I remember hearing or reading somewhere that out of the 300 or so sets that Geoff Wooff has made he only knows of only two dozen that are being played regularly. I dont know if Geoff meant it literally or maybe it was his way of expressing the frustration of having sets he has made go unplayed. Either way I bet we could come up with more that 24 names of pipers who play Geooff’s pipes.
So do you know directly or indirectly the names of any pipers who play Wooff sets or part of therein ?
RORY
Mikie Smyth, Máire Ní, Dickie Deegan, Pad D’Arcy, Padraig Keane, just to name some serious pipers. I’ve a friend with one, he plays it off and on.
Probably it’s true of any pipemaker, you get a lot of people who get all worked up about playing the pipes, they get a set, then it falls apart on them - which could just mean the chanter reed gets too stiff, and they can’t figure out how to squeeze the pliers. One gal round these parts was given a Lambe full set in the 80s as a gift; we got it all up and running, she could play it as a practice set if need be; but the idea of having to take out the reed and give it a squeeze was too much bother. This from a whistler/keyboardist - I mean, is squeezing a bridle more bother than lugging around a frickin’ digital keyboard! She also had a spell of back trouble though so…
Point is a lot of people just aren’t ready to play these things. These things aren’t ready to be played in most instances, either, for the above reason. I’ve always thought there should be a tionol where they just fly in a bunch of reedmakers.
Tommy Keane, too - Padraig plays a C set, and Tommy a B. Peter Laban of course (two now!) Louise Mulcahy.
Brian McNamara has two sets I believe.
Maire Ni Ghrada, Mark Farrelly, Donncha Fox, Joe Crane, John M. Boston, Mass. Oliver Rime, Mark Walstrom, Ken McLeod, Sorcha Ní Mhuiri, Darragh Murphy, Pat Connery, Stefan Kayat, Bill Yarwood D set (sold), Giles Bettison Bb set (sold), Cathal Morley D set (sold), Philip Staresinic D chanter (sold), Tim Dowd 25th anniv. (sold), Patrick Jacob, Declan Dillon Bb chanter. I play a Wooff C chanter. Just to name a few
Susanne Ward
Drew Hillmann
Geoff Wooff
Geoff Wooff
Well, no. He plays the Harrington. Or the concertina.
I believe Maire ni Ghrada is playing a Kohler concert chanter these days. Don’t know about the rest of the kit.
The concert set is a Kohler set, (David has said so), however she has a C set that’s a Wooff, and plays that, too.
I know someone out in Cali who’s got a couple, and another person scheduled to get one soon…
Gabe McKeagney plays a nice B set. I’ve heard him play some haunting airs on it.
Has Geoff really made over 300 sets of pipes? I heard or read somewhere that he made on average 6 full sets a year. That would mean in 2002 when the 25th anniversary set was made he would have made prehaps 150 sets of pipes. 10 years later, 2012, prehaps another 60 sets, which makes a total of 210 sets of pipes. Geoff has also spent time on renovating and repairing old classic sets, uppgrading and servicing customers pipes. Did Geoff make more than 6 sets a year in the early days?
No. The last one finished was nr 207.
The late Bernard Grigsby had two Wooff sets. What happened to them? One was a Bb and one a C was purchased from Australia. I think one of the sets had an E regulator if I remember correctly.
Victor Fitzsimmons has a lovely B set. Gabriel also has a C set and a spare C chanter. Dave Collins has a Bb set. I have my B which is an incredible set of pipes.
Joe McLaughlin from Derry has a B natural full set.
Cheers
Ferg
Sorry, my mistake ,maybe I was thinking about Alain Froment. In the booklet that comes with the heart of the instrument it says by 2004 Geooff had made 190 sets.
There was a concert pitch set sold recently on this forum made by Geoff and a piper called Oliver on the forum that also plays a Wooff set.
RORY
Bernard bought a set that Ted Anderson had Geoff build; it had a 17 inch chanter, which gives you a pitch between B and C. That’s the one with 4 drones and 4 regulators. The styling was after Dan O’Dowd’s Egan pipes, with the big “trumpet” regulator caps. Beautiful work, I don’t recall in whose hands it wound up after poor Bernard passed away, RIP.