Re purchase of second-hand or old pipes… let’s have some discussion.
What has been your experience? Did the pipes work when you got them? Were they as advertised? What should be the norm or expected truth in advertising? Should we expect sellers to be more forthcoming or should buyer beware “the guy wants to just sell pipes” be ones approach to making a purchase?
Well, Lewis, those are all very good questions.
I have bought pipes that didn’t work even though they were advertised to do so, even a new set on one occasion, sold pipes that did work well, and sold at least one practice set with the disclaimer that it did not work well but was cheaper than a set from the same maker that would not work any better.
I believe that sellers should be straightforward with what specifically is required to bring a set into playing order if it is not currently playing at a level expected by a piper with some experience. There should indeed be truth in advertising but, given human nature, the buyer should indeed beware. When one obtains a set that does not work it should reflect on the seller if the set was advertised as playable. This forum is indeed a good place to air the grievances so that future buyers would indeed beware. It’s unfortunate that a piper would invest so much money on a set that proves to not work and thus need restoration or new reeds.
I bought a used Gallagher C chanter listed on C&F. It was exactly as described and turned out to be my favorite chanter.
Since the purchanse I have upgraded this chanter by returning it to the maker for additional keys and 2 spare reeds.
Second-hand Gallagher chanters are usually good buys. Still, some of them may be advertised as reeded and playing but may not play well at all. I’ve often wondered if a chanter that has been final voiced by the maker does well after having new holes drilled and keys added. Any thoughts on that matter? I really would not know…just wondering.
I noticed no tone or tuning changes after adding the 2 keys.
When placing an order for a full set from Mackenzie, I asked for a straight bass drone as pictured on his website. He was no longer making that style and told me of a used set of drones available. I contacted the guy in Australia (who happened to be the programmer of Ian’s website) and from him, I bought the actual drones pictured on the Simack website. They were sent directly to Mackenzie without my seeing them. They were in great condition, exactly as described. Ian added the regulators to complete the set.
A 1987 Wooff narrow bore D half set was listed on NPU. I went back and forth with the owner for a few weeks negotiating price as other offers poured in. We finally agreed on the price and I arranged a wire transfer. I had asked it’s condition prior to bidding and I was told ‘it was a working set’. The pipes were out for re-reeding and some refurbishing… he needed to play one gig before sending it to me. I agreed and within a few weeks a small package arrived at my door. The set was broken down into parts, individually bubble wrapped and each part clearly marked.
What did I find when I put things back together?
The bag was so leaky I couldn’t pump fast enough to keep things playing. Drone reeds worked but not in equal volume. The chanter stop key was stuck, the bellows leaked, the drone shutoff didn’t work, the ‘good’ chanter reed barely worked and spare reed was useless. All the joints were over wrapped with white plumbers teflon tape. There was a dead funky perspiration smell on the bag cover that brought tears to my eyes.
A used Childress full set came up for sale, listed on NPU. I was told the condition was good, but it needed some attention. The pipes were sent back to the maker and based on his go-ahead what need rework, I purchased the set and paid for the additional rework. This was a good transaction with no suprises.
Hi Glands (& Tony)
I ended up bying Ian Mackenzies old set. It was in perfect condition when it arrived. Played nicely and was in excellent tune. Considering that the pipes where only AU$ 4, 000.00 it was a genuine bargine (and 5 years old)The ongoing service that I’ve recieved from Ian has been second-to-none (as you’d both be aware of).
Ian was only going to offer me a second hand set if it was in good playing condition, was easy to tune and just as good as new. Glands if your considering getting a second hand set contact your local pipe maker (or Ian). Most of them will have a second hand waiting list. The advantage of buying second hand through a maker is they’d sift out all the bad eggs as it where.
Cheers L42B 
Tony wrote:
I bought a used Gallagher C chanter l…
When placing an order for a full set from Mackenzie…
A 1987 Wooff narrow bore D half set …
A used Childress full set …
So Tony, do you play all these pipes, or are you building a museum? A collector near where I live (apparently) just bought an early Geoof Wooff practice set in Bb for US$300. 
Cheers,
DavidG
Not necessarliy. Depends on what you mean by ‘does not work’. What if it worked for the seller who may live in Dublin, but doesn’t work when it arrives in SOuthern Californ-eye-ay? Doesn’t climate play a factor in whether pipes ‘work’ or not. I don’t just mean reeds. Bits fall apart due to shrinkage, bags start to leak. I had my entire mainstock blow out on me on stage once because of the climate difference between there and home. Managed to get it back in and pumped up right on que for the B part. Back home all was tight again.
Also, it took me a few years of doubting the quality of my chanter before I finally hit on a reed for my climate that proved once and for all that I had a very nice chanter and now I wouldn’t part with it. The buyer may think they are qualified to know if their set works and quickly blame the seller/maker when they think it doesn’t when actually it’s the buyer’s fault all along.
Just some thoughts, but your questions are still pertinent.
Cheers,
DavidG
Im going to get Alan Burton to reed the Froment set from chanter onward.
I may decide to keep the set OR it may be up for sale depending on how I like it.
I’m used to my set and although it has it’s own peculiar ways I’m quite happy.
I may not be able to get used to this Froment set. Only time will tell.
Before you offer it for sale, give it a good long while to grow on you. As you say, you are comfortable with your existing set, but that is because you have been playing them for… how long?
I think that once Alan is finished re-reeding it for you, it will be a different instrument altogether. Patience, grasshopper. 
And if it doesn’t work out, I’d still hang onto it for a while to allow its value to accrue exponentially.
Yes I will probably do that. It’s like having a different instrument It just feels so alien at the moment. They don’t play that well with the current reeds. I will keep hold of my current set until I decide what I’m going to do.
I must say the Froment set is immaculate! Alains pipe making skills are wonderful. I just hope I can get them sounding as good as they look.
Anyone on the Forum play Froment full sets. How do they rate them?
They are very heavy and the one you have probably weighs a ton
Heavy, yeah a bit but not as heay as my currect Brass re enforced set.
Honestly, I hadn’t planned on it.
At the time, I was playing an O’Grady practice set and received a Mackenzie chanter I really liked. I lucked into a new Childress halfset. Childress was running about 2 years for sets and Mackenzie just over a year. The American dollar was strong in Australia so the Mackenzie full set was ordered on similar lines to another thread… I didn’t feel I was ready for the upgrade, but I had the money and wanted to dabble so I could learn at my own pace.
The other sets became available and I ‘borrowed’ money I had saved for a kitchen renovation thinking ‘this is a once in a lifetime piping experience’ so I snatched them up.
Each set had it’s own pluses and minuses (are those real words?) and I kept jumping around from set to set trying to figure which I wanted to keep. The clock was ticking and I needed to decide. I’m thrilled having experienced all of this and I’m down to one full set in D, and a spare D chanter (also a C chanter and a B chanter) So… no piping museum in my future.
Lewis, you ask a fundamental question about the state of ethics in the world today. I know having purchased used cars in my youth that you get what someone else no longer wants. I assume the same holds true for instruments except that they are easier to fix (than my 73 fiat was). Used instruments provide the eager player an opportunity to own a piece of history, a piece of shiyte, or a new hobby (pipe repair). I myself have bought a lynch practice set that sat in a closet for a decade after Jerry O parted with the chanter.. came from Kirk just as promised and I to this day play that chanter almost as much as I play BK’s.
Now a different set that we are all familiar with from Elderly was a different situation all together. I was one of the folks trying to buy it, but never did get hold of the set as it passed hands, got returned, and finally landed in the hands of a good friend of mine down here in Florida. The set was supposed to be functional… as WHAT?! a feckin’ tea kettle? It was so feckin’ leaky that I could not get a single sound out of any part of it other than ssssshhhhhhhhhhhHH! It stayed in my home for weeks in order for me to repad every regulator, attach cork blocks under every key, rereed quite a bit of it, rebuild a reg. key (Kirk) and respring a handful of others. IT MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT FUNCTION WHEN MY FRIEND RECEIVED IT THAT IS FOR SURE.
Happy to say it is singing now and back on the market to find a new home. I am getting a new set so I am not in the market to hang on to it nor is my friend who is also on a list for a set… so if you want it, PM me.
So there it goes… ethics I think. If I in the next few years sell a set or two, I guarentee that they will play before they go in the box… If you live in the artic I cannot make any guarentees that they will play after they leave the box… but as I would hope anyone else would do for me, I will do all I can to ensure that they should.
This one just hit me in the face. I was at JK’s tonight and he pulled out a practise set by a maker who shall remain nameless. The set was bought by someone out of town and had mailed it to Joe to see if he could get it running. The person had paid CDN $2K for decent bag and hose, a chanter with no reed, and bellows made for Godzilla. Honest, the bellows boards were about twenty inches long, six inches wide, and over two inches thick, carved out on the inner side to fit against the body. The chanter is unreedable per Joe. Someone (who also shall remain nameless but I know who they are) really hosed the newbie buyer good. Shame!
djm
Wow…that’s sad. Being out that much cash and still not having a set to play..man that’s pretty low. 
-gary