This set was listed a couple of months ago and snapped up very quickly. Unfortunately, the customer could not get the pipes to go steadily. I apologetically took the pipes back for a full refund. Turns out there were some undetected cracks in both tenor turning pins. These were sealed and invisible whipped. I just had 45 minutes on the pipes and they are now as steady as any MacDougall set I’ve ever played.

The set came to me from my friend Ron Bowen and has been identified as MacDougall, from the years around 1860. It could be Duncan’s work, or that of his father John, but the pipe is distinctly MacDougall. It is ebony, except for the bass drone, which is blackwood.

The original bass drone could not be salvaged, and a reproduction was made using the internal specifications of the MacDougalls owned by John Wilson, Edinburgh/Toronto, that were sold on this site some years ago. All mounts are original, with the exception of the bass ivory ring and bushing.

The bass drone stock appears to be cocuswood and may not be original to the pipes, though, again, the mount is. The upper projecting mount on the bass bottom joint has a small chunk out of it. When the pipes were in transit to the customer described above, a piece of the same mount broke away cleanly. This was professionally repaired when the tenor tuning pins were addressed. The blowstick stock may not be original. Both tenor stocks required invisible whipping.

The tone is superb, and while the pipe has some compromises, the tone is clearly MacDougall — full, rich and seamless, with a powerful bass.

The pipes are priced with its hybrid nature taken into account, and is a great opportunity for a piper to experience the MacDougall tone and style at a very affordable price.