So... bagpipes aren't cheap, I suppose

Bagpipes (Non-Uilleann)
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Ok, this is probably another post I could not have done by doing a more thorough search, so: I’M SORRY :°

Anyway, here’s the thing: I like to play a variety of blown instruments (tin whistle is my favourite, but I also play the flute [the sideblown one], the recorder, ocarina and I’m starting to get a hung on clarinet) and love to experiment. I really wish to play the bagpipe too, but I don’t seem to find anything costing less than 500$ or (worse) £. Is there any way of buying a playable bagpipe for, like, 200$ (or 200£)? is this post an heresy? thanks for your help!

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Their are a variety of inexpensive pipes, mostly vague variants of Scottish smallpipes (which are themselves a modern variation on various older pipes). The cheapest of these pipes (such as the Bagpipes Galore Practice Pipes) are based on a “goose”. That is, a practice chanter with a bag attached to it, and then they add a drone(s) to that to make a sort of simple pipe. I’ve bought such things as low as $175 in the US, brand-new. Going up form there, there are some nicer pipes of similar type, but with better chanters, such as Kitchen Pipes, Gibson Firesides, Walsh Shuttle Pipes, and a scattering of others in the $300-600 range. The cheaper of these don’t have awesome reps, and purists look down on the sound of practice-chanter reeds, but at least it’s a place to start experimenting.

So the above are basically in the SSP (Scottish smallpipe) family. On the Irish side, David Daye makes the “Pennychanter” Irish uilleann bagpipe, and I think you can get started on a very basic “practice set” (chanter, bag, bellows only, no drones) for around $350 or so.

For Swedish pipes, Seth Hamon of Texas makes cast poly-resin sackpipa, and those are quite inexpensive ($300ish). Sackpipa are great since they’re very mellow-sounding and not too loud, can use open fingering (same as pennywhistle), and can do a lot of chromatic notes.

So those are just a few of your options.

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Are you handy with tools?

David Daye’s Irish Uilleann Pipe Penny-Chanters page

Making Scottish small pipes from CPVC and brass tubing

Webpage of Dennis Havlena

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I’ve heard a few of the Scottish Smallpipe style cheap bagpipes.

My own Scottish Smallpipes are cheap compared to a lot of them. They were around $600. They’re made of plastic, and mouth blown. They sound a lot better than the really cheap ones. The drones, especially. When I’ve played my pipes along with someone who has those other type, the other people usually end up saying that theirs sound like toys compared to mine.

But those cheaper sets are tunable, and playable. They just don’t sound as good. So it depends on what you’re looking for.

I expect you’ll find the same thing with Irish pipes – really cheap ones might be playable, but they won’t sound as good. I think for a lot of people, a big attraction of the pipes is the sound.

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Do you mean the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe (GHB) when you say “the bagpipe”?

Compared to uilleann pipes, it’s much cheaper and easier to get a quality set of Highland pipes.

First, avoid like the plague all bagpipes made in Pakistan. They are NOT the way to inexpensively get into playing the GHB. (Pakistani bagpipes are a very expensive way to get a vaguely ornamental object.)

The least expensive way to get a high-quality set of Highland pipes is to get an old beat-up Scottish-made set from the 50s or 70s or whatever. There’s a set of Lawries on Ebay right now going for under $300. Yes a couple of the ornamental fitting are missing but that doesn’t effect the sound.

Often old pipes are sold “sticks and stocks” which means all the wooden parts but no bag or reeds or cover or cords. Most experienced pipers prefer buying pipes this way, as they have their own preferences about these things and would replace all of that stuff anyway.

Also old pipes are often sold without chanters. Once again experienced pipers prefer this option, as they have their own solo chanter they prefer, and if they play in a pipe band the band provides the chanter.

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But be warned! On Ebay bagpipes are often misrepresented by ignorant sellers. Recently a horrid Pakistani set that happened to have a vintage Scottish-made chanter stuck in it was being sold as if the entire instrument was by that Scottish maker. This happens all the time.

Unfortuately most Scottish makers didn’t stamp their names on their drones, only on their chanters, so most drones must be identified by their appearance. It takes an experienced eye to tell what make these anonymous old pipes are. Oftentimes experienced pipers can tell that a set is a quality old Scottish-made set, and have a fair idea of the time period it was made in, but still be unsure as to the specific maker.

So, get friendly with an experienced piper who is also experienced at vintage pipe identification. Many quite good pipers are clueless about identifying old pipes. If in doubt, post photos of the bagpipe in question here or on bobdunsire and knowlegable people will chime in.

Great makers c1900 include Henderson, Lawrie, Glen, Center, MacDougall, Starck, MacRae, etc. Good Scottish makers from the mid 20th century include Hardie, Sinclair, Grainger & Campbell, Gillanders & MacLeod, etc.

The other real bargain are second-hand sets by current good makers like MacLellan, Gibson, Kron (in the USA), Dunbar and Walsh (Canada), Naill (England), and all the Scottish makers. Scottish makers range from a large factory-shop using a combination of CNC machine turning and hand turning like McCallum to small one-man operations where everything is done by one guy by hand like Doug MacPherson, Tim Gellaitry, Blue MacMurchie, Alister Fletcher, Duncan Soutar, Ian Murray, etc. Other Scottish makers include St Kilda/new Hardie/new Henderson, Booth, Dunfion, Shepherd, Strathmore, etc.

There are sets by these fine craftsmen on Ebay fairly regularly, going for astonishingly low prices like $500 etc.

If a set lacks a chanter you can get a very nice used chanter by Warnoc, McCallum, etc for well under $200.

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For highland pipes, another option to consider is plastic.

jhiggins.net (in Kansas City, USA) sells a McCallum (Scottish) plastic bagpipe, with all the necessary parts and fittings (ready to play other than inserting the reeds) for as little as $450 (depending on appearance). I got one of the slightly more expensive sets with metal bits and colored mounts. They all sound the same, but I like the fancier appearance.

McCallum makes a fine bagpipe, and getting a new one means you can feel comfortable ordering one without really knowing the in’s and out’s of everything that could be wrong with a set of pipes. These plastic pipes really bring down the cost of entry. They are made using the same techniques as the wooden pipes McCallum makes. With bagpipes, the vast majority of the sound is determined by the sizes and lengths of the bores and the material contributes little, if any to the sound (especially if one isn’t a fairly advanced player).

But it’s just the cost of the instrument. If you want to learn to play it well you’re going to need lessons, and those can easily cost more than the pipes. Highland pipes really aren’t something that you can teach yourself. There are a small handfull of people who have, but it’s not typical.

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Where are you? I have a set of the practice pipes mentioned in one of the posts - they are basically a bag with a Scottish practice chanter and two drones made of thin brass piping. They are not pretty, but they do sound like pipes and can be tuned. They are fairly accurately in Bflat. If you want a photo, I am sure I can dig one out. I used mine a fair bit when getting started.

Here is a link to them new:
http://www.bagpipe.co.uk/practicepipes.htm

Mine are in used but working condition.

I don’t play them any more due to having both electronic pipes (Technopipes) and bellows blown smallpipes in A which between them cover any situation in which I might have played the practice pipes. I would be open to any non-laughable offer, but posting them outside Europe is probably a bit more trouble than the pipes are worth (due to customs etc.).