Hi guys, please satisfy my curiosity here. I’ve read comments both for and against these pipes, want to make up my own mind so please, if anyone out there has any photos (oh and I mean actual photos not taken from Shark in the Morning catalogues) and sound files of these guys going, please post there or pm me.
Thanks,
Pol.
I’ve heard negative things about Pakistani-made pipes, but I have yet to hear anything negative about how TB’s reworked pakistani pipes play. Someone on the board owns a set, so I’m sure they’ll be able to post their opinion. I own a TB set myself and can attest that his work is excellent. Some people say he is tempermental to deal with, but I haven’t had that experience at all.
Dionys
You can always write him and ask him personally what he thinks of his reworked sets. I highly doubt he would sell anything unless it passed his scrutiny.
His email is:
Give it a try, I find him very pleasant to deal with.
Consider this…
You buy a middle east set of pipes from Lark, Harp, eBay, Britton or whoever and you pay to have Tim modify them.
They sound and play good enough to satisfy your wallet. But, a few months later, the chanter takes a serious warp and becomes unplayable.
Who do you turn to for warantee?
Therein lies a great big point regarding what to purchase. The pipe maker you decide upon will be there to help out with any problems you may have with their work, unfortunately it is not the same for Pakistani Chanters and other uilleann parts. However, I have yet to see a seriously warped chanter of any make…a warp that has occured as a result of atmospheric changes. I have seen warped and broken chanters due to serious neglect, abuse and carlessness.
Guys thanks, but the thing is I’m not reallly that interested in buying a set, this is more to satisfy my own curiosity. I’ve heard plenty of comments on these bad boys but have never actually heard or seen them myself so instead of praising or slamming them I want to hear them first! An tuigeann sibh?
Thanks guys!
Pol.
There is a Japanese guy who regularly sells pakistani highland pipes on Yahoo auctions.
He is a piper himself, but he sells these sets are ‘good for beginners.’
Lee Sei-Macfhearchair.
I own a half set of these controversial pipes, and honestly, once you have made and fitted a cane reed to the chanter they sound nicely and in tune. They will need a new bag as the one that comes with it is useless and leaks like a collander. The drones and valvestock are well made and work nicely. I have replaced the drone reeds with brass/styrene composite reeds which I have constructed based on the design by Eddie Damm. I live in central Florida and it is a pipe friendly climate down here most of the time. But during the winter things dry out a bit and these pipes have good tolerance to such changes. It is quite possible that I have been very fortunate and own the best of these instruments ever made, and it is also likely that in the past these pipes derserved all the severe criticism they received and still do. I have seen and tried to play the GHB variety of Pakistani pipes (this being many. many moons ago) and I found them impossible to look at…let alone play. It is again possible that because of the rotten reputation that surrounds them like an greasy cloud of diesel fumes, it is hard to get a non-biased opinion of them. Pick any of the above excuses or create one of your own, but I have played a variety of UPs by Childress, Woof, Britton, Gallagher, Roberts…and my half set, though not a masterpiece, can hold its own…in tune and endurance with any of them. At the time I made the decision to purchase them, I had been a professional musician for nearly thirty years, twenty of which playing GHBs, and I was aware of the consequences of buying something with such an evil reputation. I gambled, and won. I have a hunch, just a hunch mind you, that most of the people who are quick to criticise this instrument, have no experience playing them once they have been reworked, and are influenced by the word of mouth or hearsay opinions of others with equal experience. Once again, they do need reworking before they are playable, but once there, they are a good instrument. However, I will always recommend that one purchases a practice set from a known and highly regarded pipemaker as it is truly the only way to be sure that what you are getting is worth the money and if anything does go wrong, it can and will be ammended by that pipemaker. And if you decide the UPs are not for you, the practise set will not depreciate in value (as long as there isn’t any damage to it) and your money can be recovered by selling it. There is always somebody looking for a good practice set.
I’m surprised i haven’t seen this thread before, i’m usually the one pimpin’ the britton pipes…
ok…the set seems to be based on the physical appearance of kirk lynch’s sets. i decorated mine for the hell of it awhile back and put the pics on “pictures of your pipes” thread. I’m the one with the knotwork on one of the last few pages.
the chanter (not pictured) had three keys and played true (once time got through with it) but I wasn’t tremendously fond of the sound. Found it a bit harsh and “barking”. I dont’ think that’s the chanter, though, but rather tim’s reedmaking style. i have his reedmaking video and at the end he plays the reed he makes in one of his own sets and it sounds largely the same. The chanter I use (and the one pictured) is a childress chanter that just received it’s last two keys. I keep the britton chanter in my case as a spare.
alright, next up - leaking: i have not had a problem with the bag leaking. I did have problems with leaks in the following places: several reg keys (weak springs?), several joints (fixed with more winding), the plate that joins the bass reg to the main stock had a gap (had tim noticed he prolly would have fixed this, i just had to seal it up) a couple reg notes seemed to be out of tune, but a little funtak and rushing fixed that. The drones always worked great and are remarkably stable thru climate changes.
if and when i upgrade to a “real” set this will make a nice, inexpensive full set or could be sold with a clear conscience to a first time full set buyer who has trouble affording a “real” full set.
ps - tuigim go maith 
I also have a Brittonized half-set. I agree with Mr. Smith and Antaine that these things work very well for what they are. I haven’t had any chance to do any direct comparison myself, but I have heard a couple of newbs at about the same level at my self, one with a Gallagher and the other a Jeffries, I believe, that sounded about the same in terms of pitch stability, volume, in-tuneness, etc. I think the Britton reeds are indeed responsable for the “aggressive” tone, but that works well for me. Incidentally, I seasoined the bag and it is very air-tight. Also, Tim may be a bit slow to answer e-mails due to his touring and whatnot, but he is easy to reach by phone and is a font of useful information and always thrilled to dispense his wisdom. His commitment to his work on these things is great and he is always willing to tweak things.
Tim’s reed style isn’t for every chanter, basically you have to learn as you go when making any reed. I use Tim’s reed style (supplemented by other ideas and techniques) and it works just fine. Most reeds will be pretty bright or barky when they are new, but they will eventually settle down…or you can adjust their tone by sanding them according to what your desires are, or adding a bridle. I recommend not sanding or doing any other permanent altering until the thing has had a chance to acclimate itself to your chanter and playing environment.
Understood, thanks. Actually, I was starting to really like the sound of Tim’s reed until a bunch of drunken frat guys trashed my gear during a break between sets on St. Pat’s. The reed was split on both sides, but somehow the chanter itself shows absolutely no damage 
. I glued it and it still works, but I’m currently awaiting a new one from Tim and am attempting to make a couple on my own using his method. Where can I find designs for the brass and styrene drone reeds you mentioned?
Effing meat heads! 
The place was full of 'em. Lost 2 whistles in the same break, too. At least those’re cheap. Oh, well. It could’ve been much worse.
One of the many reasons I avoid playing in bars these days. Sorry to hear about your whistles and reed. Eddie Damm, to the best of my knowledge, is the owner of the ‘Song of the Sea’ music store. The brass and styrene drone reeds featured in this site are of his design.
http://www.songsea.com/uilleann.htm
He offers the plans of these drones for about five bucks or so. In my opinion, well worth it. These drones are very resistant to climate changes and are very stable, after you get 'em built and playing well, it is likely you will never need to muck with them again. Happy hunting.
I had a perfectly good German made fiddle knocked out of my hands by some drunken 23 year old cutie who thought she was an Irish dancer. After the fiddle introduced itself to the floor, this dancer introduced her foot through its beautiful burly maple back. I was crushed…and so was my fiddle. What can ya’ do…except avoid bars from there on in.
Contract mob hits.
hmmmm…mob hits…hmmmmmmmm.
I have a Brittonized Pakistani chanter, and love it. As someone alread mentioned, chanter and reed seem to hold up really well–even in Wisconsin’s extreme climate! Tim is a joy to work with, and the reed texture (physical and aural) gentles nicely with use. Well, okay, I’ve never yet made it sound gentle, but that would be operator error. 
Thanks for the info! i’ll definitely give 'em a try. Horrible way for a fiddle to go. I’d avoid the bar scene too, but i just love the adoration of the crowds. I feel so cheap now.
Nothing that a cold shower and handful of Valium won’t cure