This is a classic James Robertson set made in Edinburgh, most likely in the years around 1940. The set was in excellent shape, needing only the finish polished, the tuning chambers reamed slightly to even them out, and one hairline under the blowstick stock ferrule invisible whipped.

There are some minor anomalies. One tenor drone stock appears not to be original. It is barely noticeable, and only in the combing. I suspect it’s from a different Robertson set. The chanter stock is a perfect match to the rest of the set, except that the ivory ferrule lacks the double scribe-line: again, barely noticeable. The blowstick stock may or may not be a replacement. Again, none of these is visible without very careful examination.

The tone of this set is pure Robertson. He is the most consistent pipemaker I know of tonally. Every single set sounds the same: full, bassy, rich and steady.