Vintage Bagpipe Archive

Unknown Edinburgh Bagpipe, Circa 1890s, Ebony, Nickel, Ivory

SOLD – It can be difficult to determine the make and age of button-mount pipes because projecting mounts are such an important visual identifier.  This set came to me with no known maker, but a distinctly Edinburgh appearance.  Guesses as to maker have included Hutcheon, J&R Glen, and possibly Thow, but this may just remain a mystery set.

The pipes are ebony, with nickel ferrules and ivory rings. Being ebony, we had the pipes stripped, and being ebony, there were some hairline cracks to be invisible whipped. The blowstick and blowstick stock are poly-lined replacements. The pipes have been refinished.

Starck, Circa 1930, German Silver and Ivory

SOLD – This bagpipe was presented to me as a Glen instrument because the J & R Glen name was engraved on the chanter sole (visible in the picture below). However, the deeply cut beads on the wood are the most distinctive feature on pipes made by the Henry Starck company. Henry Starck, a German woodwind maker living in London, was convinced by William Ross, the Queen’s Piper, to make bagpipes for him. And what a bagpipe he made from the late 1880s onward! Early Starcks are superbly made and very toneful.

It would appear that at some point this set had the engraved German silver caps and slides added, almost certainly by the J & R Glen company, given their stamp (but no hallmark) on the chanter sole.

All pieces appear to be original, but for the mouthpiece sleeve, which is a match for the thistle engraving but is actually hallmarked silver. The chanter is a J & R Glen, which must have been acquired along with the engraving. The chanter sole is detached from the chanter and can be installed on any modern chanter.

The pipes came crack free and in great shape, requiring only a clean-and-polish on the lathe.  They were robust and rock steady on my shoulder, with a great chanter blend.

Henderson, Circa 1920, German Silver and Ivory

SOLD – This bagpipe is very interesting. At first glance you would call it silver and ivory, and indeed it is, but with a catch. The metal is only 7% silver — just enough to give it a real sheen when you take the silver polishing cloth to it. These non-hallmarked “silver” and ivory pipes are more common than we might think, and several sets I’ve tested have come out with less than 10% silver.

Having said that, they can be gorgeous in a way modern nickel or aluminum alloy doesn’t capture, and this set is just that. The ivory is nearly pristine. The set was stripped and refinished, a process that uncovered some hairline cracks, usually under ferrules. These have been invisible whipped and will not bring further trouble. The blowpipe stock is a poly-lined blackwood replica with the original ferrule. The mouthpiece bulb is a modern replacement, but the metal sleeve is original to the pipes

These pipes played beautifully for me, locking in with that steady, seamless Henderson tone we hear so much about. It’s great to have it on your shoulder.

Duncan Macdougall, Circa 1880, Ebony, Marine Ivory

SOLD – I first acquired this bagpipe around a dozen years ago. It was my first MacDougall purchase. I loved the bagpipe and played it for a little under two years, then sold it on. It had come from the Aberdeen area and was rife with cracks. These were repaired before my refurbishers learned how to do invisible whipping, so the whipping is visible on several pieces. The pipes went to Alaska and its harsh, dry winters, where some more cracking occurred that was invisible whipped. When I bought the pipes back several months ago more cracks had appeared and these were invisible whipped. I daresay nearly every piece has been whipped, but the pipes still play like a dream.

The pipes are ebony, with marine ivory mounts. They came with no blowstick or stock. This blowstick is an old cocuswood Glen, with a parrot-beak bead, but the colour matches the pipes. The blowstick stock is also a cocuswood Glen. The original refurbisher said that the bass top and mid-joint were not original to the pipes, but were made by Duncan MacDougall. Weird. Some ferrules have scribe lines and some don’t. Those with may be replacements, as may be the particularly white ones. However, all drone pieces and most of the stocks are original Duncan MacDougall

The drones are brass-lined — a great contributor to cracking but with a lovely tuning action — and the wider cord guides are typical of Duncan’s work, though these aren’t as wide as some.

This bagpipe supports the belief that when properly fixed, cracks have no effect on the tone of a bagpipe. Pieces rarely need to be replaced.

Alexander or J&R Glen Circa 1860, Cocuswood Drones, Bone, Ivory, Imitation Ivory

SOLD – This bagpipe came to me as an Alexander Glen, circa 1870. Alexander Glen was one of the seminal Edinburgh pipemakers of the mid-1800s, brother of Thomas MacBean Glen, another iconic Edinburgh maker, and father of David, who would take the business into the 20th century. They were part of a school of pipemakers that favoured very delicately turned instruments with narrow profiles and mounts. This set fits nicely into the Edinburgh school.

Alex Glen made pipes from 1833 until his death in 1872, when the company passed to David. John and Robert Glen ( J&R) were sons of Thomas MacBean Glen. They began making pipes in their father’s business the years around 1860. This set is thought to date from around this time. My consultations with the foremost Glen expert I know, Andreas Virnich-Hartmann, suggest that this is an early J&R Glen set, and not ruling out Thomas himself.

The instrument appears to have undergone a series of repairs over the years, with some of the original bone mounts being replaced as they were lost. Some of the replacement mounts are celluloid, some may be ivory, but suffice to say they are all excellent ivory substitutes. So while there are small inconsistencies in the mounts, the overall look and patina are quite attractive. The stocks are replacements in their entirety, mounted in very convincing imitation ivory. One hairline crack on a tenor top was discovered at the photo stage (see if you can find it) and has now been invisible whipped. The instrument has been stripped and refinished recently.

The tone of the drones with my Canning reeds was bold. The drones locked and there was a good blend with the chanter.

Lawries, Circa 1910, Ebony, Nickel, Celluloid Rings

SOLD – This is an interesting and rare find: an ebony Lawrie complete with a 1912 bill of sale describing it even then as a used bagpipe.

Ebony Lawries are rare, and this set sports the spun nickel ferrules unique to R. G. Lawrie. The rings appear to be celluloid, which is the most convincing imitation ivory ever devised. (It went out of fashion in the mid-1900s because it tended to catch fire of the lathe.) The bushes are ivory.

As expected in ebony that comes to North America, there were some hairline cracks that were invisible whipped, and all but two undetectable.

The pipes played beautifully with my Canning drone reeds. The drones are robust and vibrant and locked in right off. They have a seamless blend I find quite common in old ebony.

Hutcheon (Suspected), Circa 1890, Cocuswood, Nickel, Ivory Rings

SOLD – This is a make we haven’t had on the site before. The pipes came to me as J&R Glen, but a quick examination dispelled that notion. The closest maker I and my vintage cronies could come up with was James Hutcheon, who made pipes in Edinburgh from 1887 to 1913.  However, Hutcheon is also noted for adorning mounts with a band of three narrow scribe lines, rather than two. This set has two. These pipes came with what may be the original chanter, but with no sole and no maker stamp. So determining a maker is pretty much educated guesswork. A small ridge in the ivory rings is also unique.

The pipes are quite lovely, in cocuswood, ivory and nickel. They played much like a David Glen bagpipe — subdued, but rich. The tenors tune a bit low, but were steady as well. The set comes with an extra bottom bass joint that appears to be cocuswood, but could be blackwood. The bass is much more robust and buzzy with this joint, whereas the original maintains the more restrained sound of the drones.

Duncan Macdougall, Circa 1890, Ebony, Marine Ivory

SOLD – This is a gorgeous example of Duncan MacDougall’s work, likely from a few years on either side of 1890. They are Gaboon ebony and marine ivory, likely walrus tusk.

As is almost invariably the case with old ebony, there were some hairline cracks:  four stocks and the two tenor tops. These were invisible whipped and require a good eye to see.

The set played beautifully.  I was struck immediately by how air efficient they were — a Duncan MacDougall trait — yet how much power they had. They were rich and vibrant and locked into tune right away with my Canning drone reeds.

Classic set. The set also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Ron Bowen.

Henderson, 1931, African Blackwood, Ivory, Engraved Silver Slides Hallmarked

SOLD – The silver slides hallmarked 1931 suggest an exact year of manufacture for this Henderson set. The lovely, aged amber appearance of the ivory, the general profiles of the pieces and the fact that the silver maker’s mark is PH, for Peter Henderson, all suggest that the slides are original to the pipes and the pipes were made in 1931-32.

The pipes came with a section of one tenor top that was missing three combed sections. This combing was subsequently added by Dunbar Bagpipes. The work is slightly visible up close to the piece. The chanter stock was cracked, but has since been invisible whipped and should give no more problems. It would appear that the blowstick stock ferrule, if not the whole stock, is a replacement. The ferrule on the stock appears to be catalin, but a pretty reasonable match to the rest of the set. The chanter is a Henderson, but not original to the set.

These played like classic Hendersons, bold, steady and seamless, and came into tune quickly with my Canning drone reeds.

Robertson, Circa 1930s, African Blackwood, Nickel, Casein

SOLD – The double scribe lines in the middle of the ferrules tell us right away that this is a Robertson bagpipe from the 1920s. Other features such as the wood projecting mount shapes, the square profiles of the upper pieces and the casein ring caps complete the Robertson identification.

The set needed no repairs, only a polish on the lathe. The blowpipe came with a copper insert, suggesting it may have cracked at some time, but no crack is visible.

The casein is in excellent shape — not chalky and mottled as is usual. It looks as though it has been skimmed and polished on a lathe, renewing its original patina. The chanter appears original to the set, though the casein sole has not been skimmed.

The pipes played well, the tenors tuning lower than usual. The drones locked in nicely with my Canning reeds, and displayed typical Robertson steadiness and richness.

Mixed Parts, Circa 1930s

SOLD – This instrument came to me just as it is. It is a mix of three premier pipemakers: Henderson, Lawrie and Robertson. One tenor drone appears to be Henderson, the other a Lawrie. The bass top and bottom are Robertson, and the bass mid-joint is Henderson. All stocks but the chanter stock are Robertson. The blowstick is a Robertson.  All of the pieces are thought to originate in the 1930s. At some point all of the tuning slides were fitted with engraved sleeves which appear to be silver, though they are not hallmarked.

As you might expect from pieces from renown pipemakers, the pipes play very well.  Full and rich, they locked in nicely with my Canning drone reeds.

All of the pieces are in excellent shape, though one tenor stock has a small gouge of it it. The ivory has some minor staining issues.

The only provenance known for this set is that it came out of the estate of Bill Burnett, former co-owner of Burnetts and Struth Scottish Regalia in Ontario. Bill passed away in the early 2000s, so the pipes have been dormant since then.

Robertson, Full Ivory, Circa 1930s

SOLD – We’ve had a few Robertson pipes on the site recently. This set appears to date from the 1930s, perhaps the early part of that decade. The mushroom mounts are more subdued and as close to a ‘standard’ look as Robertson ever got. The ferrules are long with a small bead, and the double scribe lines have migrated from the middle of the ferrule in the 1920s to the bottom in the 1930s.

The set came to me with some minor hairline cracks under ferrules. These were fixed and will cause no more trouble. The bass mid-joint came with a brass sleeve in the tuning chamber, likely to counter a small crack which has now been addressed with invisible whipping. The set has been stripped and refinished. It comes with what is most likely the original chanter, though a 100-year-old chanter is more a curiosity than something you would play.

These pipes played beautifully with my reeds and chanter in typical Robertson fashion — full, rich and steady.

James Robertson made pipes in Edinburgh as early as 1908. He died in 1948 but the high tonal and manufacturing standard he set was maintained until the company ceased operations in 1965.