I’ve put up 6 auctions for items that came from Mrs Tom Busby of NY. The items include a double chanter(!), a chanter by Mike Carney, a possible Willie Rowsome chanter, and a very nice copy of Touhey’s Taylor chanter.
It is quite odd that the person who placed these up for auction placed a bid on the other Rowsome up for sale. One would have to speculate what that could mean. There are only a couple of possibilities.
4-keyed Chanter in ebony or African blackwood in concert pitch D approximately 15 1/4" long. F natural key needs work. Possibly made by Willie Rowsome ca. 1920. Interesting popping valve!
My B chanter is about 17+" For a D,
14 1/2" length is longer than many use to be,
(14 1/8") but standard now, I think, or 14 3/8".
The poping valve looks like it might be 3/8."
But even if it’s 1/2," measuring the gross length,
that leaves the chanter at 14 3/4."
I was kind of thinking maybe C#
if 15 1/4" is measured from the right points.
Does the Taylor (or Taylor copy) look like it has
a coat hanger stuck up the bore for a rush?
Could be a linear reflection.
The first image for chanter #1 appears to be the same image as chanter #2. Look at the crack in the ivory top mount, it’s the same. They BOTH have a wire rush… what do you guys make of the bottom tone hole?
Jim McGuire of Chicago buys and sells a lot of pipes and piping related items. Several sets by Taylor, Rowsome, Henelly etc have been bought and sold by him through E bay over the past few years. Sometimes he does a bit of work on them or has work done on them. He collects and sells items he doens’t keep, at a profit one can assume.
I know Jim and have even been invited to his place once to view a few of his sets. My experience with him has been that he is a very forthright and honest person who, although he would prefer to keep to himself, has a very keen and persistent interest in historical pipes and pipe makers.
I would second Peter’s assessment that Jim is selling off pieces which don’t have a proper place in his collection.
In my personal experience, he has always been willing to discuss via email the pipes and other bits he is selling.
If you have questions about his auctions talk to him
Don’t try to second guess his motives on speculative and dubious information.
wow !! is that a 14 7/8 " patsy brown c # chanter ?? to die for .
I think c# is the perfect key , the fiddles can tune down to it and it has just the right flat pipey sound to get the best of both worlds , I put in a bid , I hope I get it .
tok. is perfect good enough for you .
“the fiddles can tune down to it and it is got just enough flat pipey sound to get the best of both worlds”
For Jayzuz sake folks have you forgotten how to talk! Has the word “has” been replaced by some outrageous combination of “got” with any other small word that will fit? I don’t got no idea about none of it… who got the remote? … Bleedin hell!
The chanter in question is more than likely a C#, my C#'s are 15-1/2" long, the extra length is at and above the throat, so I get a good reed socket depth.
If the chanter has a small reed socket this will give it away to being a C#.
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