I would like to revisit this topic, but hopefully in a more constructive way. Obviously we all have preferences, tastes, likes and dislikes, and I think ultimately we can all agree that the sound is most important. But, that being said, does that mean that an instrument’s appearance should be neglected?
I’d like to hear everyone’s opinion’s on this topic. Bearing in mind we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings…it truly is a matter of opinion. \
I dug through some old photos on the hard drive of my old dead pc and found these pics possibly worth discussion?..
Shamrocks? I wouldn’t call them ugly but they’re not to my liking. Apart from that, the fullset looks fine. Who made, by the way?
I don’t like the look of the coil spring, regardless of whether it is functional or not. It just looks bad - like it’s just waiting to snag something.
Also, as with Tony, I’m not sure about the Cnat key - I’d be worried that the key wouldn’t return to the right place and the hole wouldn’t be properly closed. I like to see a 2nd block which guides the Cnat key back into position.
What’s the history on the full set?
I quite like them except for the “body art”. A bit of “over the top” art work for my tastes but so what. Someone must have loved 'em once.
Not too keen on the other pics though. Having said that, I’ve seen some antique sets with that “lived in look” about them and some people would sell their soul to the devil to own them.
Joseph (the UK one).
Don’t care for the chanter with the coil springs at all, for all the reasons mentioned.
As for the engraved set, the ivory is okay, but my own tastes would lean toward a greater uniformity or at least an aesthetic cross-referencing of the mounts of both drones and regs. In other words, they’re too different from each other. I’d also prefer a less flared bass drone endmount for the same reasons, and less ivory on the regs; I feel like I’m being shouted at when I look at them, but that’s just me.
The engraving I can take or leave. I admit I was terribly captivated with Gil Hocker’s engraved set, but that is topnotch work, and it’s hard not to admire that for what it is, and above all, it worked. Still, I felt no desire to emulate that taste. A full set is visually impressive enough when unengraved.
The bass reg endcap of wood looks nice to me at first glance. Would it be heavier than one of metal? That ivory mount at the end is pretty substantial. A different mount design might ameliorate any clunky appearance that a wooden reedcap might suffer.
There’s ‘the look’ and there’s ‘the look’ If it looks bad because it was poorly crafted or the maker had some weird concepts for decorations then that is important. It means the maker is less likely to attract buyers than if s/he kept within traditional parameters and the piper will have people commenting under their breath on the wierd looking pipes that guy plays.
If they look bad because they are simply unkempt through lack of polish or whatever and the piper is a good player then that is important too - like many professional musicians it is more important to worry about the sound and one’s performance than the outward appearance of one’s instrument.
For me, the pipes shown above fall into the first category.
A wholly satisfying piping experience requires aesthetics as well as tonality.
…just to clarify…the chanter pictured above does not go with the engraved set. The second set was made by a fellow by the name of McPhee from Australia I believe. Here’s a pic of the chanter that goes with the set…pitched in B.
In comparison to 2 other sets found in Australia made by Coynes…
If you look very closely at the brass/ebony concert pitch chanter you’ll notice that it was hacked-out with a crappy hacksaw blade and some 100 grit sandpaper by a blind person. The back D hole is as wide as the bore itself I’d guess. Look at the lines in the ferrule - utter chaos. Whereas the turning and metalwork on the other sets is very clean and elegant, which is what Davey’s talking about here.
When I first saw a pic of the McPhee set I refused to believe it wasn’t an Egan. Great work, I haven’t heard if it plays well or not. I was told McPhee was a New Zealander who mostly made Highland pipes. He built this Egan copy set in the 1950s. Dan O’Dowd’s Egan set came from Australia, and Paddy Galvin’s is in New Zealand; these are the Egan sets with the famed “trumpet-style” regulator caps McPhee has copied here.
It is very difficult to call something ugly constructively .How would you tell a good friend that his wife is ugly constructively, some things are better left unsaid .
I think in some examples you have to differentiate between bad design, and bad workmanship
.There are some pipemakers who,s design,s I like (Based loosely on Rowsome)when you look at them from a distance, but then are very disappointing on closer inspection .Then there are some makers who do outstanding work but I personally don’t like there design’s
In trying to be constructive I personally think that the great Dave Williams had it all ,as does Geoff Wooff and Alain Froment!!! Jarlath henderson,s pipe,s are a good example
Just to clarify, I refer to the “Howard System Keywork” on the Howard chanter. I’ve only seen pictures, never up close. I’d be interested in hearing how well they work - how sturdy they are, how easy they are to play, are they better or worse than standard keys, etc.
The McPhee set belongs to Ian MacKenzie. I presume he still has them. I recall that they are in C. I first heard ‘The Maid at the Spinning Wheel’ played on that set. Yes, the white stuff is ivory
As for the rough-as-guts chanter, it looks just like some pics I once saw of a Justin Pickford chanter.
I have heard a couple of O’Grady sets up close and in person, and I found them to be sweet in tone. I was able to play one of the chanters (fully keyed) and found it to be nice in tone but clumsy to hold… IMHO the key blocks could do with some trimming… at least to give the thumb of the lower hand a more comfortable place to rest.
If I were interested in sound quality only, O’Grady pipes fall well within what is acceptable for me. If I were buying pipes based solely on looks, I would most likely keep looking. Although, I will add that his pipes are quite sturdy, and solidly built.
I’d also prefer a less flared bass drone endmount for the same reasons, and less ivory on the regs; I feel like I’m being shouted at when I look at them, but that’s just me.
P.