This silver and ivory Hardie bagpipe is hallmarked 1964. Except for some minor chipping on the bottom of one tenor drone bell, the set looks like it was played very little. The original finish is almost perfect. All original ivory hempstops and intact.

The original mouthpiece is missing, but aside from that, all other pieces are original. The only flaw is a crack in the ivory projecting mount on the blowstick, which has been filled. The blowstick has been rebored, since blowsticks of this era tended to be narrow and restrictive.

While the original chanter (not pictured) comes with the set, the silver sole was installed on a 1990s poly Dunbar chanter. This was and is an excellent chanter — a little lower pitched than today’s — and I saw no reason to change it.

Bob Hardie kept a large cache of well aged wood, and the quality of this wood is reflected in the tuning chambers of these drones, which are perfectly even and required no reaming.

In classic Hardie fashion, the set is steady and easy to reed. The drone sound is mellow, with a nice bass/tenor balance. Though the more subdued drone sound keeps Hardies from being played at the highest solo levels, I find these pipes perfect for a middle-age hobbyist looking for a reliable drone sound that won’t overpower the chanter, particularly if the piper’s tuning skills are not  yet at a high level.