Can anyone out ther advise on the quality of a new full set of pipes inD, by RAY SLOAN, any advice on opinion on his work and back up.
LIAM
Run a search on the forum - various views on his methods of making. Not personally to my taste - look too much like cadillacs with all that shiny plate and turnings look very heavy and Scottish and not the legant clean lines most makers use
Most controversial point seems to be his lining the drone slides with metal tubes which could prove a problem long term
Yer pays yer money and takes your choice. How about Bill Haneman or Mark Donachue - more local than the South of France and reeds would be made in the climate they are going to be played in so theoretically at least less trouble.
Note that he does not like to give away his location on the website.
John
but I like the sound sample (slow air)
may morning dew
http://www.raysloan.com/mp3/uilleann.mp3
I have never seen or played a set of Ray’s Uilleanns so, of course, I must opine. 
I owned a set of his Northumbrian pipes which were just extraordinary. The workmanship was unparalleled and they played beautifully.
Sorry, we now turn the time back over to those who might actually know somethin’.
Doc
You know, everyone has different tastes when it comes to the tone, playability and look of pipes. No offense here, but seeking opinions on such things seems like an exercise in futility to me… after all, it will be your final opinion to go with whomever you order from won’t it?
So long as it’s ‘top shelf’.
… like I prefer my whiskey. 
Indeed. Life is too short, etc…
Hey Irishman.
I’d reccomend MIckey Dunne. NOt sureif he makes full sets but he was apprenticed by Cillian O Briain and is turning out some serious stuff.
Also Mark Donahue is worth a look. Bill H has a fantastic reputation but told me his waiting time is 5 years plus. I wouldn’t go with Ray Sloan. Email the pipers club if you have any further questions or PM me.
Mickey Dunne makes only practice and halfsets.
I have a Ray Sloan Concert D W/bore chanter. I am very happy with it. C natural has to be played with the F and G fingers off the chanter (as well as he C), but so do a lot of others. As my original chanter played C natural with just the F finger off with the C, it was a bit strange to begin with, but in about an hour it came on the fingers in tunes without any difficulty.
I am more than happy with the chanter. I make my own reeds, and the chanter is easy to reed and is full of tone and colour, and has an excellent staccato response and a belter of a Hard D.
I initially had some doubts, but as my playing has improved it is clear that these were errors in my technique, not short comings in the chanter. I have been playing the chanter for seven years now.
I don’t have Ray Sloan drones, as my original sets’ are more than satisfactory. I can’t therefore speak for Ray’s uilleann pipe drones or regs. I have owned a set of his Northumbrian pipes and a set of his Border pipes for about ten years. These are superb in every way. I also know that the standard of build of his uilleann sets is of the same high quality as his small pipe sets.
Elmek wrote:
Most controversial point seems to be his lining the drone slides with metal tubes which could prove a problem long term.
Ray answered this in another thread recently. There have been no problems with the lined drones in the two small pipe sets I have played over the ten years. This includes sudden changes in environments, travelling and then playing them abroad on numerous occasions, travelling by air for two hours and more to do so, to extremes of temperature and humidity. The criticism of Ray’s use of lined drone slides is in my view quite unfounded. I greatly appreciate the benefits of the smooth action of the adjustment of the drone slides of the two sets I own that were made by him.
Personally, FWIW, the look of a set is one of the last criteria I would use to decide whether to make a purchase. In pitch, tone, stability, ease of reeding, materials used, standard of finish, and possibly weight, would be the order I would put things before thinking about looks. Given a choice of two sets to buy, both of equal quality, only then would looks play a part in my choice of which to buy or not.
I have a half set by Ray and love the sound of the drones. Quality of construction is top notch.
I agree. The action of the slides is excellent and there seems to be no need for concern about the brass inside wood lining due to how it is sandwiched with an outside ferule of plated brass.
My pipes have been to Ireland twice, the U.K. once, and driven from Georgia to Colorado and Michigan…across Canada to Boston and back again…with no issues.
-gary
Not even their asking “are we there yet, are we there yet?”.
I’ve just got my Ray Sloan practice set and I couldn’t say a word. It’s a splendid work with beautiful sound, I can highly recommend it to everybody.
If I had 6800 Euros I’d certainly buy a Ray Sloan full set.
Simplest and best solution is to get yourself along to a few sessions and hear different make of pipes and make your choice from this.
Living in Ireland you are spoilt for choice and local is best as if there is a problem your maker is accessible - whatever his pipes are like Ray Sloan is anything but accessible to you
John
Unfortunately I live in Hungary - and Hungary is quite far apart from every places in the world where Uilleann pipes are made.
Perhaps Germany is the nearest place - so Andreas Rogge. But he has quite a long waiting list.
In Hungary there are only two professional Uilleann pipers - one of them made his Uilleann pipe (a full set) entirely alone and he knows EVERYTHING about Uilleann pipes (he’s a crazy man and is piping nine or ten hours a day), and the other one has now a Patrick Stone 3/4 set and had a Martin Preshaw half set (but selled it recently on Ebay), and yet he has ordered a full set of Andreas Rogge.
And in Hungary there are two amateur players - I and a girl. The girl has a Patrick Stone chanter and a home made beg and bellows. (I’m learning to play the Uilleann pipes since one year). The second mentioned professional player borrowed me a Pakistani practice set till now - and now I has that Ray Sloan set.
I send you three videos of the professional player I mentioned first - his name is Richard Patkos:
1-2. With his self-made full set of Uilleann pipes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpS293L15tk&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G09_SEzLNwI&mode=related&search=
- And with the 3/4 set of his friend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwHC1C4DxWc&mode=related&search=
I’m just wandering why Uilleann makers make bellow for such an awful lot of money.
A friend of mine made me a peasent bellow - a big, bit uncomfortable, not so pretty, but useful bellow, at the price circa 100 USD. It works and I have no problems with it.
And the professional makers? Martin Preshaw 200 British Pounds, Ray Sloan 480 Euros, Marc van Daal 300 Euros, Tim Britton 450 USD, Seth Gallagher 550 USD, etc.
Each of them is a big heap of money in Hungarian circumstances. Any professional maker who makes a pretty bellow more cheaply?
“peasent” - sorry. Correctly: “peasant”.
And the professional makers? Martin Preshaw 200 British Pounds, Ray Sloan 480 Euros, Marc van Daal 300 Euros, Tim Britton 450 USD, Seth Gallagher 550 USD, etc.
Each of them is a big heap of money in Hungarian circumstances. Any professional maker who makes a pretty bellow more cheaply?
Perhaps it does seem like a lot of money but you are paying not just for materials and time but also tools and experience.
Your have answered you own question in the same post
A friend of mine made me a peasent bellow - a big, bit uncomfortable, not so pretty, but useful bellow, at the price circa 100 USD.
As you say it is uncomfortable, too big and is not pretty but in spite of this you have no problems with it
How many times does it have to be said - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR