This set came to me as having been made/purchased in 1956. The ivory patina supports that vintage.

The pipes are in great shape and required no repairs or refinishing. The original chanter is a testament to the integrity of the instrument and the care with which it was treated. The pipes have the Gillanders stamp in the cord guides.

The tone is smooth and seamless, not as “mellow” as the Hardie sound, but not as full as the Henderson. The set locked into tune for me very quickly.

Bert Gillanders learned his pipemaking with John Center, the MacDougalls and the Thows around the turn of the century. He set up his own business in Dundee in the late 1920s. His son Robert learned the business in the 1930s, and would have made this set. The company continues to operate today as Gillanders and McLeod.

This is a modestly priced vintage set in great shape, with great style and a sweet tone.

This old Henderson set was sold to me as circa 1930s, but I think it might be a little earlier than that. The wood is ebony, the mounts are full ivory.

They have been stripped and refinished. A very small hairline crack was invisible whipped on the bass top and a crack in a projecting mount on one of the tenor bottoms has been filled. Aside from that the pipes are in great shape and are all original.

The ivory shows some staining due to age, as well as a slight bit of red staining, perhaps caused by a bag cover while the pipes were in storage.

I put the drones in my own stocks with my normal reeds and chanter as I usually do, and they locked together with the first tuning. I didn’t need to play them for more than two minutes to realize how good they were. The sound is bold, vibrant and steady. The drones tune exactly where they should.

I love old sets like this — in great condition, yet full of character from years of use, with a tone that demonstrates exactly why we like vintage instruments.

This striking set is absolutely unique. Some months ago I purchased a very old bagpipe that was badly cracked and contained several replacement pieces. It was clear that a number of the pieces were Duncan MacDougall’s, made during his Breadalbane period in the 1870s, and that all of the original silver and ivory mounts were present and in mint condtion. There was no sense in restoring the original mix of drone parts. So instead I asked Dunbar Bagpipes, my sole and superb refurbisher, to carefully remove all the original mounts and use them on one of the Breadalbane MacDougall reproductions they have been making for me for some years now.

It was a match made in heaven. The Dunbar reproduction is exemplary, both visually and tonally, and it would not be hard to pass this set off as a MacDougall original that had been restored and refinished. To prevent this, the bottom bass drone joint and all stocks have been stamped to identify the pipes as a modern reproduction. (Note that the stamps were added after these photos were taken.)

The deep-cut silver is gorgeous and the ivory is blemish-free but for a couple of age stains. As stated elsewhere in this site, the reproduction drones are an exact copy of a Breadalbane MacDougall set that I acquired from the late Skye piper Allan Beaton. I’m thrilled with the way these pipes turned out tonally — a very steady sound, with a large, cradling bass — and I will be playing my set during my summer foray to Scotland to play with the Inveraray and District Pipe Band. The set pictured here was made from wood that was purchased in 2006 and has been aging ever since.

It’s hard to say if the plain German silver slides on this set are original, but they add a distinct touch of elegance to an already elegant MacDougall bagpipe. It can be difficult to guesstimate the age of a Duncan McDougall set, but this one and appears to be at least partially mounted in marine ivory — almost certainly walrus — although the projecting mounts could be elephant. This would suggest a pre-1890 date of manufacture. The wood is of course ebony.

The pipes were in good shape upon receipt and played well. After the finish was removed some hairline cracks were found on one tenor top and on the middle joint of the bass drone. These have been invisible whipped and are not detectable. The blowpipe stock was badly cracked and has been replaced with a poly-lined blackwood replica that uses the original mount.

The pipes are tonally brilliant — a very exceptional set, even by Duncan MacDougall standards. The bass is bold and cradles the perfectly matched and steady tenors. The tuning chambers are smooth and even for ease of tuning. The pipes have been refinished, though the ivory is perfect, and it is clear that the set has been well cared for for more than 120 years.

Mixing ebony and cocuswood in a single set of pipes was common around the turn of the century. With this Henderson set, the bass top and bottom, one tenor top and the blowpipe are all ebony. The rest of the pieces are Caribbean cocus. The tuning pin on the bass middle joint was cracked beyond repair and has been replaced with a perfectly matching cocobola pin.

The set came with well-worn and chalky looking casein drone caps. These have been replaced with high-quality artificial ivory. The nickel ferrules and all other pieces are original and the set is thought to date from the first 10 years of the 1900s. The Henderson name is stamped in the cord guides and the pipes were accompanied by what appears to be the original shipping label from the Henderson shop on Renfrew Street in Glasgow.

The set required a number of repairs, including invisible whipping to the bass top and one tenor top. The blowpipe and stock were also invisible whipped. Hairline cracks were found under a number of the ferrules. These may never have created problems, but we take no chances with old wood on classic pipes and these were whipped under the ferrules as well.

For someone looking for a top-drawer Henderson sound free of ivory, this is your bagpipe. The tone is classic, robust Henderson: steady, with a big, surround-sound bass. The pipes are also very light-weight on the shoulder.

The set was stripped and refinished with our usual natural buffed finish that shows the wood grain nicely.

This classic full ivory Robertson set likely dates from the late 1930s, as demonstrated by the pattern of scribe lines on the ferrules. The distinctive Robertson mushroom-style projecting mounts are in their full glory here as are the conical shaped drone and chanter stocks.

The set was stripped and refinished and found to be completely free of cracks. The pipes sport the usual nicks and knocks that one might expect from a well used 80-year-old set of pipes as well as some normal spider cracking in the ivory projecting mounts. The blowstick stock appears to have been lightly skimmed at some point, perhaps to remove staining, so it is whiter than the rest of the ivory mounts.

The consistency of Robertson manufacturing and tonal quality has been mentioned many times on this page and will be mentioned many more. The set is beautifully made and displays the usual bold, steady, vibrant Robertson drone sound. They are easy to reed and easy to tune.

This set came to me just as it is. It was acquired by the previous owner as having been purchased in the late 1920s. Profiles and the shape of the ivory projecting mounts support this.

The ivory mounts were in terrible shape so the owner had the set refurbished — stripped and refinished and remounted with artificial ivory and engraved nickel. The refurbishment was undertaken by McCallum and the set comes with a McCallum poly chanter with a matching engraved sole. The rest of the set is blackwood except for the blowpipe which is polypenco.

The odd nick and chip in the wood again suggest a set that has seen long usage. There are no visible cracks or repairs and all pieces appear to be original.

The tone is typically big Henderson — full, vibrant, steady and easy to reed. For someone looking for a great old set free of ivory fears but with classic old-time tone, this could be the set for you.

This lovely Duncan MacDougall set appears to date from the 1890s. The pipes are ebony, the mounts engraved German silver and ivory.

The drones are free of cracks. One small crack appeared on the bass drone stock under the ferrule and extended a half-inch below that. It has been invisible whipped. The finish that was on the pipes when they were acquired is in reasonable shape and it was elected to leave it is. The blowstick and blowstick stock are replacements made of polypenco, but with the original mounts affixed.

This set was played extensively in competition during the 1980s and 1990s, and was played to win, among other prizes, the Silver Medal at Inverness.

The tone of this set is classic Duncan: rich, steady, and with a room-filling bass.

There are some minor nicks in the wood as one would expect from a set of this age, but overall it is a magnificent tonal and historic set, made by one of the great bagpipe makers of all time.

Though not pictured, the original chanter sole does come with this set.

Update: this set was sold almost immediately after it was put up on this page. The buyer has opted to have the set stripped and refinished and to have the blowstick stock replaced with a poly-lined blackwood replacement. 

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.

This Henderson set was purchased as circa 1900-1910. The profiles, and particularly the wide projecting mounts suggest that this is a fairly accurate dating. They are blackwood, and were they any earlier than this they would likely be ebony or cocuswood.

The tone and steadiness are superb, with the deep and cradling bass sound is what one would alway hope for in a classic Henderson set. The pipes locked into tune quickly and solidly.

The finish appears to be original. One tenor stock had a hairline crack running much of its length and this was invisible whipped. A couple of the ferrules had hairlines underneath them and these were whipped as well. These repairs are permanent and you would be hard-pressed to see where any of this work was done. The ivory ferrule on the blowstick stock was a mess. A matching period replacement was found in much better shape, despite a small crack that has been sealed.

There are some minor nicks in the wood, but overall the pipes are in excellent shape for 110 years old.

Though not pictured, the original chanter does come with this set. It’s nice to have, but it is not really playable.

This set is a real beauty: silver and ivory Hendersons thought to date from the early 1920s. They appear to be blackwood and are free of cracks. The only flaw, as you’ll see in the photos, is that one tenor drone projecting mount has a piece broken off the side. Someone with good sense had the break sanded straight and polished, so, while visible, it is not unsightly.

The blowstick is a poly-lined blackwood replica by Dunbar Bagpipes, with an ivory mount that is not original to the set but was taken from the previous cracked blowpipe. The mount matches the rest of the set fairly well; it just doesn’t look quite as old. The finish has been left on the set as is, though the wood, silver and ivory were all polished on a lathe. A hairline crack under the ferrule on one tenor stock and the bass stock have been whipped.

The chanter is a Henderson, and the fact that it has an ivory sole would suggest it is not original to the pipes, though it may be.

Like the pipes directly below, this is a first-class old Henderson set. The tone is full and steady, and the pipes went brilliantly with both sets of reeds I tried.

This lovely cocuswood Henderson set was made in 1932. We know because it had only one owner, and the widow recorded the year the pipes were bought from the Henderson shop in Glasgow. The Henderson stamp is clearly visible on all four cord guides.

The pipes are in superb shape, save for some slight staining on some of the ivory mounts. The blowstick stock had a couple of slight hairlines under the ferrule. These have been whipped and are not visible. The pipes still have the original Henderson chanter. It is not compatible with modern reeds and probably couldn’t be played, but its presence maintains the original integrity of the set.

The tuning chambers required some slight evening out and the tuning action is now smooth and easy. The tone of the pipes is superbly Henderson. They locked into tune immediately in the proper tuning positions and with the bold richness of vintage Henderson in cocuswood.

The original finish was in excellent condition. The wood, ivory and nickel ferrules were professionally polished. The blowstick was rebored to open it up to modern preferred standards.

Hard to beat this classic Henderson for tone and simple elegance….

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.

This is an outstanding set of Robertson pipes in exceptional condition.

They are hallmarked 1962 and had only one owner, a former member of the 48th Highlanders of Canada. There are no cracks or repairs to the set, and the original finish is still in excellent condition.

Both the original chanter and sole and the original silver sleeved mouthpiece bulb are present and in great shape.

As described often on this page, James Robertson made pipes in Edinburgh through the early and mid-part of the 20th century and is one of the most consistent makers of all time, both in terms of his manufacturing standards and the tone his pipes produced. He began making pipes in 1908 and even after his death in 1948 until the company closed around 1965, the quality of the instruments never declined.

The tone of this set is like that of all Robertson sets: bold and vibrant, with a great chanter blend. Like Hendersons, Robertsons are a very easy set of drones to reed

If you’re looking for a great set of Robertsons or simply an exemplary set of silver and ivory pipes with great tone, you would be hard-pressed to do better than this.

This set is a real beauty: silver and ivory Hendersons thought to date from the early 1920s. They appear to be blackwood and are free of cracks. The only flaw, as you’ll see in the photos, is that one tenor drone projecting mount has a piece broken off the side. Someone with good sense had the break sanded straight and polished, so, while visible, it is not unsightly.

The blowstick is a poly-lined blackwood replica by Dunbar Bagpipes, with an ivory mount that is not original to the set but was taken from the previous cracked blowpipe. The mount matches the rest of the set fairly well; it just doesn’t look quite as old. The finish has been left on the set as is, though the wood, silver and ivory were all polished on a lathe.

The chanter is a Henderson, and the fact that it has an ivory sole would suggest it is not original to the pipes, though it may be.

Like the pipes directly below, this is a first-class old Henderson set. The tone is full and steady, and the pipes went brilliantly with both sets of reeds I tried.

This is one of the most exceptional sets of MacDougall pipes to appear on this site. Their pedigree is outstanding, having been played by a member of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band during their glory years in the 1970s and 1980s, winning many World Pipe Band Championships. More recently they were owned by a leading Scottish solo competitor and won many top prizes including the Former Winners MSR at London, the Oban Silver Medal and the Oban Jig and Grade A March.

The pipes are ebony, with full ivory mounts. All pieces are original. When the pipes were stripped for refurbishment a number of hairline cracks were discovered in various pieces. None were close to going through to the bores. However, to guard against serious cracks forming in future all of these hairlines were invisible whipped, and the pipes refinished.

The pipes are classic Duncan MacDougall — rich, steady, and with a big, cradling bass.

This is a really exceptional instrument, both musically and historically, particularly for an established or aspiring competitor.

James Robertson was one of the most remarkable and consistent pipe makers of all time. He made pipes in Edinburgh from 1908 until his death in 1948, though the company continued with pretty much the same consistency after his death and until it ceased operations in the mid-1960s.

This set is one of the earlier ones we’ve had on the site in a while and was likely made around 1930.

The set required no refinishing. The blowstick is not original, and the projecting mount installed onto it was taken from a different Robertson piece.

All other pieces are original, and there are no known repairs. The ring caps on the tenors exhibit a few small chips.

The chanter is a Naill made in the last 10 years. The original Robertson sole has been installed onto it.

The tonal qualities are typical Robertson: bold, steady and easy to reed.

James Robertson was one of the most remarkable and consistent pipe makers of all time. He made pipes in Edinburgh from 1908 until his death in 1948, though the company continued with pretty much the same consistency after his death and until it ceased operations in the mid-1960s. This set was likely made around 1940, and exhibits the flared stock bores typical of Robertsons made during the founder’s lifetime.

Though I would never sell a set of pipes that I haven’t thoroughly tested, I have always thought I could send out a set of Robertsons that I had never played and still be confident that they would be good. They always exhibit the same full, rich and steady tone no matter when they were made. The excellent workmanship reflects the stellar tone.

This set came to me from a pupil, Pipe Major Ian McDonald of the Grade 1 Toronto Police. They were originally owned by his father John, also a former Toronto Police Pipe Major. When I taught Ian as an up-and-coming young player in the 1980s these are the pipes he played.

All pieces are original, and there are no repairs or major flaws. There are a few very minor dings in the wood, and some tiny chips in the ivory ring caps, obviously the result of close quarter countermarching at some point in the past.

The pipes required no refinishing, but both the wood and the ivory have been professionally polished on the lathe.

This is a superb set of pipes tonally and visually and they come with a solid pedigree.

This set is being used as the model for a Robertson reproduction bagpipe being produced by myself and Dunbar bagpipes, scheduled for release in May.

This outstanding Lawrie set has been dated to around 1930. It is blackwood and came to me with a number of chipped and broken ivory mounts, so they have been completely remounted in imitation ivory. The engraved Sterling silver slides were added in the early 1990s. The chanter stock, blowpipe stock and blowpipe were missing. Blackwood replicas were made. The blowpipe and blowpipe stock are poly-lined blackwood to prevent cracking. The set has been refinished.

For someone looking for a classic, vintage Lawrie tone on an ivory-free bagpipe, you could hardly do better than these. They are rich, seamless, full and steady, with a big, cradling bass sound.

They are offered with a brand new Naill chanter with matching imitation ivory sole.

James Robertson was one of the most remarkable and consistent pipe makers of all time. He made pipes in Edinburgh from 1908 until his death in 1948, though the company continued with pretty much the same consistency after his death and until it ceased operations in the mid-1960s. Though not hallmarked, this set had only one owner, and he said it was purchased in 1950.

When I test pipes, some sets require 10 minutes of playing before I can really assess them. This set locked into tune 30 seconds after I struck up and I was mightily impressed by the sound and steadiness. From the maker of remarkably consistent pipes, this set is exceptional.

They are in superb condition, and the finish is original. When I acquired them, the upper bass tuning pin was broken off at the projecting mount. This is the easiest fix on a set of pipes and the old pin was matched and replaced with a new one.

All other pieces are original, including the original Robertson chanter and engraved silver sole. There are a few very minor dings in the wood, and a couple of yellowish stains on the ivory. The original ivory mouthpiece bulb has a barely visible hairline crack. It doesn’t leak, but it could open up over time.

The wood, ivory and silver have been professionally polished on a lathe.

This is as fine a set of Robertson pipes as you will ever play.

This set of Lawries came in its original box. The pipes were packed in newspapers from 1950, thus the dating. The pipes have had minimal usage. They look almost brand new — perhaps owned by a new piper who gave them a short go and decided piping wasn’t for them.

They are blackwood, with iconic tapered Lawrie nickel ferrules. The projecting mounts are blackwood; caps and original chanter sole are imitation ivory.

The pipes play very well. Many Lawries from this era maintained a big, classic, seamless Lawrie/Henderson sound from the earlier part of the century, and this set is one of them — steady, easy to reed, easy to tune, rich and vibrant.

They required no refurb aside from mimimal re-hemping.They have been oiled.

This is a remarkable set of Henderson pipes made of cocuswood, likely around 1920. The projecting mounts are wood and the ferrules are nickel.

Sometime in the 1990s the ivory drone caps, which apparently were badly cracked, were replaced with artificial ivory. So the great advantage in this bagpipe, aside from its tone, is that it is free of ivory. All pieces appear to be original except for the blowstick stock which is poly-lined blackwood. The cocuswood It is quite dark so the blackwood stock matches the rest of the set quite nicely.

I actually acquired this bagpipe a year or so ago and have been playing it off and on for the past eight or 10 months as my #2 set, so I can attest to its exemplary tone. While this set would be a beauty for anyone to own, it might be particularly valuable to a top-flight competitor traveling regularly across borders.

It should be noted that the artificial ivory caps are not quite as orange looking as they appear in the photos!

These pipes were purchased as Centers, made in the late 1800s. Though they are not stamped, the wide cord quides and the lovely, rich tone and fine craftsmanship support the Center supposition. The tone is very much in the Glen/Center tradition: rich and extremely steady, though not booming like Hendersons.

The set is very finely crafted and light as a feather. They have been stripped and refinished. The blowpipe was cracked but has been invisible whipped. One tenor stock showed a small crack and two beads have been invisible whipped.

This is quite a distinctive and lovely set with great visual and tonal character, a first-class cocuswood tone, and a very affordable price.

I have a personal connection to this bagpipe. Back around 2001 I worked closely with the C.E. Kron company and then-employee Dave Atherton to help Charley Kron market a set of pipes that used the exact bore measurements of a set of lovely 1912 silver and ivory Hendersons that I was playing at that time. Kron marketed the pipes as its “Heritage” line and they became quite popular.

The line is not made anymore. The manufacturing standards for this bagpipe was extremely high and the tone was superb — a full, rich and seamless Henderson sound — and this has become a desirable bagpipe since that time.

This particular set was actually purchased by a student of mine around 2004. The mounts got quite chipped through various mishaps so around 2006 we had Dunbar bagpipes remount the pipes using their unbreakable artificial ivory. The profiles of the original mounts were retained.

The pipes are in excellent shape, but for a few tiny nicks in the wood. As was the tradition at the Kron company at the time, the blowstick and chanter stocks and the blowstick itself are polypenco plastic. The metal mounts are plain sterling silver.

This is a lovely, full-bodied set for use in competition or as a workaday bagpipe.

This set of circa 1920s Hendersons is tonally top-drawer, but comes with some visual compromises and is priced accordingly.

At first glance, the metal mounts appear to be engraved silver. However, there are no hallmarks, and it actually looks to be engraved brass, or perhaps German silver, and silver plated. The effect is very much like the real thing.

The pipes are cocuswood, but it appears the bass bottom joint has been stained to look more like blackwood — perhaps an abandoned effort to make the pipes look like blackwood.

The projecting mounts are in good shape except for the bass mid-joint. About a quarter of this mount has been broken off and subsequently buffed smooth. The blowstock appears to be blackwood, with the original projecting mount. The blowstick has a repaired crack near the mouthpiece.

Tonally, the pipes are excellent — full and steady in the Henderson cocuswood tradition. The tenors tune a bit lower than my own 1920s cocuswood Henderson.

These pipes are a good opportunity to acquire classic Henderson cocuswood tone without the price tag of a classic silver and ivory set.

Though not the usual sort of item offered on this page, this particular set came to me for an exceptionally good price and can be offered here at considerable savings.

They were made by David Naill & Co. in 2009, and are hallmarked full plain silver. If they have been played it is hardly apparent from the appearance of the pipes. They are in mint condition and come with a Naill poly chanter.

Naill pipes have ben played at all levels, including the very highest, for close to 40 years.  The company was founded by Les Cowell, who learned the pipemaking trade with the Henry Starck company in the 1940s.

Naill pipes are steady, full, smooth and very reliable. The company has always use the highest quality wood.

These Lawries came to me as a circa 1940s set with the silver added later. The silver is Lawrie-produced, hallmarked RGL with a date that appears to be 1976. The style of the projecting mounts and other evidence suggest the pipes were actually made when the silver was hallmarked.

The set has been recently refinished. There are some very minor dents in the silver from normal wear, but overall the pipes are beautiful and are in fantastic shape.

The tone is full, though not as booming as the classic old Lawries of 100 years ago, and the pipes are priced appropriately. The pipes are very steady and very easy to reed.

For someone looking for a well-priced, beautiful silver and ivory pipe as a reliable work-a-day instrument, you could hardly do better than this.

This elegant set of Lawries is blackwood, and mounted in full ivory. The large bead on the bottom projecting mounts on the drones suggests a manufacturing date in the 1940s or 1950s, with the ivory patina suggesting early in that era.

The set was free of cracks and has been stripped and refinished. There is some age-staining on the ivory mounts.

The original chanter remains with the pipes, though in truth, old Lawrie chanters were rarely prized for their tonal excellence. However, it is nice to have the complete bagpipe.

The pipes are full-bodied in tone and steady. Like Lawries in general, they are easy to reed. This is a lovely instrument visually, with great lines and character and a good Lawrie tone.

Here is an ivory-free set of David Glen pipes in cocuswood with button mounts and nickel ferrules and rings. Estimated date of manufacture in 1900-1910. The chanter does have an ivory sole, so it may or may not be original to the pipes.

The pipes are in excellent shape. One hairline crack was invisible whipped in one tenor top. Someone has previously put a brass insert in the blowstick stock. This work has been done very well and there was no reason to remove it.

All pieces are original. The set has been refinished.

David Glen’s workmanship is superb and well respected by modern pipemakers. His sets are renown for their steadiness, ease of reeding, and a tone which is very rich and harmonic but a little mellower than the larger bore Hendersons and Lawries.

The pipes are lightweight and suitable for any level of piping, from parade use to professional level competing.

This full ivory set by the Edinburgh firm of William Sinclair and Son was purchased new by the previous owner around 1960.

William Sinclair started business in 1931 and still operates today. They have gained a well-earned reputation as the best and most consistent modern pipemaker. The Sinclair sound is full — not quite as full as Henderson — but very rich and bright. I played a Sinclair set throughout the 1980s and won most of my major prizes in Scotland with them.

This set was stripped and refinished, including the chanter. There were no cracks or replacement pieces. The ivory ferrule on the chanter stock has a crack that has been filled. Though quite visible, it is stable and will not cause problems. If you look at the photo of the very typical Sinclair ivory drone caps, you’ll see that someone has lightly etched a serial number into each. While visible up close, these do not detract from the overall appearance of ivory.

The set comes with its original Sinclair chanter. Unlike Hardie chanters of the same vintage, which age badly, the majority of good Sinclair chanters made from the 1950s to today still play very well with modern reeds, though at a flatter pitch than today’s chanters.

The lines, mount shapes, ivory and tone are all exemplary on this set:  lots of character here from one of the greatest modern pipemakers in their prime!