Vintage Bagpipe Archive

WWI-era Lawries, Ebony, Full Ivory

SOLD – What I was struck by more than anything with these pipes was the steadiness. The first set of reeds I tried in them locked in right away, and even though the chanter reed sharpened up and I eased off to compensate, the drones stayed locked. The tone was full and smooth: typical Lawrie/Henderson of this vintage.

The pipes are lovely dark ebony that has been beautifully refinished. The ivory is lovely, though slightly stained and spider-lined here and there. It is in good condition but for one chip on the blowpipe projecting mount. The chanter stock had slight a slight crack that became apparent after the finish was removed, and has been invisible whipped. The ivory ferrule from the chanter stock was missing. Another old ivory Lawrie ferrule has been installed to replace it.

There is not much more to say about this set. It is an elegant full ivory set in ebony, beautifully restored by Dunbar Bagpipe Makers. The sound and steadiness would win prizes at the highest levels, or suit the hobby piper who just wants trouble-free tone!

Circa 1900 John Center, Ebony, Ivory Mounts, Nickel Ferrules

SOLD – John Center was initially a professional photographer with a keen eye who began making pipes in Edinburgh in 1869. His son James joined him in the business later. The family moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1908 where they continued to make pipes. John died in 1913, and James died a young man in 1919 of the Spanish flu epidemic. A leading player, Jimmy Center was commemorated in Willie Ross’s superb jig, “Center’s Bonnet.”

John Center was renown for his workmanship and refined sound. This set is typical, with meticulous turning, lovely ivory mounts, and a tone which is steady and seamless, but not booming — not as quiet as David Glen’s pipes, and not quite as big as Duncan MacDougall’s best sets, but similar in timbre and steadiness.

All drone pieces in this set are in excellent condition. The bass stock had fine cracks that have been sealed and invisible whipped. The blowstick stock is a reproduction in blackwood with a poly lining and the original mount. The blowpipe appears to be an old Henderson, and the chanter stock is an old replacement with a slightly different combing pattern.

This is a pleasing old piece of history, both aesthetically and tonally.

Dave Atherton “MD” Macdougall Reproduction, 2012, Blackwood, Full Holly-mounted, Engraved Silver Slides

SOLD – With all due respect to the rest of today’s craftsmen, Dave Atherton was the finest modern bagpipe maker I’ve ever seen. His acoustical knowledge and his obsessive attention to detail resulted in a remarkable instrument that holds its own against some of the great vintage bagpipes. His brief career, which ended this past summer for personal reasons, has left around 170 instruments worldwide that have immediately become collectors’ items.

Though he made many instruments for C. E. Kron during the early 2000s, the Duncan MacDougall reproduction he created when he was in business for himself in Chicago is his masterpiece. I was fortunate enough to work closely with Dave during the development of this model and can attest to the care and knowledge that went into every set. This set, made this year in African blackwood with full holly mounts and engraved silver slides, is a superb example of his work.

The blowpipe stock is poly (as was Dave’s style) and the blowpipe is a brass-lined, blackwood stick.

The tone of this set is full and all-encompassing. It is more aggressive than Henderson pipes, and belies the myth that Duncan MacDougall pipes were subdued, a myth perhaps resulting from so many David Glen sets being misidentified as MacDougalls, likely for fraudulent reasons.

As an aside, when I played in the Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band at the World Pipe Band Championship in 2008, I played an early Atherton MD set. The band’s drone tuners — both prominent pipers — came to me at one point asking what drones I was playing. I told them and they remarked that they were the steadiest in the band and the most vibrant to the touch. “I can feel the wood shaking in my hands as I’m tuning,” said one. I thought that was a remarkable thing to hear, given the caliber of player and bagpipes in that remarkable band.

Suspected William Gunn, Circa 1850, Cocuswood, Full Ivory

SOLD – William Gunn lived from 1789 to 1867 and, according to Jeannie Campbell, he made pipes in Edinburgh from 1834 to 1866. He was a competing piper and published The Caledonian Repository of Bagpipe Music in Edinburgh in 1848, a significant book republished by the National Piping Centre quite recently. He also composed the piobaireachd “The Gunn’s Salute,” which was published by William Ross and has been set for the piobiareachd competitions at Oban and Inverness in recent years.

This gorgeous cocuswood and ivory set was purchased as a Donald MacDonald set, but after consulting several expert colleagues, the possibility of Gunn as the maker was raised. The barely visible remnants of a stamp on one tuning pin clearly show a “W” at the start of the first line — and not much else — confirming the possibility that William Gunn may be the maker.

The pipes have been meticulously refurbished at some point in recent decades. The wood may have been slightly sanded to remove imperfections, and the ivory lightly buffed. All pieces are original, except for the bass ring, which has just been replaced with an ivory reproduction. One projecting mount has at some point been chipped, but the original piece has been glued back in place. This and a small gap in one other ring are the only imperfections on the set.

UPDATE: In late June and early July I spent three weeks playing these pipes with a variety of reeds and found them tonally exceptional: robust, rich and buzzy, and extremely steady, very much in the Duncan MacDougall tradition. It is tonally almost identical to my #2 bagpipe, a cocuswood J&R Glen set circa 1870s (soon to be pictured on this page), so I have decided to pass this one on. My #1 bagpipe remains the silver and ivory Donald MacPhee set, also shown on this page.

1903 Henderson, Hallmarked Plain Silver, Ivory

SOLD – This is a tremendous Henderson set, but unusual in that plain silver Hendersons of this era are uncommon.

The pipes are in spectacular shape for their age. One tenor tuning pin had a hairline crack that has been sealed. The original blowpipe bulb had been butchered to create a hack extendable contraption, but the blowpipe stick was able to be perfectly restored. The ivory is nicely aged and in immaculate condition.

The tuning chambers were gently reamed to even up the tuning action and the pipes were stripped and refinished.

The tone is that great old robust, smooth-as-silk Henderson sound with their legendary steadiness and dominant bass. Classic.

This combination of age, tone, condition and character is hard to come by.

1979 R. G. Hardie, Hallmarked Engraved Silver, Ivory, Rebored to Henderson Specs

SOLD – This set of circa 1979 silver and ivory Hardies has been re-bored to pre-1940s Henderson bores.

Bob Hardie’s pipes were well crafted and he used superb wood. They are known for being steady but quiet, which some pipers prefer. However, in keeping with the current trend toward fuller sounding drones, I asked the Henderson experts at Dunbar Bagpipes (Jack Dunbar worked at the Henderson shop in the 1940s) to re-bore these Hardies according to the old Henderson specs. Only the internal specs of the bells were untouched. The bass bottom joint is a slightly smaller diameter than Henderson so it will tune a bit higher on the pin. The result has been a much fuller drone sound, still steady and easy to reed.

This bagpipe is in almost perfect condition, though the blowpipe is new blackwood (poly-lined), with a Lawrie mount turned down slightly to match the Hardie.

Re-boring to Henderson specs gave this lovely set a robust and steady Henderson sound — it’s a different bagpipe. Here’s your chance to own a large bore silver and ivory bagpipe at a great price.

Stamped William Ross (Queen’s Piper), in Ebony, Full Ivory, Brass Inserts, Cocuswood Chanter

SOLD – Hot on the heels of the historic silver and ivory Donald MacPhee set shown below is this marvelous set by William Ross, the Queen’s Piper. This is another remarkable set that will likely remain part of the permanent collection.

William Ross was a monumental piping figure during the latter half of the 19th-century. He was born in 1823, and died in 1891, having held the position of Queen’s Piper to Queen Victoria since Angus Mackay’s death in 1854. His 1869 publication of piobaireachd and light music, called “Pipe Music” is one of the most significant collections of the century.

The exact history of his pipemaking business is not clear. He was a very clever businessman and very well-to-do as a result. Jeannie Campbell tells us he made the prize pipe at Inverness from 1873 to 1886. However, it is thought that he was not a turner himself and hired turners to make his pipes for him. From about 1880 onwards, he used Henry Starck, whose family had immigrated to London from Germany many years earlier. This would mark the beginning of the Starck pipemaking business, and the pipes made by the company for the next 30 years would be their best.

After Ross’s death, Starck would stamp his pipes “H. Starck/late W. Ross.” It is thought that sets stamped only “W. Ross” were the earliest, turned while Ross was actively involved in the business.

Starck was meticulous about stamping his instruments, often in several places, and this set is stamped “W. Ross” on each stock. The distinctive projecting mounts are typical of Starck’s wide shapes, though shallower and using a softer, rounded bead rather than the straight cut bead he would use later on. The tuning chambers have brass slides installed.

All pieces appear to be original, though the blowstick is missing. The chanter is cocuswood, and while it may not be original to the set, it too is stamped “W. Ross.”

The set had several cracks, only two of which required whipping. The chanter was a mess, but is now immaculate. Kudos to Dunbar Bagpipe Maker for a remarkable restoration of this instrument, which now should have another 100 years of life left in it.

The tone of this set is typical of the earliest Starcks: big, robust and buzzy. They are as steady as a rock and a joy to play and behold.

Unknown Ebony Set, Full Ivory, Circa 1890s

SOLD – This set was sold to me by a Scottish pipemaker as an 1880s cocuswood set, “possibly MacDougall.” One would expect a pipemaker to know wood, but in fact they are ebony, likely circa 1890s, and, if anything, possibly early Lawries. The Lawrie moniker is an educated guess, by a fellow vintage aficionado who has a great eye for shapes and lines. In fact, the tone is quite similar to a circa-1900 ebony/celluloid Lawrie set that was once owned by Captain John MacLellan and sold on this site a few months ago. The sound is rich and very steady, but not the big, full Lawrie/Henderson sound. If you like a mid-range volume set of drones with old Lawrie quality, this set is a good candidate.

Being ebony, there were some hairline cracks, and, being ebony, I take no chances with these. Ebony does not glue as well as blackwood, so both tenor tops and the blowpipe have been invisible whipped. The ebony stocks have been replaced by blackwood, with the original ivory mounts. The ivory mount on the chanter stock was reclaimed from another stock. The blowpipe stock was missing; the new stock is poly lined and has an imitation ivory mount.

This is not an unusual amount of restoration for a pre-1900 ebony set of pipes, and the end result is a distinctive old pipe with a lovely, steady tone. A piobaireachd player would like this set.

Thow Of Dundee, 1909, Silver and Ivory, Ebony

SOLD – Here is another set of old ebony pipes that comes to the site with some repaired flaws but a brilliant, steady tone. Made by David Thow of Dundee, the pipes are ebony with silver and ivory mounts. The silver is not hallmarked, but the last owner said he purchased the pipes as having been made in 1909, and the aged look of the ivory and the use of ebony would support that.

John Thow and his son David were remarkable pipemakers in the 50 years on either side of 1900. Their pipes are often mistaken for Gavin MacDougall for various reasons, including the superb tone and the wide cord guides; however, the stylings around the cord guides and on the ivory work on the end caps are distinct Thow traits. Robert Gillanders worked for both MacDougall and Thow (as well as for Center) in the years after 1900, so there are common elements in some of these makers’ pipes. For some reason — perhaps the consistent lack of makers’ stamps — Thow gets short shrift and his pipes are given other well known names, like MacDougall. In short, the three ebony Thow sets on this site at present are gems being sadly ignored for want of a bigger name.

One tenor top on this set was a hack replacement, but both original mounts were in the box, so a replica tenor top has been made in ebony, matching the second original top and using the original mounts. One tenor bottom and the bass stock had hairline cracks, so these were invisible whipped since they are ebony (ebony doesn’t glue as reliably as blackwood). The chanter stock is a replacement, and the blowpipe stock was also whipped. The ivory is lovely. The silver is not of the highest grade and the ferrules are open rather than closed, but the overall effect is quite nice.

The drones play beautifully — steady, robust, and with a wide tuning range that keeps pipes steady.

Circa 1960 R. G. Hardie, Re-bored to Henderson Specs, Full Ivory, Set #2

SOLD – This set of circa 1960 Hardie full-ivories has been re-bored with pre-1940s Henderson bores.

Bob Hardie’s pipes were well crafted and he used superb wood. They are favoured by pipers wanting a quieter pipe, and as a result aren’t as popular as pipes with a fuller sound. I asked the Henderson experts at Dunbar Bagpipes (Jack Dunbar worked at the Henderson shop in the 1940s) to re-bore these Hardies according to the old Henderson specs. Only the internal specs of the bells were untouched. The bass bottom joint is a slightly smaller diameter than Henderson so it tunes a bit higher on the pin. The result has been as I’d hoped, with a much fuller drone sound, but still steady and easy to reed.

This bagpipe was in almost perfect condition, and appears to have been played for only a short time. There are some almost imperceptible chips on a couple of the projecting mounts. The finish is original. The blowpipe was missing, so a polypenco-lined blackwood blowpipe was made to match and an old ivory projecting mount turned down a bit to match.

Since re-boring, this pristine pipe is robust and much more Henderson-like than the original, mellow tone.

1925 Henderson, Full Ivory, Engraved Silver Slides

SOLD – This is a tonally spectacular set of full ivory Henderson pipes with engraved silver slides.

The slides are not hallmarked; however, the mouthpiece tube is hallmarked 1925. The mouthpiece tube is well worn, and it’s hard to tell if it matches the slides. It’s possible that the slides were added later, but the pipes themselves are certainly of the same vintage as the mouthpiece tube: easily 1920s or earlier.

Because the pipes didn’t need to be refinished, the identity of the wood couldn’t be determined for sure. They aren’t ebony. They appear to be blackwood, but in good light they have a distinct reddish cocuswood tinge.

The pipes are in superb condition, showing no cracks or repairs and only some very normal, minor chipping to the mounts.

The tone is big and bold, rich and locked-in steady: really classic Henderson.

John Center, Circa 1890s, Cocuswood, Ivory

SOLD – Many vintage aficionados consider John Center one of the greatest pipemakers, ranking in both tone and craftsmanship along with Duncan MacDougall, David Glen and Henry Starck. He made pipes in Edinburgh from 1869 to 1908, moving with his son James to Melbourne in the last few years of his life.

He favoured cocuswood as the material of choice for his sticks. His pipes are superbly crafted, and display a refined, buzzy tone about half way been the more robust MacDougall and the subdued Glen. The bass is full and dominant, and the pipes are very steady.

This set is pristine but for the blowstick, which was missing and has been replaced with an ebony replica. While the set has been refinished, there are no cracks or repairs. The mounts are ivory, and the pipes come with the original chanter displaying maker’s the name as “J Center Edinburgh.”

The set is a gorgeous artifact and a lovely instrument.