I found this article on Kevin Rowsome’s website. What interests me in particular is the photo of the Rowsome quartet:
The set held by Tom Rowsome appears to have Taylor-style keys. (There’s a clearer photo of the Rowsome Quartet and of TR’s pipes in the book, the Leo Rowsome Collection.)
Who made Tom Rowsome’s pipes? I’ve not heard of either Leo or Willie using the Taylor style. Does anyone have any information?
I have posted on this topic before with no takers.
Probably either no info available or the set prefers to remane undercover.
t
Is there any reason why that set of drones and regs aren’t Taylor or Hennely?
I earlier suggested Clarke or O’Meally as candidates, with a preference for the first (but deleted after a day of no takers)
A reg key that is flat does not a Taylor set make.
I wasn’t suggesting that it was a Taylor set - the bass drone H bend on TR’s pipes is certainly not typical of the Taylor design.
There were (and are) a few makers inspired by the Taylor style but I didn’t know if Rowsome (Willie or Leo) had ever used that style. Is it strange that Tom Rowsome would play pipes of another maker, considering he had a number of highly regarded makers in the family?
If you had the choice between a Taylor and a Rowsome, which would you pick? 
You know, these things happen, taste, preferences and all that.
The Chanter has a wooden top too, not typical of Leo. But the Rowsomes could have rebuilt the bass drone.
Without a good closeup photo you can’t tell much about these pipes, there were a heap of Taylorish makers - Brown White Green, Hennelly, Brennan, Crowleys, Anderson, Carney, those dudes who built JOBM’s chanter, uh…maybe the set was in the shop and Tom just put them on for the photo, who the fark knows? Some of these American made sets came back to Ireland, too.
If you had the choice between a Taylor and a Rowsome, which would you pick?
Rowsome. 
Is there any reason why that set of drones and regs aren’t Taylor or Hennely?
Certainly no reason to think it’s not a Taylor but I don’t know if Hennelly was making pipes then. I’m guessing the picture was taken around 1927/28. I believe it was one of the first line ups of the quartet.
Is it strange that Tom Rowsome would play pipes of another maker, considering he had a number of highly regarded makers in the family?
Maybe he just preferred the different look or he came across them at a bargin.
I wonder where are they now?
Jim…
Tommy
Hehe I knew you’d come out to say that.
I must say I greatly dislike Rowsome drones but have heard and played Taylors that had lovely drones, Taylor regs can be a bit traffic jam style but not all of Rowsomes are that nice either, some are though (there’s a specific honk in some of the bass regs I am sort of fond of). For chanters both have elements I like and dislike in some shape or form.
Sets swap hands for a zillion reasons. Michael Padian ended up with a Taylor set according to all accounts. I met him at Eugene Lambe’s home in 1978 but never did hear him play or see the pipes (or see him again for that matter). So, that might explain the set but not exactly on how or why Tom Rowsome had them.
I had my Taylor set out against Liam O’Flynn’s set two years ago on a table and we both noticed many elements and the homage of Taylor’s work in Leo’s 1936 set (commissioned by Sean Reid - ‘please make the best set that you can’ - the universal piper’s prayer when ordering a set).
True enough, but is there any reason to doubt that the set that T. Rowesome is holding isn’t a Taylor?
Where’s Kreskin when we need him? This is probably why Tommy had no luck in collecting any info last time - nobody here knows I guess.
PJ, it took another read of your original post to get it - all falls to the word “style”. I’m still getting to know the history of this instrument (aren’t we all?), and it is interesting to note the copy of the Taylor “style” itself has acquired it’s own legacy.
Good question. I’d probably spend plenty of time playing both sets before I made up my mind.
As I mentioned earlier, in the Leo Rowsome Collection there is a better version of the photo. The bass drone H bend on TR’s set has a separate support, something which I don’t believe the Taylors did. But as Kevin R pointed out, the bass drone may have been rebuilt.
But my point in starting the thread wasn’t to determine whether this is or is not a Taylor set. It was to find out if either Willie or Leo Rowsome ever copied the Taylor style.
Hi PJ, out of curiosity I contacted Kevin Rowsome about this. He may know. Once I find out I’ll let you know.
Cheers L42B
The evolution is Tayor–>Willie–>Leo - that’s the progression of significance in chanter/regs development. Drones are drones. There are differences in drones but not a known progression - more personal preference at work. Leo ended up with a very pleasing balance and it doesn’t hurt to have Liam O’Flynn giving them a spin from time to time. The challenge in getting Taylor stuff reeded up is that few people have had a lot of time on more than a few Taylor sets. Froment, Quinn, and Koehler have had probably the most opportunity with Taylor sets.
The set is a bit hazy in the photograph but I don’t like it for Taylor. The reg end mounts are a bit big. Taylor only did metal sleeves for part of his career (mine are with that metal sleeve configuration) and most others emulated that exact design when doing their homage to Taylor and not the Taylor design with more ivory on those reg endcaps. Cost and expediency being good driving factors for more metal and less ivory. The chanter, too, does not jump out as Taylor.
Would love to see the set in person because that’s what it takes to rally ID these things. Parts over the decades seem to go missing and get repaired or swapped out. Then there are changes in another direction. Michael Carney made wholesale changes to the Touhey Taylor set that are, in aggregate, hard to understand - notching the reg keys, adding on ivory rings, turning the ivory reg tuning pins to a different size, new stock.
The evolution is Tayor–>Willie–>Leo
Don’t forget that Charlie and William Taylor left Ireland in or around 1865. Their dad, a pipes maker, was in Dublin for a while before that. The main maker in Dublin then was Coyne.
I have no doubt that they picked up some stuff for Coyne too. So the evolution could be —Coyne - Taylor - Willie - Leo.
Here’s another thing.
There is a load of references to George McCarthy having a Taylor set but all the pictures of him show him with what looks like a flat set made by, Coyne or maybe Egan.
Was his set made by Taylor - the elder and was it a set that the lads made before they left…
just ???
Hehe I knew you’d come out to say that.
You know me to well Mr. Laban.
I’m a concert pitch fan.
I had a chat to Ronan Browne lately about the differences between concert and flat stuff. I told him, although I’ve been playing the pipes for 20+ years, I don’t think I’m ‘ready’ for a flat set. I see it as a sign of progression. Only because I’ve been doing the concert thing for a while. Thats just me though. As Dan Dowd said, " Don’t be doin what you can’t do"
I’m drifting…
I will agree on the drones point. Rowsome drones are wider bore than Taylor machines. But, to a certain extent, guills can fix that.
Oiche mhaith
Tommy
A choice between a Taylor and Rowsome set? Years ago, I had that very choice. I went with the Taylor.
Still got it?