Tomorrow. : 
Cheiftains 
I am officially Obsessed with the need to play. It must be a madness as I am going to drive 3 to 4 hrs. to purchase these pipes. 
Pimarily I am a fluter/whistler but also guitar, mandelin, concertina just to mention a few.
Pat, I agree
But talking about this
I wonder if there are examples of great pipers who started at a later age.
What make are you getting??
Willie Clancy started in his 20s, not sure when exactlyâŚat his best he was a formidable piper when everything worked on his set.
Modern days? Iâd say Tommy Keane is one of the best, and he started in his early 20s.
It can be done, but you have to work very hard at it. Iâm just impatient, and I get a little fed up seeing some teenage hotshot touted as the next Ennis or Keenan every two or three years. Punks.
Young whipper-snappers!!! 
Texasbagpiper, The pipes were made by David McCort of Los Gatos, CA. They are in D and have a mainstock for future addition of drones/regs.
Out of curiosity, were they advertised on eBay a few weeks back?
Yes, May 3rd âPractise set on Ebayâ Any comments.PJ Texaspiper?
I donât know anything about the maker. I just remember the set that was advertised. It looked nice. Good luck with it. Donât get discouraged if it doesnât click straight away. It took me about 3 days to get a steady note out of the chanter. Progress is slow to begin. It helps very much if you know a piper who can give you the occasional lesson.
PJ Thanks for the advice I hope to find a tutor but it may be difficult to do in my neck of the woods. Texas piper did you sell a practise set to a Gent in a kilt at the Dublin(Ohio) Irish Festival? Just curious as I am a friend of his. He plays GHPâs and sold the UPâs to buy smallpipes. 
He is a local here, a nice guy and a good piper. Iâve never tried one of his sets but he always sounds good playing his own. The only thing I hear is that the reeds are hard so I hope you have a strong left arm!
Justine
nope never been to Ohio⌠He sold his uilleannâs for smallpipes Isnt that a crime in some statesâŚ
I got this off the internetâŚ
Dave McCort
Los Gatos, California
McCort makes drums for Chris Caswell; Greg Taylor tells me that they are excellent instruments in both sound and workmanship. McCort makes Y-shaped crossbars, which Greg feels allows the off hand to move more freely across the skin.
Willie Clancy started in his 20s
I think Willie was already an accomplished traditional musician on the flute and whistle by that time though, yeah?
Tommy Keane ⌠started in his early 20s.
From his bio page here, http://www.iol.ie/~marmusic/Tommy%20Keane%20Biography.htm , it looks like he indeed started in on the music in his early twenties.
WIllie got, to use own words, a thorough grounding in the music from his father whne he was a very tender age. By the time he first heard a set of pipes he was already a very accomplished musician. He did regret starting too late on the pipes though. When asked his opinion on the âyoungâ players of the day (1972) he said âthey start too lateâ. And he was right, the ones that do start young have a headstart few starting later will ever overcome.
Oh, started in September at the ancient age of 19 . Still very green I suppose. Got my Roberts practice set then, now Iâm waiting for my full set from a more local pipemaker. Now I fully empathize with those who have and are in the dreadful wait. 
-Mike
Feadogin,Thanks for the input. Much appreciated. Texaspiper, I did see that on the net, I hope he gets the same kind of praise for his pipes. To get back on subject, âTis Farty-three I am.â -Leo[/quote]
Lest our spirits sink too low, how does Tommy Keane sound on his Wooff B set? Thatâs something Iâd like to hearâŚ
On the question of starting young, Iâve no doubt that it helps achieve a very high level, but the fact that one starts playing in their mid-20s or 30 or at 49, or whatever doesnât detract from the enjoyment of playing.
I know a guy who will be retiring soon (aged 65) and his ambition for his retirement is to learn to play the uilleann pipes. Heâs never played music, but loves to listen. I think thatâs excellent. His grandson (10) also wants to learn so as well as buying himself a half set, the granddad is buying the grandson a practice set.
how does Tommy Keane sound on his Wooff B set? Thatâs something Iâd like to hearâŚ
Well, as Tommy Keane playing a flat set. Heâs trying to work a few things into his playing he saw another Wooff player do though
There was a solo CD planned for the set but I donât know how that progressed.
On the question of starting young, Iâve no doubt that it helps achieve a very high level, but the fact that one starts playing in their mid-20s or 30 or at 49, or whatever doesnât detract from the enjoyment of playing.
Maybe not, but I am teaching a few young ones who have started the whistle aged four, who have always been around music growing up. They have an instinctive understanding of the music late starters will never achieve, from playing along with a tune second time around and filling in the gaps with pure WIllie Clancy variations without realising it.
I know not all will have that but late starters will certainly not have that fluency. I can imagine starting at fifty or later will bring a lot of frustration if youâre serious about it, Over the past twenty years or so I occasionally pick up a fiddle and thatâs certainly frustrating stuff even if I can knock a tune out of it.