I’ve had numerous MacDougall sets on this site, but few as classic or in such great condition as this Gavin MacDougall set. The pipes are ebony, the mounts are ivory, and all tuning chambers are fitted with brass inserts.

While the pipes aren’t stamped, the chanter is stamped “G.C. MacDougall, Aberfeldy,” and appears to be a perfect match with the set. The cord guides are in Duncan MacDougall’s wide style, suggesting that this set was made early in his son’s career. Gavin took the business over when his father died in 1898, though he had been making pipes with Duncan for many years. Lots of pipes stamped with Duncan’s name in the late 1890s were almost certainly made by Gavin.

The blowstick stock is uniquely Gavin: split, and fitted with a brass watertrap. This seems to be a special feature he offered, and I’ve seen only two others like this.

The pipes were stripped and refinished some months ago, and a hairline crack was lightly invisible whipped in one tenor top at that time. I’ve been enjoying playing this set for the past three months. It’s a beauty, both visually and tonally — seamless, with a lovely bass sound.