Waiting Lists

Uilleann Pipes
1

So.

D you think that the waiting lists quted by pipe-makers (fr example Froments 15 year plus list) are genuine estimats , or just bull offered to potential buyers because:

  1. They don’t want to mak pipes
  2. Or to suggest they are brillian makers if they have long waiting lists?
2
  • Or that they have been in business many many years and they have enormous queues ahead of you
  • Or that their pipes are acknowledged in the user community to be of such a high quality that they don’t want to get requests from any but the top pipers in the world
  • Or that they don’t want to kill themselves trying to meet the demand and can make a decent enough living at the high prices they charge that they only need to make several sets per year
  • Or they just do it to tick W-P off :wink:

djm

3
  1. Or maybe that’s just a makers best attempt and an estimate based on work-load.

I find this question insulting to skilled pipe makers who work extremely hard for what I believe is not a whole lot of money.

Maybe you should trying to build a set at the level of Froment’s to get an idea.

4

The estimates of several excellent pipemakers for the time required to produce a full set of pipes runs between 300 and 400 hours.

At this rate, allowing for service to existing sets, repairs, reedmaking workshops, etc.[*] a maker can only produce about 4 full sets a year. Some makers make fewer than that, perhaps one or two (with more of an assembly-line setup) can make a couple more.

This means that a couple of dozen customers equates to six years…

Bill

[*] e.g. answering questions on the internet :smiley:

5

And four sets a year even at the highest prices for UPs - less materials, tools etc - isn’t a huge paycheck for a master craftsman.

Why do posters here complain about the prices that pipemakers charge?

6

Why do posters here complain about the prices that pipemakers charge?

Well, there are some idiots who claim ‘market prices’ and charge the same for their third rough attempt as someone who pours in a lot more hours and twenty or twenty five years experience. Sometimes the price/product ration gets lost along the way. Which I think is a good reason for complaining.

7

I agree with your point, but its seems that the better makers prices draw the most criticism.

8

Well, I recently upgraded my chanter to the latest model. That cost me more than the original full set, prices have certainly skyrocketed. Not complaining though but raising an eyebrow sometimes at the turn things have taken.

9

I think this must be one of the most stupid posts i,ve read ,to suggest that Alain Froment does not want to make pipes is insulting to a Man who has dedicated his life to pipemaking
He is out in his work shop at eight every morning and only comes out at six, He makes nine full sets a year .which has caused him to be called greedy by another very well known but slower maker ,
But in fact he is only trying to meet the demand for his excellent pipes




RORY

10

I don’t presume to know that much about the economics of instrument making in general, or pipemaking in particular. It would seem to me that most of the pay off in learning the skills of a pipemaker would come towards the end of one’s career, perhaps to a greater extent than many other occupations.

If it takes 21 years to become a piper, how long to become a decent pipemaker? I would guess it’s close to the same, to establish the reputation that the ‘big names’ have. Nobody goes into it for the money, but after 20- or 30-odd years in the business, they may realise that they do, in fact, need money for all kinds of things (retirement, college, medical expenses, etc.). Who could blame an experienced pipemaker for dramatically hiking his prices after a few decades of work building his ‘brand’. Obviously, it’s not ideal for the buyers (like me), but this is how markets work.

They have to make hay while the sun shines.

-Frank

11

There’s that but for this particular maker things went seriously lopsided when people started buying up sets for $12K while he was still happily quoting barely half of that.

Mind you I had no problem paying for the chanter what I did (well I did but only from a budget point of view) but price hikes were forced at some point by people throwing around silly money and for a while at least that caused problems.

12

Well, not sure when Peter bought that set but it was in the 80’s, wasn’t it?

20/25 years of inflation has made prices pretty much skyrocket across the board. Also, there’s actually money in Ireland - maybe for the first time ever :laughing: - which is bound to alter the market for pipes.