This is a lovely example of David Glen’s work, likely from around the turn of the 20th century. The pipes are cocuswood, the ferrules are nickel, and the stylish drone caps are ivory.

This set did not require any refinishing or major refurb work when I acquired them, except to invisible whip a crack in the chanter stock.

David Glen’s craftsmanship — inherited from his meticulous father Alexander — is still admired by pipemakers today, and his drones are known for their rich, subdued tone and steadiness.

He began making pipes with his father in the 1860s and took the business over after Alex’s death in 1873. Around 1900 he added “& Sons” to the business name of David Glen. He died in 1910, leaving a voluminous legacy of high quality instruments and collections of pipe music. The business continued for many decades after his passing.

David appears to have favoured cocuswood over ebony or blackwood right up until his death.