I’m a new member to the board and I have a question about a practice set. I have the chance to buy a practice set (used but in mint condition) that was purchased from the “Other Worlds” ebay store…here is the link…
I realize that these are probably no good, but they are being offered to me for $200, and they typically go for $400.
I’m a broke college student with interest in learning the pipes, but there’s no way I could afford to spend the money for a real quality set of practice pipes. SO i guess my question is…for $200, is it worth buying these lower quality pipes just to give me an idea if it’s something i’d like to pursue further?
Thanks a lot!
-Dan
ps. i’ve been playing the whistle for a month or two, and it’s coming along nicely
haha well thanks…are there any other options? perhaps some kind of practice chanter that won’t cost me a ton of money?
i was also thinking that since i’m getting such a “deal” on these pipes, should I decide to sell them back on ebay, i might actually make a little money
for most of the year at school in delaware…35 minutes or so from philadelphia, and I imagine there’d be some sort of pipers’ club there. something to look into.
It is far better to spend a sizeable chunk of change on something that will work and work nicely, than it is to throw your money away on this set. You WILL be throwing your money away… so, if that is the route you want to take, may I suggest you send me the cash instead? I could buy a lot of Jameson Red Breast with it… and you’ll have nothing to show for it except my hangover.
Either way, buy these or give me the cash, the end result is the same.
You are better off not even attempting the pipes till you can afford a decent set. You do get what you pay for with the pipes. Ask around meet some pipers and do research on some makers. Don’t just buy the cheapest set that comes along. You will be much happier in the end saving your money and buying a quality set. Getting a cheapo set is only setting yourself up for a wretched experience.
You can purchase a practice set in various stages of completion, thus bringing the initial cost down. I built my own bag/bellows/connecting pipe and purchased one of David’s chanters constructed by him (which I what I would suggest).
$359 would get you a finished chanter with a bag/bellows kit that you could assemble yourself.
Dave used to have instructions on another web page for building your own penny chanter from hardware store parts. Good if you’ve the technical skill and a drill-press.
Well, even as a fellow newbie and having not received my 1st set yet, I was going to say don’t do it…after all the wonderful advice I got about sticking to well-made non-Pakistani pipes. C.J. Dixon & Uilleann Pipeworks of Boston were my finalists (I also had to keep the price down)…UPWoB’s sets are $800, and C.J’s can be equal…less if you go with the bellows kit option and put the bellows together yourself. I just received my chanter in the mail, and it looks beautiful, and looking forward to the bag/bellows from C.J. to see how it sounds. I would say…work hard, do some overtime, save up for a worthwhile set…in the meantime keep at that whistle. Good luck.
Don’t waste your money.
They’re not a bit worth it.
The other thing is that you could buy this dodgy set and then you may not find a teacher that will want to teach someone with such a set.
I got a call from a kid that spent $150 on one of these useless mouth blown “practice chanters”. He wanted lessons. I told him I couldn’t teach him a thing till he got a real practice set.
Of course he went off on me and said I couldn’t teach uilleann pipes…
blah blah… etc. I told him that I can teach uilleann pipes but he just didn’t have any.
Good luck.