Listed on the NPU classifieds 11/29/02 a fullset in C made in 1993 by Geoff Wooff, ebony and nickel silver w/ a five key chanter.
I called and spoke to the seller, his second bid was 11,000E and we speculated he’d be getting offers of 15,000E by next week!
Currently the Euro and US Dollar are neck-n-neck.
wooff set . do I hear 15,000.00$ U.S. ??
Did I get the decimal point right ?? 
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!! $$ (ca ching)$$ !! lol .
Has the Wooff C set been sold? Anyone know for how much? Just curious with regard to the anniversary set.
The original purchase price paid to Geoff for that set must have been a fraction of that amount.
It must be strange for a maker to see people making a big profit out of the reputation and the waiting list he’s acquired through years of hard work.
Perhaps the seller should give him a cut?
As far as the anniversary set is concerned, a bid has been accepted, and I think I’m correct in saying that it was $25K.
Steve, that’s what I heard…
What happened with this set? Did they get sold or not? The Moher C set that is, not the anniversary set, although the owner of the anniversary set was also selling them I recall - did they also go to a good home anyone know?
Currently the Euro and US Dollar are neck-n-neck.
At the moment 15,000 Euro’s is equal to $19,662.00
Tommy
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Have you ever played a well set up Wooff set ausdag? It is something to behold!
Patrick.
When I was in Dublin Mikie Smyth gave me a lesson at NPU. He gave me a demo on a his C# set. What an instrument! It had a lovely sound and looked good as well. So fare I don’t think I’ve heard or seen a set of that quality (except Paddy Moloney’s Leo Rowsome). At The Chieftains concert in Tweed Heads
Some pipe makers spend to much time on detail and not enough on the quality or sound, others go the other way. Geoff is a nice ballence between the two. If Mikie offered his set to me I’d snap it up in an instant (if under AU$10 000).
In my opinion from what I’ve seen and heared a Woof set is worth it’s wait in gold.
Cheers L42B
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We’re talking over AU$20,000 dollars here - that’s what Eu12000 works out as if I’m not mistaken.
Cheers,
DavidG
We should extend this advice to other endeavours: hey gamblers, ‘bet within your limits and remember to quit while you’re ahead!’ or for the overweight crowd, ‘cut back those portions! just say no at restaurants!!’ or for investors ‘remember buy low and sell high!’.
Auctions and getting a quality instrument is all about emotions. I’ll bet that pipes (the ones of quality) have probably outperformed the stock market. Interest and demand is still growing.
But when people with money simply must have a Woof set, then that’s what drives the prices up - like houses.
That’s an interesting commentary on economics.
It’s not, however, the way I see it. Geoff Woof gets what he wants for his pipes because that’s what he wants for his pipes, and its what people are willing, or at least decide, to spend on them. The price of his sets sold at auction, or during a private two-party transaction, is in part determined based on what Geoff Woof thinks his pipes are worth. Supply (not much) and demand (a whole lot) are two other factors playing a role in the pricing.
The truth of the matter is that it’s as difficult for “people with money” who " simply must have" to obtain Woof sets as it is for people without money these days. I’d have to say that Geoff Woof, more so than other pipemakers, is priced about right. The man deserves what he makes for a set…and anyone with a set of his deserves to make what they can in an auction or sale. Instruments made by Geoff, David Quinn, and a handful of others are really inexpensive compared to other similarly respected and coveted yet less complex instruments in the field of classical music.
No one man’s money is worth more than anothers.
People who do or did things to get themselves rich get richer if they continue to do those things and people who do or did things to get themselves poor get themselves porrer (? more poor) if they continue.
In many areas of the US, the main factor that drives up housing prices is an increase in demand due to the availability of low interest loans, government subsidies for first time buyers, etc. Blame the Feds.
I’ll admit, a ranch in the canyon sounds like a really good idea. Go for it!! But, save for that really great set along the way and you’ll never regret it.
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I used to commute to work through Topanga Canyon and used to look forward to the 20 minutes or so every day. Just gorgeous. After going through it, I’d emerge on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH to the locals) and hard to beat that area too!
People have combined collecting and investing for eons. What’s wrong with that? As far as pipes, who could have predicted the explosion of interest that has driven prices for some items up. One of my points is that it is worth pursing the best as that stuff will appreciate. If one can enjoy it along the way as it does so, it’s a great bonus.
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Geoff has always raised his prices steadily over the years. He set the high bar with the Millennium set at 25K or whatever it sold for. That is the highest price ever paid for a set of pipes as far as I know. Years ago, Davy Spillane told Gay Byrne on Irish TV that his pipes were worth 100,000 USD. Wonder if that came with a spare chanter reed?