http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16226&item=3736756558&rd=1
Anyone have any thoughts on this half set?
Would this be a reasonable choice for a Northumbrian smallpiper looking to get into uilleann piping?
Cheers,
Mark
Em… YES! 
By the looks of things this is a top class set.
Patrick.
Holy S**t! If I didn’t already have a set I’d scoop this at any cost and damn the reserve. If you’re hedging about getting UPs or not, don’t bother. Leave this for someone who really wants a good half-set.
djm
Deffinitely worth the price… but djm is right, this set should go to someone who is serious about playing the Uilleann Pipes…like me…now I just gotta remember where I put the proceeds from that last ‘bank job’ that I … uh…whoops… gotta go… 
Seriously, it would be a shame if they went to someone who stuffed them into a closet after one or two attempts at playing them. These are among the make of pipes that need to played and heard, not hoarded and silent.
Well now… this will be interesting… 
Too weird…I’ve seen that set twice-first at Augusta when the previous owner brought it to Dave’s room so he could take a look at it…it was an “Ohmygod” moment. I also heard Kirk Lynch playing the set as a member of Scartaglen in the '80s…
It IS a small world…
Joseph,
Are those chanters in your avatar all yours? If so, there’s a little math you should do…
Alan 
…I wish… There’s three lynch, a Pakistani, one Britton, an O’Grady, a Whitmer, a Rogge, a Gallagher and one Roberts…I think. The avatar photo was taken at the Florida Tionol in Gainesville this past February. during a break Kathleen Cavanagh arranged the chanters, took a number of photos, and posted them on her web site: ‘Florida Uilleann Piper’s Resource Guide’.
The Tionol was a tremendous success, due primarily to John Maze and his tireless efforts to put it together and pull it off…thanks again John!
The Quinn halfset would look nice draped across my lap however…hmmm…aw, I can’t. I just ordered a new chanter and I am eagerly awaiting its arrival in roughly two and a half months.
I met Kathleen at the Seattle tionol this year and she did a picture of Seth G. reeds as well that I’ve seen avatar-ing about. Kinda neat. As to the Quinn half-set, Anyone got any cash to lend!!! Just got a “newer” car, so can’t do it.
Just for the record, the chanter is one I made in 1984, of the same run as the one BK had. While it is not the same as the ones we’re making now, it has been well reeded and a number of good players have approved.
I cannot say anything one way or the other about the reeds or their condition as they exist now: I can only verify that the last time the chanter was in the shop, it was fine, and I have no reason to believe that anything has been done to it in the meantime.
The rest of what is being offered now (i.e., drones, bag, chanter, case) were supplied to the previous owner in 2000, so by rights it is a Koehler and Quinn half set, inasmuch as BK also went over the chanter at about that time. It might also be of interest to note that the starting bid of $2400 is well above the total cost of what I or we supplied to the original owners, but something like $800 cheaper than a half set as supplied today.
David,
Thanks for your comments. You addressed a number of the questions on my mind.
Steve
Someone got the set for just over $3114. Too high for me at this time, unfortunately.
Steve
guilty!
Hip…
Hip…
Hooray … um … sorry …
Holy cow! Do you realize the “wife debt” I just incured from wining that ebay auction?
Time to sell off a bunch of stuff to cover the 1/2 set.
let’s see…
a Gibson mandolin,
a Gibson guitar
an old dobro
a half set by Matt Kiernan
and a Santa Cruz OM
…yep, that should cover it.
- w
Hmmmm… a couple of Gibsons (drool).
Hmmm… Santa Cruz OM dro- hey, wait a minute! Those suckers cost as much as a Koehler & Quinn half set!
matt kiernan half set? (as in uilleann pipes???) How much?
(Seriously)