giving up on the wide bore stuff, but again, this is not the case.
