This silver and ivory mounted Lawrie set is in superb shape, with the silver hallmarked 1951-52.

There were no cracks in the wood when they were acquired. They have been stripped and refinished, and there were no cracks under the original finish either. The tuning chambers have been gently reamed to even out the tuning action.

Some of the ivory has turned a cream colour, a little darker than the off-white of the rest, but the overall effect is still quite appealing. The ivory bushing of one tenor drone has some staining that couldn’t be removed and is visible in the photo of the drone caps.

The mouthpiece is not original. It is recent imitation ivory and engraved nickel.

The pipes play very nicely, displaying the usual robust and steady sound that Lawrie pipes maintained well into the 1950s. It’s a vibrant sound with lots of chanter blend.