Vintage Bagpipe Archive

Duncan Macdougall, Circa 1890, Ebony, Marine Ivory

SOLD – Lovely MacDougalls like these come up periodically, and I’m always pleased when they do, because they are all good. It’s difficult to date Duncan MacDougall’s pipes from this period, but 10 years on either side of 1890 is probably accurate.  The three wide cord guides, the distinctive ferrules and the elegant projecting mounts combine to make this a classic example of Duncan’s work.

The set came to me with some damage, almost all of it reparable. The only replacement pieces are the blowstick and blowstick stock. The stock is a poly-lined replacement with original mount; the blowstick is an old Glen with a Glen parrot’s beak mount and a copper sleeve in the bore. It’s a good match for the pipes. One stock ferrule has a crack that has been sealed and is visible in the photos. Being ebony of substantial age, there were a number of hairline and ‘beginner’ cracks in the sticks. We take no chances with ebony and these have been sealed and invisible whipped. One tenor projecting mount is not flush to the wood. Unfortunately even my reliable refurbishers at Dunbar Bagpipes could not get that mount loose, and that’s saying something. So the small gap visible in the pics is a permanent fixture.

The pipes were completely stripped and refinished and the tuning chambers were evened out.

The pipes played much like my own MacDougalls. They locked in with my Canning drone reeds and played me a seamless wall of sound for the 20 minutes I played them.

Robertson, Silver and Ivory, Hallmarked 1960-61

SOLD – This Robertson set displays the classic ‘mushroom’ ivory projecting mounts when they were most mushroom like, and it was made at a time when the Robertson company may have been at its best, 1960-61, as evidenced by the hallmark on each piece. The pipes needed no repairs, only a polish on the lathe. The tuning chambers were evened out.

The pipes still have their original finish and there are no replacement or repaired wood or ivory pieces. The chanter, silver sole, mouthpiece bulb and silver sleeve are all original. The silver sleeve had split on the seam, but this has been resealed.

The stocks are conically bored, meaning the bores are wider at the bottom than the top. Some makers believe this improves air flow to the drones for a steadier sound. Moisture control systems that insert into the bottoms of the stocks can’t be used with conically bored stocks.

As I always am with Robertsons, I was taken with the rich, robust tone and extreme steadiness of these drones, which I played for 35 minutes, touching them up only twice after the initial tune-up. They were just lovely — as good as Robertsons get.

Alexander Glen Circa 1860, Ebony, Marine Ivory

SOLD – This set came through the shop in 2018 and found its way back to me, as many sets do after some years of use. The description below was written then. The photos are new and the pipes were tested anew.

Alexander Glen began making pipes in Edinburgh around 1835 and continued until his death in 1873. His son David was perhaps the most famous Glen in this pipemaking dynasty that spanned more than 120 years, but Alex set the original standard for craftsmanship.

This remarkable set came to me almost complete, lacking only its blowpipe. The wood is ebony and the mounts are marine ivory — walrus — which was used widely in pipemaking during the 19th century. The pipes display the narrow profiles and mounts typical of Edinburgh pipemakers during this period.

Unfortunately, the blowpipe stock and one tenor stock were cracked badly enough that it was best to make blackwood replicas. The blowpipe and blowpipe stock are poly-lined, with the projecting mount on the blowstick coming from an orphan tenor bottom in my collection that matched very well. A number of hairline cracks in the drone pieces were invisible whipped and will not recur. It would appear that one of the tenor bushings may have been replaced at some point in the distant past. The pipes have been completely refinished (2018).”

This is a lovely piece of antique history as well as a superb musical instrument.

The tone was sonorous, rich and steady, slightly fuller in sound than son David’s pipes.

Henderson, Circa 1920, Full Ivory

SOLD – This is a Henderson bagpipe from the 1920s with two major alterations and two minor ones. One tenor drone bottom is not a Henderon but a Lawrie in imitation ivory from the 1930s. The bottom joint is a modern replica with the original mounts. The Chanter stock, blowpipe and blowpipe stock are replacement pieces mounted in imitation ivory. The blowpipe and stock are polypenco-lined.

One odd feature about this set is that the two tenor top ferrules are quite different, yet the wood pieces are absolutely identical.

These pipes played very well for me with the robust, steady and seamless sound characteristic of Henderson bagpipes of this period.

The pipes are priced with the above-mentioned compromises in mind.

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.