I am interested in Uilleann pipes and I wonder if there was such thing as a “set” with just 1 drone that is inexpensive. Thanks!
David Daye makes sets with 2 drones - Tenor and Baritone (no bass). He calls this a 3/8 set. Have a look here. The price is $839 fully assembled or $700 in kit form. I’ve never played his drones but I’ve played one of his chanters which sounded and played very well (for the price).
As far as a practice set goes, does this one look decent?http://www.songsea.com/uilleannpipepracticeset.html Thanks!
I’m sure many here will tell you this, and I think this set has been brought up before, but no, thats not a good way to start.
The Daye option would be my recomendation as far as an inexpensive option goes. Never played a set of his, but I’ve heard them live, and they sound very good indeed. Made a chanter from his instructions (back in the day before he went into production), but never got a reed to work in it (my fault, I know very little about reed making).
If you’re handy, a kit of his could be a very rewarding expierence (I love to perfrom on instruments I’ve made).
Could you explain why it’s not good? I want to start out with something really inexpensive. $260 is about the most I can pay. Thanks!
Read all the FAQs and search for past posts on starting out. Simply put, this is a crappy set and one that you won’t be able to play. You’ll get it, attempt to do something with it and realize that it has very little to do with actual uilleann pipes. If you can’t afford more than the $260, you’re kind of out of luck. The cheapest way you’re going to get a set is either have someone lend you one, find a killer deal on a used practice set, or build a David Daye kit.
There are no shortcuts.
Well then… how 'bout this one?http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Quality-UILLEANN-PIPES-Starter-Set-w-CHANTER_W0QQitemZ230157959355QQihZ013QQcategoryZ16226QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
I saw it somewhere else on the forum and someone said it was fairly good.
These pipes you referenced are mass-produced in Pakistan, and will NOT be what you want. I don’t think they’ve been highly spoken of here…
I saved up for 2 years to afford my set, and its totally worth it. I also forwent buying a car to have the funds. This is not a cheap endevor to persue, unfortunatly. But trust me; if you save up for a while and do some research while saving, you’ll know more clearly what you want, and will be much happier in the long run!
Good luck to you!
Do you meen the first ones I mentioned or the second ones? Thanks!
READ THIS CAREFULLY
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=34434
If by “inexpensive” you mean less than $500, then the answer to your original question is, it seems, “no”. You can get a working practice set for about twice what you suggested that you had to spend, but you must be very careful even so. You have a few options if you have $800 to spend. In any case you are better off saving your pennies until you can buy something that will actually be reasonable to learn on, and maybe even have some resale value. The really cheap ‘no-name’ options[*] give you neither.
Good luck,
Bill
[*] be aware that the mass-produced sets are often eBayed with some sort of brand name that suggests they were made by a craft maker; sometimes they falsely claim to have been made in Ireland.
I know the Ebay ones are made in Pakistan, I don’t know the origin of the piper’s choice sets; I thought someone said Canada?
Right-o, Billh! Already added that link! 
I said Canada, but this is a totally different thread. Idea!http://www3.telus.net/ereiswig/ssp_make.htm It says that if you plug a penny chanter into it it will be a Uilleann practice set. 
I’ve been making CPVC whistles so mabye I can do this. 