Prices for Uillean Pipes | Description | Itemized Price List | Options and Explanations
Chanter with reed, brass chanter top, bellows, bag, stocks, blowpipe.
Same as practice set plus tenor, baritone, & bass drones with guill reeds; main stock will accommodate A drone and regulators.
Same as half set plus tenor & baritone regulators with reeds.
Same as 3/4 set plus standard bass regulator with reed.
with fully keyed chanter, wood top with stop-valve, baritone drone with bell and U-bend, "A" drone with separate switch and reed, composite drone reeds, velvet bag cover.
* Practice sets can be made into full sets or any degree between.
My pipes are designed to combine fullness of tone, stylistic versatility and an unusual level of aesthetic coherence and ergonomic elegance, incorporating many innovations based on thirty years of professional experience as a performer, recording artist and pipemaker. Each piece is designed and made as I would for myself and is guaranteed against faulty workmanship. Blackwood is standard for all wooden parts except for the mainstock and bellows sides, which are cherry. Brass is standard for all metal parts. All stocks and pipes are reinforced with brass ferrules. The joints are fitted with O-rings instead of thread for a durable snug fit, a recent innovation we are very pleased with. The bellows are fitted with a leather covered brass hinge, leather covered foam pads on both sides and convenient hook fastened straps. Both the bellows and the stitched Elk hide bag are generously and ergonomically sized for efficiency and comfort. The main stock is hollowed for increased resonance. For reasons of conscience I do not use ivory or plastic. Mountings are simply an extension of the pipe.
Reeds are fitted to play in tune at concert pitch. Small adjustments for weather are required on an ongoing basis. When buying a reed, the pipe must be present. I suggest ordering extras, as they are susceptible to change and damage due to weather and handling, especially chanter reeds. For larger sets, orders are often shipped in increments of practice set, drones and regulators, so as to provide you with the priority parts sooner.
Four years ago I added a highly skilled workmate named Mark Stimson. Together we revamped the entire process much to the benefit of the customer. Prior to this, my production was hampered by my touring schedule. This is no longer the case. We are taking orders, confirmed with a 50% deposit, with a likely waiting time of under two years.
Revised 5/1/07
* Not standard except on deluxe set
** Special Order
Up to four keys can be added for C, Bb, G#, and F. For those aspiring to versatility, I recommend getting all but the Bb key, which is rarely necessary. The others are of equal importance in my experience despite the tendency to prioritize the C key, which is used for the second octave C natural. For those wanting to be prepared for anything, the Bb key is available. Keys can be added at a later date.
The standard reed chamber or chanter top is made of brass. It can be made of Blackwood with brass ferrules. This imparts an arguably more antiquated look and a slightly warmer resonance.
Either chanter top can incorporate a stop valve, enabling the chanter to be twisted, shutting off the air to the reed. Thus the chanter can be stopped and the hands taken away for the purpose of tuning the drones or regulators, or even playing another instrument while maintaining the drones. The traditional way of accomplishing this with a switch key is more complicated and expensive to make, more vulnerable to failure and is not as effective, as versatile, nor as convenient.
Uillean piping technique requires the frequent sealing of the chanter bottom on the leg. This is normally facilitated by a leather pad on the right thigh. Some chanters have been made with hinged valves attached to the bottom. This option is available although not particularly recommended.
Traditionally, the uillean pipes have three drones in octaves of D or, in the case of flat sets, whatever the tonic of the chanter is. The two smaller drones are “straight out” with the bass incorporating several U-bends to accommodate its extra length. The last of these U-bends terminates in an end piece that is sometimes hollowed out for increased resonance. In the case of my pipes, the end piece is fashioned as a hollow resonator “bell” and the U-bend incorporates a “trombone-style” tuning slide for increased tuning versatility. This is particularly relevant with the extra length of the bass drone and in the event of using the drones with a flat chanter. All that is standard.
The baritone or middle drone can also be made with a resonator “bell” and U-bend/tuning slide. The advantages of this are that it has more tuning latitude for using with flat chanters, it is louder and richer, it is louder for the player since it aims back at the player rather than away into the floor and it is easier to mic as it centralizes the sound sources.
A unique option, a fourth drone in “A” between the two smaller drones can be added. With its requisite separate switch key it can be played by itself or in concert with the three D drones or not at all. It adds subtle yet significant richness to playing in D, A minor, and A mixolydian. It also makes it possible to have a drone while playing in A major.
Drone reeds are usually made of small diameter cane, cut and split back creating a vibrating tongue and are called guills. They can also be made by machining the body out of wood and strapping a carved tongue of cane or other material onto it much like a clarinet or saxophone mouthpiece. These I call composite reeds. They are much more expensive, tend to be clearer toned and more stable through weather changes and more controllable in their manufacture. They also enable the maker to experiment in nontraditional materials like plastic or metal shim stock.
Regulators are acoustically like chanters in that they have conical bores and double reeds but have permanently closed ends and closed levers or keys covering the holes which enable them to remain silent until pressed by the wrist. The keys are lined up in rows so that two or three regulators can be sounded in tandem creating chords to rhythmically and harmonically accompany the melody of the chanter. The limited harmonic options enforce a quirky but charming effect. On traditional sets the baritone regulator notes descend from A to G to F# to D, skipping E. As an option, I offer a baritone regulator that includes an E key. The E key does make it a little less convenient to play the G with the D in the traditional way so it’s not for everyone.
The extra length of the bass regulator requires that it access air through the side of the mainstock. Usually it is constructed with the reed chamber extending under the neck of the bag and over the left elbow. At the turn of the century, the Taylor brothers redesigned the reed chamber such that it doubles back on itself with a U-bend and doesn’t need to extend beyond the mainstock. This style is available at extra cost but requires that the tuning slide capabilities be more limited.
It is possible to convert a D set of drones and regulators to C# or C. This is done with small adjustments to or replacement of the reeds along with adjustments to the tuning slides. This allows one to economically enjoy the richness of the flat pipes, effectively having two sets for the price of one plus the cost of the flat chanter. Sets can also be made to span C to B or Bb with different chanters.