Here is a classic set of ebony Lawries which were tentatively dated by the previous owner as 1905. While there was no firm evidence for this date, the patina of the ivory, the worn silver and the thick, well worn chanter all suggest that 1890s-1910 is almost certainly the correct range.

The pipes were refinished some years ago, at which time some minor cracks in the ivory were filled. All pieces are original.  The ivory has normal age-staining and is in good shape, but for a number of chips in the tops of the ferrules on the tenor stocks.

The silver pattern is lovely, but there are no hallmarks. The chanter is almost certainly original to the pipes and features not only an incredible silver sole, but a lovely ivory bulb as well.

The shield on the bass drone stock was designed in an old style, but was in fact added by the previous owner once he determined the age and make of the pipes. It is quite a tasteful addition and could easily pass for original.

There are no cracks or repairs to the wood. The pipes play a huge Lawrie/Henderson sound: very rich and steady, like a wall of sound behind the chanter.

This is really a lovely bagpipe, and the silver slides set the ivory off nicely. Tonally, this is a first-class instrument and would suit competitors right up to Gold Medal level.

Not your usual Highland pipe fare this one! The Northumbrian smallpipe is one of the loveliest instruments on earth. This is a particularly old set, almost certainly dating to the late 19th century.

It is in traditional F pitch, with the traditional 7 keys on the chanter, and tuning beads on each drone for tuning the drones to multiple keys. The drones are a mix of cocuswood and ebony, with brass ferrules and ivory mounts, perhaps walrus. The chanter is ebony with brass keys with square heads, which are typical of key heads of the period.

The pipes are in great shape and were recently refurbished by Colin Ross, regarded by many as the greatest NSP maker ever. It plays very nicely with Colin’s reeds. The original maker of the pipes is unknown.

The bellows is not original to the set. It is airtight and works like a charm. This could be an excellent first set, though it could easily be a lifetime set to someone looking to stick with a seven-key chanter.

This set of blackwood, full-ivory mounted Hendersons comes as close to being authenticated as 1936 as can be without an actual date stamp on the drones. The set came in its original shipping box, addressed to the owner, return addressed Peter Henderson, postmarked 1936. The box was padded with 1936 newspapers. It also contained a brand new Willie Ross-edited Logan’s Tutor printed in 1936. The box was crumbling and the bag was literally rotted, but the parts of the box showing the shipping and postmarking information was kept and will go with the pipes.

The pipes look liked they were used minimally. The stocks were marked with some residue and had to be stripped and refinished, but the finish on the rest of the pipes has not been touched. The original Henderson practice chanter is showing some wear on the mouthpiece. But the pipe chanter is literally brand-spanking new and plays beautifully.

The ivory has some staining, some of which is visible in the pictures. This is the result of the pipes laying unused in the box in one position for decades, perhaps the result of some moisture on the bag. Such staining can be turned down on a lathe without too much difficulty, but I prefer to leave an original gem like this as it is.

The pipes display the big Henderson sound, played steadily with the first set of drone reeds put in them, tuned right where they should, and held nicely for 25 minutes. As a piping friend who was listening said when I was finished, “Yup, those are Hendersons.”

This set of Hendersons is thought to date from around the turn of the last century. It is ebony, fully mounted in immaculate ivory, and has plain silver slides that were added at a later date. The pipes play beautifully – a full, rich, steady Henderson sound with great chanter blend. All pieces are original, except for the blowpipe stock which was missing, and has been replaced with a poly-lined blackwood stock and a matching ivory mount.

There are two surface cracks in the drones. One, in a tenor top, appeared 16 years ago, was glued, and has never moved since. The other, barely visible, was in the bass top when the pipes were purchased 25 years ago from Jim McIntosh, and it has never moved. Another crack in the chanter stock, though not right through, appeared a bit threatening and has been invisible-whipped. The pipes have been played regularly in Ontario’s extreme climate for 25 years.

This is really a lovely bagpipe, and the silver slides set the ivory off nicely. Tonally, this is a first-class instrument and would suit competitors right up to Gold Medal level.

This is a spectacular set of full-silver Henderson pipes dating from sometime around 1920. It’s an unusual set in that the hallmark on the chanter sole is dated 1908, on the ferrules 1920, and on the projecting mounts 1923-24. So the 1920 date of the pipes is really a guesstimate based on the varying age of the hallmarks. It’s possible that pipes are earlier and the silver added later.

The silver is almost certainly not factory-installed. The drones are all original, and it appears that the tenor stocks are older replacements. The blowstick stock was cracked and has been replaced with a new, poly-lined blackwood stock. All of the wood has been refinished.

A flaw on the pipes is shown in the last two photos below: the bottom of the lower projecting mount on one tenor bottom has been dented in fairly substantially. However, as the photos show, it is visible only when you turn the drone bottom up to look at it. It is not otherwise apparent, and it was some time after I acquired the pipes that I discovered this blemish. There are a number of other quite minor bumps on the silver typical of a full silver set of this age.

The projecting mounts on this set are hollow, so the pipes are much lighter than most comparable full-silvers. As the photos show, the silver is textured and elaborate: it is very ornate and pristine.

The sticks themselves run true and straight, and the tone of the drones is classic full and steady with the expected rich Henderson bass.

The silver sole is currently installed on a circa 1960s Hardie chanter. The original Henderson chanter without a sole is still with the pipes.

The great Bob Hardie was one of the most successful pipemakers and pipe majors ever, and this is a set from the prime of his career. They had only one owner who purchased them new in 1956 from Bob’s Glasgow shop.

When I acquired this set I had them shipped from the original owner’s grand daughter directly to my refurbisher. He took one look and sent them straight to me, saying that aside from some staining on several of the ivory pieces like the tenor mounts shown in the photos, the pipes look like they were transported by time machine from 1956 to the present. Mint condition.

Hardie pipes are often described as producing a “mellow” drone sound, not as subdued as the old David Glen pipes, but not robust like Hendersons. They are extremely steady, with a good, solid bass sound. The trueness of the tuning chambers usually found in these older Hardies is a testament to Bob Hardie’s commitment to prime, well seasoned blackwood.

The pipes come with the original Hardie pipe chanter from 1956, one of the most popular, versatile and best loved chanters of all time.

James Robertson set a high standard for pipemaking throughout his long career, and pipemakers without exception speak in reverential terms about his craftsmanship. His design and manufacturing standards were so consistent that it can be difficult to attach dates to his pipes. However, this set at one time had a bill of sale that dated them 1941, though the previous owner (only the second in the life of the instrument) has since lost it.

This set is blackwood, fully mounted in ivory, and shows James Robertson’s unmistakable mushroom-shaped projecting mounts and his characteristic scribe lines and beads on the ferrules. They are in pristine condition after refinishing, though the original blowstick has been replaced with a new delrin-lined blackwood one (original mount). Some of the mounts have some slight staining.

The set is classic Robertson – a full, rich sound and very steady.

Full ivory David Glen pipes are not common. These sticks are cocuswood – David Glen’s favourite wood. The previous owner of this pipe lived in a dry climate in the US, and after he acquired the instrument several of the ivory ferrules cracked. He worked with an ivory conservator and made quite expert repairs that have held firmly now for many years.

The bass drone stock and the blowpipe also cracked. He inserted a marine glue that remains malleable after it dries, and these repairs have never moved. He also inserted a thin brass tube into the blowstick to further reinforce it. The repairs are visible, but not obivous, and since they have remained stable for decades they have not been altered.

The tuning chambers have brass slides, a fairly common practice for David Glen.

The David Glen stamp is barely visible on each of the tuning pins.

Glen was a meticulous craftsman, and his manufacturing standards were very consistent. As a result, it can be difficult to date his pipes. The age of the ivory and the fact that these pipes are cocuswood suggest that they were made prior to 1900.

David Glen drones are really a treat, and if you’re looking for a reliable and remarkably steady set of drones with a rich, buzzy, but not overwhelming tone, you can’t go wrong with them. They are easy to reed and blend superbly with the chanter. It’s a bright, cheerful drone sound.

These pipes required no additional restoration work. They spent several days in an almond oil bath.

Thow made pipes out of Dundee from 1853-1953, and though not common, Thow pipes from the early 1900s are highly respected. The date of this set is unknown, though the patina of the ivory might suggest the 1920s. It is difficult to tell if they are blackwood or ebony, but they appear to be ebony.

The set is almost complete, including a superb, stamped chanter that plays close to Bb. There is no original blowstick or stock. Instead, the set has a regular-sized poly blowstick stock with a nickel mount, and a large-bore poly blowstick.

The ferrules are nickel and the ring caps and chanter sole are ivory.

The set comes with cane reeds that go very nicely, though a set of Ezeedrone 3/4 drone reeds are available for an extra $95. The pipes are equipped with a regular-sized hide bag in excellent shape. It also comes with what is likely its original wooden case.

The set plays beautifully at around Bb with a nice, easy reed. Great set for a child or as a ceilidh or indoor instrument.

Duncan MacRae was a superb and innovative maker who made pipes from 1897 until his death in 1930. The company continued on until the early 1950s. He worked closely with P/M Willie Gray, a great thinker and piping innovator himself.

The cocuswood would suggest that this 3/4 set or “reelpipe” was made in the 1920s or earlier. The original tuning pins on the pipes were “hempless.” This was a MacRae invention that used expanding vertical nickel bands to maintain constant pressure on the tuning chambers so the pins didn’t need to be hemped. The sliding action on this set had deteriorated over the years, so the bands were removed and the tuning pins were threaded and hemped. The lower parts of the slides are original and still show the patent number MacRae had stamped on each to protect his invention.

The set is in great shape, with no cracks.  There was no chanter stock with the pipes, so a cocobola chanter stock with a matching nickel ferrule has been made to match the set. The satin finish is in great shape and was not touched

There was no chanter with the pipes, so it comes with a cocobola 3/4 chanter made by Roddy MacLellan in Bb. The set comes with a Ross extended small bag and Ezeedrone 3/4 drone reeds. The drones are steady and buzzy. Set up with an easy reed in Bb, a set like this is great for a small child or for your own entertainment and playing with concert pitch instruments.

SOLD – This is one of the earliest silver and ivory Lawries we’ve had on the site in a long time. All of the pieces are original except for the blowpipe, which is a poly replica with internal valve and the original mount. The chanter is an old Hardie fitted with the original engraved silver sole. The blowpipe bulb is modern polypenco, and the sleeve is engraved nickel. The blowpipe mount has aged more than the rest of the ivory, but does appear to be original. I suspect an owner at some point used a different blowpipe and stored the original in a damp place. One lower projecting mount has a rice-grain-sized chip.

The set was dated by the previous owner, and external evidence and profiles support a date that could indeed be as early as 1905.

As with any 100+ year old ebony, there were three or four hairline crack on the outside of the wood. None threatened any of the pieces, but I prefer to have all of these sealed or invisible whipped as required. No whipping was needed on this set.

It should be noted that this style of Lawrie bagpipe with engraved, tapered, metal ferrules, are usually called “silver and ivory.” In fact, the silver is plating only. But Lawrie executed the best plating I’ve ever seen. Even after years of terrible tarnishing on the mountes of an unplayed pipes, these buff up to a gorgeous sheen.

The drones are a tonal masterpiece — big, bold and steady. This is a prize set.

SOLD – Bob Hardie and partner John Weatherston always used superb, well-seasoned wood. Their pipes are well made, steady, and easy to reed.

This set is mounted in ivory and engraved silver, hallmarked 1963-64. It is in superb shape. The only repair required to the wood was to seal a crack in the blowpipe stock. The ivory blowpipe bulb was cracked beyond repair and has been replaced by an artificial ivory bulb. The engraved silver sleeve is original.

The set was stripped and refinished and comes with the original Hardie chanter and silver sole. The chanter may well be beyond going well with today’s reeds, but its presence is a reflection of how well the pipes have been cared for.

Hardie pipes are sought in many circles for their mellower tone. They do not have overpowering volume but they are extremely steady.

This is a beautiful set in great condition, perfect for a hobbyist who would like a sparkling and steady high-end bagpipe.

This is a slightly unusual Henderson set. It appears to be a mixture of cocuswood and Brazillian kingwood. This was not an uncommon Henderson configuration in the 1920s and 1930s. The ferrules are nickel, and the mounts and caps are ivory.

This is a tonally superb set, with a sweetness to the Henderson sound that is different from the more robust blackwood.

There are a couple of very slight dings in the projecting mounts, one on the blowstick, and a smaller one on the bass bottom.

The set has no original chanter (the chanter in the photographs was included by mistake). All stocks are replicas with matching ferrules, as there were no stocks with this set. The blowstick stock is a poly split stock, the rest are blackwood.

The pipes were refinished some years ago and the finish is still in excellent shape. The unusual wood configuration and replacement stocks result in a superb price for the classic Henderson sound.

Email me about this set.

As shown, sticks only
CAD $3,650 plus shipping

Set up to play – Ross Bag, ‘JMcG’ or MCC2 solo blacwood chanter, Kinnaird Evolution or Canning drone reeds, bag cover, cords.
CAD $4,295 plus shipping