Vintage Bagpipe Archive

Center, Circa 1880, Ebony, Ivory

SOLD – This set came to me as an Alex Glen, but has since been identified as John Center in Edinburgh, likely made in the 10 years around 1880. It is made of ebony, with ivory mounts.

The set was in excellent condition, requiring only a cleaning on the lathe, and invisible whipping a crack in the blowpipe stock. The blowpipe is a replica with a holly mount. The chanter shown in the photo does not match the pipes, though it came with them. It is an old Henderson chanter.

The pipes played with a rich, mellow steadiness. They are not a robust pipe, but a sweet one with lots of character.

You can hear Matt MacIsaac playing these pipes in studio conditions by clicking here.

Henderson, Circa 1930s, Blackwood, Bakelite, Casein, Nickel

SOLD – This is a primo, ivory-free Henderson set with an unusual configuration. Likely dates from the years around 1935. It has wood projecting mounts, nickel ferrules, bakelite ring caps and casein bushes. It’s possible that the nickel ferrules are not original.

This set was completely refurbed: stripped and refinished, repairing a cracked bass stock and one cracked tuning pin. Both repairs are invisible and will not return. The set came with a replica polypenco blowpipe — slightly shorter than the original, though the original is in fine shape — and blowpipe stock.

Tonally, I thought this was a special bagpipe: very robust with a great chanter blend and she locked into tune quickly and surely.

Center, Circa 1900, Ebony, Ivory

SOLD – This set likely dates from around 1900 or a little later. It is made in ebony and full mounted in ivory. It was purchased as a Duncan MacDougall, but since that time has been identified being John Center.

At some point fairly recently the set was stripped and refinished by Dunbar Bagpipes. One of the tenor tops had been broken and subsequently lost, so a replica piece was made in African blackwood, with premium imitation ivory mounts that match the set extremely well. The blowpipe had also been lost. A replica has been made with a nicely matching holly mount. The set is priced accordingly.

The pipes played with a seamless and steady tone, with an excellent chanter blend.

Robertson, Silver and Ivory, Hallmarked 1955

SOLD – This Robertson set was made the year I was born, but it’s in much better shape. It’s hallmarked 1955, made in the last dozen years of the company’s existence, a time when their manufacturing standards were at their highest.

The set underwent a full refurb very shortly before I acquired it and it looks spectacular. No cracks or repairs, though the original ivory mouthpiece bulb has been replaced by imitation ivory.

Bold and steady like all Robertsons, this set is an excellent example of the company’s best work. The stocks are tapered, as were all Robertson stocks during this period, purportedly to reduce turbulence and unsteadiness in the drones.

Robertson, Full Silver, Hallmarked 1961-62

SOLD – This Robertson set came to me from a player in midwestern Canada who played them at the highest pipe band levels. They are a rare full-silver Robertson, hallmarked 1961-63. The drone and chanter stock bores are flared: a common treatment in Robertsons of this era.

The pipe was stripped and refinished and came away with a verdict of no blemishes but one:  at some point the blowpipe went missing and was never found. A replica has been made with a non-matching aluminum alloy mount which blends in nicely with the set as a whole.

This set played like almost all Robertsons I’ve played:  bold, rich and steady.

Duncan Macdougall, Ebony, Ivory, Engraved German Silver, Circa 1870s

SOLD – This lovely Duncan MacDougall set is thought to be from his Aberfeldy period, perhaps circa 1875.  Ebony, with elephant ivory and German silver with a simple thistle pattern, these pipes are typical of Duncan’s elegant design.

The tuning chambers are brass lined. The drone stock bottoms are rounded off going into the bore, which may or may not be original. There is some staining on the ivory — not too much, just enough to add character!

The pipes played beautifully. Not booming like the full silver Hendersons on this page, but they had good presence, steadiness and great blend.

Typical of pipes with brass inserts, one tenor top required some invisible whipping, as did one stock. Repairs are virtually invisible. The pipes were refinished.

MacDougall sets don’t get much better than this.

Henderson, Ebony, Full Silver, Hallmarked 1918-19

SOLD – This magnificent full plain silver Henderson comes with some history. Up until 1998 it was owned by famed Australian piper Greg Wilson who won with it two Braemar Gold Medals, the Dunvegan Medal at Skye, and the Northern Meeting Gold Medal at Inverness. Each piece is hallmarked PH 1918-19

It is one of the more voluminous pipes I’ve ever played — a real kick. They were steady, and seamless and had a great chanter blend.  They are a prize-winning set.

The caveat is, being they are ebony, they have had cracks, and more cracks than most ebony pipes I’ve encountered. All the of drone tops have had portions, or their whole length invisible whipped. The whipping prevents recurrences.  One crack in the middle bass piece had been secured closed by a wide silver band that went back before Greg’s days with the pipes. This has now been removed and the piece properly fixed.

This is a lovely set that suffered some neglect and required TLC. But it brings with it a classic Henderson sound.

William Sinclair, Silver and Ivory, Hallmarked 1957-58

SOLD – This Sinclair set came to me in superb condition. The only work needed was to even out the four tuning chambers. There is one small chip on on projecting mount, visible in one of the photos below.

The set displays a thistle pattern and every piece but one is hallmarked 1957-58, including the chanter sole. The exception is the silver mouthpiece sleeve, whihc is a different pattern and hallmarked 1963-64. The ivory mouthpiece bulb probably came with the sleeve. The silver sole now resides on a very old Hardie chanter which, along with the second-place Sinclair, was the chanter of the day when this bagpipe was made.

I played a set of 1949 silver and ivory Sinclairs through the 1980s, winning with them the Gold Medal at Oban and the MSR at the Glenfiddich championship.  There were bold, bright and beautiful — quite cheery — and this set is just like them. Great tone, steadiness, and high manufacturing quality.

Lawries, Hallmarked 1951-52, Silver and Ivory

SOLD – This lovely Lawrie set was made in 1952 and has the hallmarks to prove it.

The pipes came to me blemish-free, requiring only a polish and a rehemp.

All pieces are original except for the mouthpiece bulb and silver sleeve. The bulb is imitation ivory and was made about a month ago. The silver sleeve came with the pipes, but the engraving pattern is not a match — not noticeable unless you look!

The tone of this set was bold, resonant and steady. I played a piobaireachd on them and they were lovely.

Donald Macdonald, Circa 1830s, Cocuswood, Marine Ivory

SOLD – This is the oldest and one of the most significant sets we’ve had on the site. Donald MacDonald made pipes from approximately 1800 until 1840 and his influences are still apparent today.

This set was owned for many years by a piper in Victoria, British Columbia, who purchased them as a set of MacDougalls. Though the set was not stamped, the visuals checked out with known MacDonald sets, convincing at least three vintage bagpipe experts that these are indeed Donald MacDonald pipes.

As might be expected of an instrument that is nearly 200 years old, there have been some repairs. Invisible whipping has been done on the bass top, one tenor top, and the lower portion of the bass middle.

All pieces appear to be original except for the blowpipe, which is a poly-lined replica with a nicely matching holly mount. The tenor rings appear to be elephant ivory, as does one bass projecting mount, and these are likely replacements.

The tenor bottoms have at some point had brass sleeves installed, almost certainly to make the drones tune higher.

Tonally, the drones are marvellous: quite robust, rich and steady.

To see a video on this instrument and to hear it played in studio conditions, please click here.

Henry Starck, Circa 1940, African Blackwood, Full Ivory

SOLD – Henry Starck was born to a German woodwind maker who immigrated to London around 1810. In the 1880s, the Queen’s Piper, William Ross, asked Henry Starck to make bagpipes for him. Starck did so, and then carried on its own pipemaking company, which lasted until 1962. Les Cowell, founder of David Naill and Company, trained and worked there for some years.

This set was likely made in the early 1940s, beautifully turned in the distinctive beading style the company maintained through much of its time. At some point there was a small crack in the bass top that was poorly repaired, but this has been properly fixed and is not at all visible. The original Starck, ivory-soled chanter comes with the pipes, but is not pictured.

The ivory is pristine save for one pepper-grain size nick in one drone stock ferrule.

Tonally this set was booming:  voluminous and rich with my Canning reeds. This set is a visual and tonal treat.

Chisholm (Robertson), Circa 1940, African Blackwood, Nickel, Imitation Ivory

SOLD – The company “Chisholm and Hunters” or just plain “John Chisholm” was listed as a bagpipe maker from 1901 until 1949, according to Jeannie Campbell’s expert book “Highland Bagpipe Makers.” The company carried sundry non-piping-related items as well, and quite likely bought pipes from other makers. Vintage expert Ringo Bowen believes, on the strength of a former Robertson employee, that many of the early Chisholm sets were made by Lawrie, and later sets by the James Robertson company. This set falls into the latter category, and is in fact one of the sets pictured on Ringo’s Bagpipe Museum “John Chisholm” page.

Likely made by either James Robertson himself or James Martin — perhaps Robertson’s best turner — the set displays some differences from Robertson sets, but the wood projecting mounts, the stocks and the tapered tuning chamber externals display a distinctly Robertson flavour. The instrument is beautifully turned.

Any doubts about the make evaporated when I played the drones with my own Canning reeds. They were robust, seamless and steady very much like scores of Robertson’s I’ve played.

The pipes are in great shape. The ferrules are nickel and the caps are what appears to be imitation ivory. The imitation ivory may not be original. The blowstick stock had a small crack that was been repaired. There is one rice-grain sized chip on the bead on the plastic bass ring cap.