OK, I ordered a set of drones around March 2008 and I was told that the wait was 6-8 months. Well I recently called the maker, the drones being a year behind, and he said they wouldn’t be done till sometime this Summer, July 2010.
I know that long waits are the norm for uilleann pipes, but since I’ve got that deposit down, I’ve passed on a few sets which have become available in the interim.
It’s odd that in these supposedly “bad economic times” that makers are swamped with orders and are falling a year or two behind.
What’s the protocol, anyhow? I suppose that makers can take as long as they want, and the people with deposits down simply have to wait.
I think that one should also consider that stuff just comes up. And I think, all the time. Meaning that, things break and makers turn into emergency room trama doctors, fixing things on pipes previously made for previous buyers and adding new “limbs”. Also, if Liam O’Flynn or Cillian Vallely need something, it will probably be done quickly and push back expected delivery dates for mere mortals. Thank goodness for this, otherwise we would not experience such wonderful music from those uilleann piping Gods that we often have such good fortune to hear on new recordings and concerts, and it represents good customer service for the amatures such as myself.
I feel for you man. I ordered my half set back in April 2008 and was given a rough ETA of July 2009. Well, that date has come and gone and we’re approaching the 2 year mark.
I’ve gotten in touch with my maker a couple of times since having put down a 50% deposit to check on progress. The last note from him was back in September '09 and he told me, “doubtful they’ll be done by Christmas” and “there are a couple of sets ahead of you”.
My frustration is that I don’t have a new rough ETA. You would think that throwing another date out there would at least keep us who are waiting interested in continuing to wait. I’ve passed up many half sets since having put down such a hefty deposit. The other part I have to accept on blind faith is that there are literally “a couple of sets”, meaning two, ahead of me.
If I thought giving him the rest of the money would put me to the top of the list, I’d probably foolishly do it at this point.
Sorry for hijacking your thread to vent, but it sounds like we’re in similar boats! Good luck with your situation!!
You could, I suppose, ask for a full or partial refund, given that the verbal contract seems to have been broken, and that you have other opportunities to get what you want more immediately. If the pipemaker has not started your instrument, he may agree to this. Can’t hurt to ask, and it may even place a little needed pressure.
I do believe that pipemakers should live up to their promises, and if not possible, at least offer the option of a refund. Some may not, especially if the instrument has been started.
However, depending on the pipemaker, it may well be worth the wait. 1-2 years for drones from a reputable but established and busy maker is probably not unreasonable, given supply and demand.
The economy affects makers, too. Rents go up, business loans or mortgage renewals get declined, PT work or ‘bread and butter’ jobs evaporate, partners lose jobs; marriages break-up. All of these can cause makers to get and stay behind, or to have to moonlight at another job to make ends meet & keep the wolf from the door.
Ordering from a pipemaker is not like buying from WalMart. Most of them are on their own and if they get the flu, they can’t exactly call in sick. A little understanding for us, the customers, is called for.
That said, if you’re not happy that the pipemaker has missed the deadline (and he hasn’t yet started making your pipes), ask for your deposit back and start searching for a second hand set, of which there should be plenty over the next 4 to 8 weeks (as Christmas credit card bills fall due).
I’m content to keep waiting for now, as I know some makers have waiting lists that are 5-10 years long. Plus he claims to have purchased all of the materials for my set (I assume with the deposit).
Since my maker is relatively new I am hopeful it won’t be that much longer.
This is actually a great lesson for all new players! Buy second hand unless you have a maker from whom you really want a set, and are prepared to wait. Used sets are constantly available, and almost all “due dates” are merely rough estimates. Essentially, you have to prioritize prior to making a final buying decision. If immediacy and availability are your primary concerns, buy used. If you are content to wait for your custom made masterpiece, then by all means lay down a deposit with a great maker!
I have done the latter, and will be heading to Ireland to pick it up sometime late spring!
i think there are 2 schools of thought here. we all understand, and if you are reading this on this forum you understand more than others, that the instrument being crafted is a slow process., now with that out there i know that i am 38 and when i order something like this my age, mentally, falls a few years and i climb the walls till my stuff comes. therefore i by 2nd hand so to speak. my highlands were made in 1950 by a fellow named tweedy. they are a stand of pipe that people look for. so it sometimes is better to go that route.
so on one hand you understand that these works of art, and they are, will be around for a long time and you are willing to wait, however painful it may be.
on the other hand, sometimes it seems that the ones at the top of there craft may understand this and if you want there pipes you will wait.
its the same on the highland side but not to this extent. i hear of 14 year wait lists and say to myself were will i be in 14 years? i want to enjoy them now. so i will either buy 2nd hand or get from one of the many makers with short lists that are just as good and sometimes better. but i feel your pain. you would think though that in my neck of the wood there are not that many pipers and in the states that border mine its the same. so if there are so few of us who is on these wait lists?
It is too bad that we can not mention who the makers are who delay. I have dealt with three makers in the states who have delivered within a very reasonable time frame. I have dealt with one in the U. K. who has been giving me fits for years,---- literally— for a chanter. Another in the UK delivered when he said he would. I think it comes down to how far you are away from your pipe maker. Too bad we can never know the reputation of a maker because saying anything negative about a maker is forbidden.
No, it’s not. It’s only fair and for a myriad of valid reasons; some of which are stated above. This topic has been gone over and over and over again, and frankly, I really do not feel too bad about locking it… before it goes south.
