Made in 2002, this Froment 5/4 set in B has an extra drone (A) and an extra key (E) up on the bass regulator. The chanter has 5 keys, plus a stop key. Stainless steel, ebony, faux ivory. This set has a unique sound…like no other B set I’ve ever played.
Every time I turn around, I’m amazed at some little detail I’ve never seen on other sets. The quality is truely astounding. The insides look as good as the outside. Every little part is made with the inginuity and care of a watchmaker. They’re playing nicely after spending a day tightening everything up, working on reeds, and adjusting them to my climate. Wouldn’t you know–it’s gotta be my luck–I have a BK reed from the baritone reg on my old vintage set that works perfect in this chanter…even better than the one that came with the set. Truely amazing! This is a very soft sounding set. The A drone has a pin on the end cap, with a conical plug, that opens/closes the air out a side vent just above the end cap. The tenor reg has an adjustable screw that the tuning pin slides through so you can stop it at a certain place–that’s standard on Froment sets I think. The bellows come with a stainless threaded tube that screws into a threaded piece of fake ivory that is stocked in the bellows. The tenor drone has a stainless knob sticking out to hold onto for adjusting the slider. The U-bends are welded together rather than bound with a gusset. The bag cover has snaps that keep the end from opening up. Each lever on the reg keys has a coil spring mounted just the right length with a small stainless plate at the bass of the spring, embedded in the wood. The stainless tuning pins run all the way up the regulator bore. The hole in the end cap at the bell is sized like a fingerhole…you don’t see the actual size of the bore looking up the bottom. The chanter feels larger than any B chanter I’ve ever played, yet the bore is smaller. I like that.
There’s too much to describe right now…I’m very distracted playing this instrument!! Truely amazing. A set to die for. At 49, I’m changinging my ways. I’m going on that “live forever” diet and drinking a little red Fromented grape juice every day. I want to play this set for a very, very long time.
To the lurker here on C&F who thought I should have this set: Thank-you from the bottom of my heart…I’m forever indebted. I like them more than you thought I would!!
At 49, I’m changinging my ways. I’m going on that “live forever” diet and drinking a little red Fromented grape juice every day. I want to play this set for a very, very long time."
Dont worry B Happy!!
Kudos to you. Priorities sound to be in good order
The extra (A) drone is actually an F#. Like yours, it’s a 5th up from the basic key. I was using D pipe language. It sounds pretty cool on certain tunes like Pipe on the Hob and other modal tunes. It adds an older, fuller, harmonic 'wall of sound." But it doesn’t sound good with some tunes.
The fingering on this chanter is extremly sensitive. You leave the wrong finger down, like on Cnat, and you get all kinds of variations. Same with most of the other notes. I’m still learning a lot!
Almost, but not quite. I usually have to go find the pipes, but suffice it to say…these pipes found me. BTW, no one said they were donated. And, I’m not sure I really deserve them, but what a chance of a lifetime! Now, the fault can only be with the piper.
You’ll hear them sometime for sure. I’ll try to make another DVD and send out soon as the set stabilizes. It’s time we see the pipers play, not just hear them! I really enjoyed your video clip of the new K/Q pipes!
The other thing that is different about this B chanter from the other two I have owned is the size of the fingerholes. They’re tiny. There are three different sizes of holes. All three sizes can be found in the bottom three fingerholes. These are given in three different measurements:
1)fraction of an inch 2)thousandths of an inch 3)milimeters.
(medium) 1st hole up from bottom: 5/32 = .155 = 3.94 mm
(small) 2nd hole up from bottom: 1/8 = .125 = 3.17 mm
(large) 3rd hole up from bottom: 11/64 = .170 = 4.32 mm
EXTRA: for the dedicated gearhead who needs to know…
The chanter is 17½ in. long.
The throat is 1/8 in. (8/64)
The size of the bore at the bell is 27/64 in.
Starting from the top, the bore will enlarge/taper from 1/8 in. to 1/4 in. in the first 6 in. – or by the time it reaches the top index fingerhole. It will taper that much again in the next 8 inches – almost to the bottom fingerhole. So, you can see it’s not a straight taper. The bore is very small, yet the thickness of the chanter feels large…at least larger than the other two I’ve held. The chanter is 19mm at the thumb hole (OD), and 24mm at the bottom fingerhole near the bell. The only hole that is scalloped at all is the thumb hole – from 19mm down to 16mm, OD of chanter.
I like that!
And, I’m not sure I really deserve them, but what a chance of a lifetime! Now, the fault can only be with the piper.