Tell me what you know! I have ways of making you talk! :)

Uilleann Pipes
1

OK Kids,

I haven’t seen this here as I see it on the whistle board, but I’m gonna ask and see what comes of it.

Anyone care to review their UP set?! PLEEEASE?

I’m interested in what you like about your sets. Difficulty in bellows work, chanter strengths and weaknesses, drones in tune, overpowering, looks and overall craftsmanship…any of that sort of stuff you know.

Also, ease of reed maintenance (a can of worms I know!) and working with the maker of your set(s). Just all around sort of stuff like that. How’d you get started, what’s the transition like from the whistle etc. etc. etc.

Thanks you guys!

Brian~

[ This Message was edited by: Brian Lee on 2001-07-18 16:24 ]

[ This Message was edited by: Brian Lee on 2001-07-18 16:24 ]

[ This Message was edited by: Brian Lee on 2001-07-19 09:43 ]

2

I have a Kirk Lynch concert D half set as well as a Seth Gallagher practice set in C. I highly recommend both builders and have had zero problems with either set.

As far as reeds, I used to have to make my own reeds when I had a Michael Vignoles set (can’t recommend his sets, but others have had better luck than me), but both current sets have great reeds, require nearly zero maintainence.

Transition from whistle to pipes took about a year to get where I can play them comfortably in sessions. Its required considerable daily practice, and there’s still a huge way to go, but that’s the fun of it. I don’t have regulators at this time, but probably will have Kirk build me a set in the next year or so.

I’ve got some recording of the Lynch set on my website, under the Irish Music/Live Sessions recordings page.

Cheers,

Michael Eskin
http://www.michaeleskin.com



[ This Message was edited by: eskin on 2001-07-19 10:02 ]

3

People over here seem reluctant to say what they really think…best thing is to go to a big meeting, chat to players, listen to the tone of their pipes, maybe play them if you get a chance…but folks are usually loathe to say much about what they think about various makers…this makes it hard for novices.
Probably the best thing you can do is to befriend an experienced piper.
The other good piece of advice is not to rush in to anything until you’ve really researched it and got some independant opinions…references are not always useful…there’s no substitute for seeing and hearing a well made set..or sets.. by the maker you’re interested in.

4

David Quinn sets (if you can find them or are lucky enough to get on his waiting list) are awesome. His partner in crime, Benedict Koehler, probably makes the finest reeds on the planet. The quality is flawless, the chanter very predictable (the best I’ve tried). But you gotta (1) search like heck for a used set or (2) order and wait 3-4 years. Seth Gallagher sets are actually recommended by Quinn for someone who can’t or doesn’t want to get on his waiting list… and I’ve tried his chanters. They’re similar to Quinn in response and of excellent quality. I have a 1/2 set in C coming from Seth, and own a D chanter by Quinn. I own a Lynch 1/2 set, and they are a good, well balanced set, but difficult to mix & match with other chanters because of the higher pressure requirements. Kirk’s chanters are good especially if you want a louder, more aggresive chanter, but can be a bit daunting for a beginner. His reeds are consistent in quality and usually a good match for the chanter, but I went thru 4 of them before I settled on making my own for the chanter. And after 5 reeds, I still have a problem with either gurgling/sinking back D or gurgling bottom D. If you’re a very aggressive person by nature, Kirk’s sets are the way to go. Brad Angus makes a nice narrow bore chanter, but I would insist on playing and choosing if you have the option, vice choosing blind, as his quality can be a bit inconsistent, and a narrow bore chanter is a beast all unto itself. I’ve tried his rgular chanter and was a bit disappointed. 'Nuff said? I now play a Quinn chanter with the Lynch drones, and occasionally use the Angus narrow bore chanter. Am anxiously awaiting the Gallagher drones for my C chanter.

5

Brian, one thing you should keep in mind is that many players will ‘dis’ a set of pipes in private, but not on a public forum. The reason for this is that UP circles tend to be so small, that eventually you get to know everyone in them. You don’t want to publicly criticize your brother on a bulletin board and then have to face him at a family party…bad form. Heck, I am just a duffer at UPs and I already have met David Quinn, Benedict Koehler, Seth Gallagher, Andreas Rogge, Brand Angus, Jon Pedersen, Todd Denman, Paddy Keenan, Cillian O’Brian, Mick O’Brian, Bill Ochs, etc etc. See whutti mean, Vern? If you want the skinny, just ask for opinions and leave your email address… that saves face all around.

6

I never meant for anyone to put down a maker…just to give an honest opinion. I HOPE there aren’t uilleanns made out there from any decent maker that turn out like say a bad Generation whistle! Even the ones folks don’t like as much as others I imagine still sound pretty OK in the right hands.

My question again is more do you have any likes or dislikes in the sets you own.

For example…My Burke Brass Pro whistle is a beautiful thing, and it’s tone is clear and I like the heft, but I tend to like a tiny bit more chiff in the tone. It’s not broken, and it’s not a bad whistle at all, just a personal preference.

I will continue to play it every chance I get. I respect Mike Burke, and if I have a question on a very particular aspect of his whistles, I’ll email him.

Again, I’ve only been able to play three sets in my life so far, and only heard about five or six sets live. My experience is limited. I’m sure as I progress, I’ll know more.

If anyone feels more comfortable emailing me privately, I would welcome that as well.

Thanks all! And keep it coming!

Bri~

7

And whats wrong with Generation whistles?
I’ve been playing them for 20 years and I quite like them ( though now you come to mention it no-one likes listening)

8

As all opinions regarding UP sets are exactly that, opinions, I would think people should feel comfortable making their feelings known about how they personally feel about a set. It does not reflect on the quality of the set (not always, anyhow), but more on how the person who played the set felt about it. People are intelligent enough to know that everyone’s experience will be different, and pipemakers should be open to having their work critiqued. Their work is not who they are as a person, though it might be their life.

I think if people are honest and direct about how they feel about certain pipes and why, there should be no problem with praise or critiques.

Dionys

9

So I’ve heard from a few players…but it seems this has turned philosophical(sp?) instead of my original intent.

If you are too worried about hurting someones feelings, you’ve probably either got a complete lemon of a set, or don’t have enough coordiantion to play well. I have no doubt the latter of these will plauge me for some months when my set arrives! :wink:

Either is of course completely possible, but not part of my original question.

So, that having been said, I would like to ask anyone who feels able, to post your opinions about your set, and/or other sets you’ve played. Please, no more about ethics, and what may or may not hurt some one’s feelings. I am interested in the instruments themselves, and the service that goes with them.

Thanks for all your patience and knowledge!

Bri~

10

Right then. I have a half set by Kwistout. I thought they were unplayable until I learned how to play them. I taught myself, and only really talked to other pipers when I went to Scoil Acla, for the first time two years ago, where it was suggested that I find a half decent reed. Dave Williams sorted a reed out for me and the set now sounds fine, and sometimes even, brilliant. I guess that the lesson that I have learned is that you need to practice hard and even then your reed needs to be the right reed for your set. I would recommend Kwistout pipes now, where I may not have two or three years ago.

11

Mark Hillmann practice/half set review:

I started with the practice set and the chanter reed had one blade cracked, so I was unable to get the 2nd octave when it arrived.

I went to a party with Mark and some others, and he made me a new reed, a real arm buster.

The bag was a hand sewn Taylor style bag and the bellows took 4 full strokes to fill it. The airfeed to the bag is a sewn leather tube that can kink if you don’t align it properly, but it looks cooler than any other extant pipe I have seen.

Everything was (and still is) air tight and the bellows worked smoothly and easily.

A couple of months later, I had a class with Jerry O’Sullivan and found my 2nd octave was flat, so I signed up for a reedmaking school in Elkins, WV ('96, Eugene Lambe) and finally got it in tune after 2 years.

Before the reedmaking school, my drones were ready, so I went and picked up those and Mark found and fixed some leaks in my chanter reed and got it more closely in tune.

I got back home and the drones weren’t stable, so I made some composite reeds according to the measurements given in Tim Britton’s reed book and following the instructions in D. M. Quinn’s reedmaking book. I got those good and steady for the reedmaking school.

After coming home with a pretty good reed in hand, I started work on getting stuff sounding right.

I couldn’t get a hard D, so after some research, I decided that the throat was too big. I made a 5 mm throat insert of brass hobby tubing, coated it with beeswax and pushed it into the throat with the bottom of the reed. Almost there!

I then made some 2-1/2" rushes, bent them into a V shape and placed them just above the thumb hole. That did it! I now had a hard D, and all the other notes could be rushed/puttied into tune.

I changed the taper of my staples from the generic Rowsome dimentions (at each end of 2 1/8" length, the mandrel should measure 0.183" and 0.150") by increasing the bottom ID by 0.004" to 0.154". The chanter bell measures 0.522", BTW.

I have had several other pipers say how good my pipes sound now, one of which was Debbie Quigly, so apparently I am pretty well tuned up now.

That chanter reed I made in '97, after the 2nd reedmaking class under Benedict Koehler, played until last winter. It died in the spring of '06 and I am in the process of making several more. I have been slowed down by bad health, so I may have to send it to someone to reed.

After about 5 years, the drone stop key broke. It was just a brass rod, bent 90 degrees and hammered into a flatish part for the lever.

Since I had lost contact with Mark Hillmann, I got Seth Gallagher to replace it with a better design, with a separate lever/push rod assembly.

All in all, I am pleased with the set but I believe that a better chanter/reed combo would have eased the learning curve for an isolated piper wannabe somewhat.