This set of Athertons was made in 2009 and owned by me until a couple of years ago. They were purchased and have recently come back from a player who has had to sell off his collection due to financial strife. They are blackwood and mounted in nickel and imitation ivory. The blowstick and stock are poly, as was Dave Atherton’s usual practice. The chanter stock is blackwood, not Dave’s usual practice.

The only visible flaw in this set is a slight nick in the wood just below the hemp on the bass bottom tuning pin. The mark is not visible when the pipes are together and being played.

Dave Atherton is regarded by many to be the best pipemaker of modern times. His attention to detail, quality materials and perfect workmanship are legendary. These pipes were a reproduction of a Duncan MacDougall cocuswood bagpipe previously owned by the late Roddy MacDonald of Wilmington, Delaware, and now owned by his son Calum.

The tone is bold and steady with Canning tenors and a Kinnaird bass and the pipes are as steady as any set you will find.

This set was purchased as a set of Lawries made around or before 1900, though input I have had suggests they are more likely at 1920-1930s set.

The pipes are ebony and appear ususually free of cracks or blemishes in the wood. The silver engraving is shallow, a Lawrie trait, though the ferrules lack the later conical Lawrie shape. The shallow bells suggest Lawrie, as do the larger ivory beads on the bottom drone projecting mounts.

The ferrule on the bass mid-joint has been replaced with a more recent engraved silver ferrule more in the tapered Lawrie tradition. The plain silver slides are a very recent addition, hallmarked 1999. The metal mouthpiece is also modern, likely engraved nickel. Despite the later additions the visual effect of the pipes is lovely and strong, and none of these pieces detracts from the overall appearance.

The tone is robust though not booming:  seamless, very rich and very steady, and very much characteristic of ebony. The lovely, natural, buffed finish suggests the pipes were refurbished fairly recently — perhaps when the slides were added.

This is quite a pristine set of Lawries in ebony, mounted in full ivory, and thought to date from the years around 1910. They have been refinished, though it’s possible they have had an earlier refurbishment.

The wood is flawless, and the ivory is in superb shape, except for a split in the ferrule on the blowstick stock, which has been repaired. The tuning chambers are perfectly even.

The pipes are rich and steady, thought perhaps not quite as robust as some some Lawries. This can be typical of some ebony pipes which are often not as loud a blackwood sets of the same vintage. It’s a stunning visual set with a smooth and seamless tone much in keeping with its appearance.

I’ve had numerous MacDougall sets on this site, but few as classic or in such great condition as this Gavin MacDougall set. The pipes are ebony, the mounts are ivory, and all tuning chambers are fitted with brass inserts.

While the pipes aren’t stamped, the chanter is stamped “G.C. MacDougall, Aberfeldy,” and appears to be a perfect match with the set. The cord guides are in Duncan MacDougall’s wide style, suggesting that this set was made early in his son’s career. Gavin took the business over when his father died in 1898, though he had been making pipes with Duncan for many years. Lots of pipes stamped with Duncan’s name in the late 1890s were almost certainly made by Gavin.

The blowstick stock is uniquely Gavin: split, and fitted with a brass watertrap. This seems to be a special feature he offered, and I’ve seen only two others like this.

The pipes were stripped and refinished some months ago, and a hairline crack was lightly invisible whipped in one tenor top at that time. I’ve been enjoying playing this set for the past three months. It’s a beauty, both visually and tonally — seamless, with a lovely bass sound.

This is the first older Dunbar set we’ve had on the site. This set was almost certainly made by Jack Dunbar himself, who served his apprenticeship in the Peter Henderson shop in the 1930s when the firm was at the peak of its pipemaking powers. He brought that expertise to Canada when he founded Dunbar Bagpipe Makers in the 1960s.

Jack’s pipes were all made in the Henderson tradition. He was the first pipemaker to create instruments out of polypenco plastic. Perhaps as a result of this, his blackwood pipes were for many years underrated. But they are superbly made instruments with a bold and steady Henderson sound. Their manufacturing standards are very high, which is why I’ve chosen the company for all my vintage refurb work.

This set was originally mounted in the engraved silver pictured here as well as catalin. The previous owner had the orange catalin replaced with holly, giving a great set of pipes new visual life. Only the original catalin bushes remain.

The finish is original, and this 40-year-old set plays with a bold and steady tone that displays a rich, dominating bass.

I have been playing this ebony Duncan MacDougall set for about 8 months, and it is one of the finest MacDougalls I have played. The bass tunes higher than most, but it is one of the richest, most voluminous MacDougall basses I’ve heard: a real joy to play.

Though not stamped, it is clearly Duncan MacDougall, with full natural mounts. When the pipes were stripped we found there were cracks beginning in both tenor tops, the bass mid-joint and the bass stock. These have been invisibly whipped and the pipes have been refinished.

One odd feature of this set is the tuning pins, which look as though they are made of a different wood from the rest of the pipes. It is possible that they are replacements, though it would be odd of have four replacement pins on a set that is in otherwise good shape.

The blowpipe stock may be a replacement. There are spider lines and tiny nicks on some of the mounts, but the wear and tear on this workhorse did not detract from my pleasure in playing them.

I am replacing them with a lovely Gavin MacDougall set in mint condition and with its own special sound, but this set is a tonal masterpiece.

This old silver and ivory Henderson set is in excellent condition. It appears to be blackwood, though the finish that was on the pipes was in good shape so I didn’t have it removed. The silver on the stocks is hallmarked 1910. The matching silver on the pipes has a different hallmark that I couldn’t trace but is clearly the same pattern and vintage.

The bass top is a Henderson replacement that may be older than the rest of the pipes. The silver pattern is different but equally lovely and in no way stands out. It is hallmarked 1909.

I played this set for a week and it is robust and steady in a fashion typical of blackwood Hendersons of this era: really a first class instrument.

If there have been any repairs done they are invisible to me.

This set of Lawries was purchased by the previous owner from Jim McIntosh some years ago. Jimmy identified them as circa 1925 Lawries, and I concur.

The are in ebony with immaculate full ivory mounts. There is no evidence of any repairs to the drones or stocks — rare for ebony pipes nearly 100 years old. There is no staining on the ivory, and the patina of the ivory is lovely, with the grain showing beautifully. The pipes were stripped, checked for cracks, and beautifully refinished by Dunbar Bagpipes, who, I am confident, do the best refurb work on the planet.

The set plays beautifully, as nearly all old Lawries do — they are full and balanced, steady and vibrant, and lock into tune in a way old ebony seems to do. They went well with both Ezeedrone and Canning reeds. I doubt you’ll find many vintage, fully ivory Lawries in ebony as lovely as this one.

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.

This is a lovely example of David Glen’s work, likely from around the turn of the 20th century. The pipes are cocuswood, the ferrules are nickel, and the stylish drone caps are ivory.

This set did not require any refinishing or major refurb work when I acquired them, except to invisible whip a crack in the chanter stock.

David Glen’s craftsmanship — inherited from his meticulous father Alexander — is still admired by pipemakers today, and his drones are known for their rich, subdued tone and steadiness.

He began making pipes with his father in the 1860s and took the business over after Alex’s death in 1873. Around 1900 he added “& Sons” to the business name of David Glen. He died in 1910, leaving a voluminous legacy of high quality instruments and collections of pipe music. The business continued for many decades after his passing.

David appears to have favoured cocuswood over ebony or blackwood right up until his death.

This is one of Dave Atherton’s earlier MacDougall-bored sets, and has had only one owner, who purchased it new in 2007. It is mounted in “palm ivory,” a tropical nut. Very few sets were mounted in palm ivory due to reasons of efficiency: often flaws would appear in the nut only after considerable work had been done making the mount and the nearly-finished mount would have to be discarded. These mounts have turned a rich honey brown. Combined with Dave’s great eye for lines, this is one of the most visually beautiful bagpipes I’ve had on the site in a long time. The photos don’t do it complete justice. I have long contended that Dave Atherton is the premier pipemaker of the last 50 years, and this set does nothing to dissuade my belief.

The tone is full and seamless, with a rich, dominant bass and excellent blend with the chanter. The blowstick is lined with stainless steel to prevent cracking.

There are no cracks or flaws. Besides being an outstanding musical instrument, the mounts and its distinction as one of Dave Atherton’s earlier bagpipes make it somewhat of a collector’s item.

This set is a gem, physcially, tonally and historically: silver and ivory Henderson, hallmarked 1935-36. All pieces are original. There are no repairs to the wood. Several of the ivory projecting mounts had small cracks opening in them. These have been glued, and while they show when you get close, they in no way detract from the overall appearance of the pipes, and no further cracking should occur.

The finish is in good shape and appears to be original.

The original chanter has cracked near the bottom and has had extermal whipping done to it. The sole is in magnificent shape and can be moved onto a modern chanter.

The pipes are exceptional tonally, even for Hendersons — a big bold sound, very steady, and with a very forgiving tuning range that makes the old Hendersons one of the steadiest makes ever.

The pipes were first purchased for a grandson of Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie had a strong piping connection as he owned a castle in Scotland and for many years employed as his personal piper Angus MacPherson of Invershin, son on Calum Piobaire and wife of Mrs. MacPherson of Inveran. The pipes were sold out of the Carnegie family some years ago.

As the photos show, the silver is exquisite. No recent work has been done to these pipes.

This set of Robertson pipes came to me with a brass plate on the bass drone giving the owner’s name and the words “Christmas, 1949.” I have taken this as the date of manufacture. The plate did not compliment the look of the pipes and has been removed, though it will be included with the pipes.

The pipes are full ivory mounted. They were in storage for some time, so some of the ivory has slight stain marks, though the overall patina is a lovely honey colour. The original finish was in very good condition and has been left.

The engraved slides lack hallmarking and were most likely added later. The hand-engraving is deeply cut and beautifully done. While the original chanter is missing, the sole remains.

The pipes were free of any cracking and the bores are straight and true. The drones play with typical Robertson power and steadiness and were easy to reed.

The stock bores are slightly tapered, as was Robertson’s practice in earlier days. The sole can be taken as is or added to a chanter for CAD $95.

This is a great old Glen set that I’ve priced well because they are visibly whipped in several places.

They are cocuswood, with button mounts, nickel ferrules and ivory rings. The bass middle joint is not original to the set, but it is a Glen of the same era in ebony and matches the set perfectly. The tone of this set is classic Glen cocuswood — not booming, but ample, very rich, and really, really steady. The set has been owned and played by several good competition players over the past few years who have since moved onto higher-end sets.

The whipping is external, and locations can be seen in the photos. This work was done several years ago before the refurbisher developed the invisible whipping technique. The whipping is quite apparent up close. As a result, I was able to acquire the pipes for a very good price and am selling them for a price that might work for someone who can’t afford some of the other sets here.

The set plays really well and, in typical Glen fashion, is easy to reed.

There are two blowsticks — they match, and one is longer than the other. One may be a blackwood reproduction.

This hallmarked silver and ivory Robertson set was made in 1956 and shows the distinctive ivory projecting mounts this maker was so famous for.

The set has been refinished, but had no cracks or flaws in the wood. A number of the ivory mounts show some spider cracks, one large one in particular, but these are not unusual and they threaten the mounts in no way.

The original ivory mouthpiece bulb is not present, so the original engraved silver sleeve has been fitted to a new mouthpiece.

The stocks show bore flaring that is typical of many of the higher-end Robertson sets, said to enhance tone and steadiness. (This means any canister system used will need to employ sleeves rather than inserts.)

I’ve never played a set of silver and ivory Robertsons that weren’t absolutely superb, and this set is just the same:  a robust, seamless, steady tone. It’s a great old set and quite lovely.

While there was no original chanter or sole with this set, I do have a matching sole made in the same pattern by the same Birmingham engraver. The only difference is that it is hallmarked for RG Hardie, 1968. It has been installed onto a McCallum MCC2 blackwood chanter.

Lawrie drones of this type in ebony may be one of the most common vintage pipes available today. They are steady and tuneful. This set was likely made in the 1920s, though this dating could vary by a decade either way. The bells, cord guides, projecting mounts and tapered nickel ferrules are classic Lawrie.

This set was refinished three years ago, and at that time there was invisible whipping done beneath the top three combs of the bass drone stock. A couple of the ferrule tenons showed some slight checking, so these were whipped under the ferrules at that time as well. One new visible whip now appears at the top of the chanter stock, though this will not be visible until the neck of your bag cover. Blackwood hemp stops were added to all four tuning pins.

This very affordable set has a big Henderson/Lawrie wall of sound. The ebony material provides a level of steadiness and richness unequalled by blackwood of the same era.

This set was sold on this site in 2010. The photos were taken then. The finish on the pipes is slightly worn since then as the pipes were played continuously over the past three years.

With all due respect to the rest of today’s craftsmen, Dave Atherton was the finest modern bagpipe maker I’ve ever seen. His acoustical knowledge and his obsessive attention to detail resulted in a remarkable instrument that holds its own against some of the great vintage bagpipes.

Though he made many instruments for C. E. Kron during the early 2000s, the Duncan MacDougall reproduction he created once he went into business for himself in Chicago is his masterpiece. I was fortunate enough to work closely with Dave during the development of this model and can attest to the care and knowledge that went into every set. This set, made this year in African blackwood with full holly mounts and engraved silver slides, is a superb example of his work.

The blowpipe stock is poly (as was Dave’s style) and the blowpipe is a brass-lined, blackwood stick.

The tone of this set is full and all-encompassing. It is more aggressive than Henderson pipes, and belies the myth that Duncan MacDougall pipes were subdued, a myth perhaps resulting from so many David Glen sets being mis-identified as MacDougalls.

As an aside, when I played in the Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band at the World Pipe Band Championship in 2008, I played an early Atherton MD set. The band’s drone tuners — both prominent pipers — came to me at one point asking what drones I was playing. I told them and they remarked that they were the steadiest in the band and the most vibrant to the touch. “I can feel the wood shaking in my hands as I’m tuning,” said one. I thought that was a remarkable thing to hear, given the calibre of player and bagpipes in that remarkable band.

Atherton drones won the Gold Medal at Oban this year, as well as the M/S/R at the Glenfiddich Championship.

I love these old Robertson sets! When I see/buy them, I know exactly what I’m getting, and I’ve never been disappointed. So much faith do I have in them that it is the only bagpipe that I would ever think of selling to someone without having tried them. (It would have to be exceptional circumstances for me to do that!)

This set is hallmarked 1954-55. The wood, ivory and silver are all in immaculate shape. The original finish has been left intact as it is still in very good shape. The original ivory blowpipe bulb and engraved silver sleeve were missing, but I have one with a matching silver pattern, so it has been added to the set. The original Robertson chanter was not present, nor the sole. I do have a matching engraved silver sole that can be added to the set for CAD $350.

Robertson sometimes tapered his drone stocks. These are tapered. This means that if a moisture control system were used, it would need to employ cups, not inserts.

The pipes are the usual Robertson rock-steady, bold, rich sound. I put a set of Kinnaird Evolution reeds in the drones, struck up, and they were perfectly in tune in 30 seconds.

Classic Robertson.

This lovely Henderson set is pristine. It would appear to date from the mid-to late 1950s. My friend Ron (Ringo) Bowen tells me Henderson had some questionable years in the ’50s after some of the firm’s legendary turners left after the war. Some sets from this time of transition are of dubious quality. However, this is not one of them. The set is beautifully made, and the tone is full and seamless in the vintage Henderson tradition.

The engraved silver slides were added in recent years, and the pipes were refinished at that time. My guess is that the work was done by Dunbar Bagpipes, Henderson specialists who undertake all of my refurb work.

Though the pipes were not made during the great Henderson years to prior to WW2, you wouldn’t know it from the tone.

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 and 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 full ivory set directly below, this set 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 a visually stunning set of Lawries that were presented in 1950 to a retiring pipe major. Three shields on the drone stocks all state, “Presented to Pipe Major G. J. Pate, 1950, The Irish Regiment of Canada.”

The pipes are in superb condition. They were refinished, and no cracks were found, except for the blowstick, which has been replaced with a poly-lined blackwood replica. One nice feature of the pipes is that while they are full silver, the projecting mounts aren’t solid. so they don’t weigh a ton the way some full silvers do.

The chanter that came with the pipes is an old Hardie, and the engraving pattern on the sole is not a match for the pipes.

During this period, Lawrie was still producing some vintage classics, and this set seems to be one of them — bold and steady much like the great pre-1945 Hendersons.

If you like bling, it’s hard to beat this set, and the tone certainly supports the visuals!

This is one of the most remarkable sets to be exhibited on this site.

Donald MacPhee lived a brief but significant piping life from 1841 to 1880. He was a seminal piping figure in the 1860s and 1870s as one of the first great non-Gaelic speaking players. Robert Meldrum thought him one of the best players in Scotland, and his playing inspired a teenage John MacColl to save up enough money for a year to move from Oban to Glasgow for lessons from him. He published four important collections of music and ran a very successful bagpipe making business during the 1870s, though examples of his pipes are rare today. When he died at age 38 in 1880, Peter Henderson took over his shop.

The drones, chanter and blowstick are ebony and appear to be orignal. The combing and beading on the stocks match the pipes, but the stocks themselves don’t all match. The silver pattern on the stocks and mouthpiece bulb roughly match the pipes, but is a deeper cut and is hallmarked Peter Henderson 1951. It appears likely the stock ferrules and bulb and perhaps some of the stocks were made by Henderson as replacements to match the pipes at the time of the hallmark. The chanter is almost certainly the original with its barely visible “D McPHEE” stamped across the top. It is low-pitched but remarkably true.

The pipes were owned for many years by Hector MacLean, a pupil of Willie MacLean and John MacDonald of Inverness, and a prominent member of the Scottish Pipers’ Association during the 1940s and 1950s.

The tone is full, but smooth and refined, and the overall visual effect of this set is elegant and distinctive.

This iconic Robertson set displays all the classic Robertson traits, including the massive mushroom-shaped projecting mounts, square bells and robust, rich, steady sound.

The previous owner knew the history of these pipes and dated them to 1939, and the pattern of scribe lines on the ferrules would attest to 1930s manufacture.

The pipes are in superb condition with no replacement pieces or cracks, and the finish is original. The set comes with its original chanter.

Robertson is one of the most consistent makers I know of, both in terms of manufacturing standards and tone. They are easy to reed, and produce an exemplary tone with great chanter blend. If you’re looking for a classic full-ivory Robertson bagpipe, you won’t do better than this one.

Most Lawries of this ilk from the 1920s are in ebony, but this set is blackwood. As such, the drones are crack-free, but for one invisible repair to the tuning pin on the bass mid-joint.

The ivory is in great shape except for some minor staining, and the nickel ferrules are free of dings and dents.

The set has been refinished. The drones display the usual full and steady tone Lawries from this era are famous for. They played beautifully with both Ezeedrone reeds and Cannings, so they will certainly take a wide variety of drone reeds. They locked into tune nicely with both makes. If you’re looking for a very affordable instrument with the same tone of high-end vintage Lawries, this may be your set….

This is one of the earliest Henderson sets we’ve had on the site. The mounts, profiles and ivory patina suggest they are pre-WW1, likely 1910-1915 vintage.

All pieces are original except the blowstick, which has been replaced with a replica stick and the original mount. The pipes were refurbished and refinished by David Naill & Company just before I acquired them. There is some staining in the ivory and the odd wood chip typical of 100-year-old instruments.

There is not much more to say about this set. It is as fine a set of ivory-mounted classic vintage Hendersons as you’ll find. Tonally they are top-drawer: robust and steady, with a locked-in seamlessness unique to Henderson.

I acquired this Henderson set as “1920s” era, the previous owner having gone on various estimates from previous owners. However, the fact that the pipes are cocuswood suggests that the 1912 hallmark on the plain silver slides could in fact date the pipes.

The silver ferrules are engraved, though none are closed at the bottom. Oddly, the silver ferrule on the bass top lacks a bead wire, though it is almost certainly original to the rest of the engraved silver. This is barely noticeable, and I only found it as I checked how secure each mount was. The silver cap on the bass has a small dent on the corner.

All pieces are crack-free and original, except the blowpipe, which is not original to the set, but is quite a nice match nonetheless. As you can see in the photo below, the sole may or may not be original. It is not glued to the Henderson chanter as the previous owner had it on a different chanter.

The tone of this set is as good as Hendersons get — bold, seamless and steady in a way only old cocuswood can give.

The wood was not refinished.

These old Glen pipes are tonal classics. Though known for their “mellow” sound, David Glen drones in cocuswood are extremely rich in harmonics, steady as a rock, and very air efficient.

This set was likely made in the 1890s and comes with the original ivory-soled chanter. Unusually, for David Glen sets, there is no stamp on either the drones or the chanter, but the pipes appear to have been lightly sanded and refinished at some point, and this often erases the maker’s stamp. (Shame on any refurbisher who lets this happen!) The previous owner thought one tenor top might have been from another set from the same period, but I’m hard-pressed to see evidence of that.

The bass drone tunes quite low. This is not something I have ever considered a problem (my MacPhee bass tunes an inch above the mount), but the previous owner had a matching replica bass bottom made in stained mopane but with a narrower bore so that the bass would tune higher. Both pieces work very well.

These old cocuswood pipes have a visual appeal all their own, and David Glen’s attention to the details of craftsmanship and the nuances of tone make them classics

This set is stamped “Dn MacDougall Aberfeldy” under the projecting mount on the bass bottom, dating the set to between 1888 and 1898. The pipes are ebony with what appear to be elephant ivory mounts, though the bushes display the translucence of marine ivory.

The finish is superb, suggesting they have been refinished in recent times. The chanter stock had a hairline crack that has been invisible whipped. There are no other visible cracks in the pipes.

There are several small chips in the ivory. On the upper projecting mount on the bass bottom in particular there is a chattering patch for an inch or so on each side of the mount, like it got sandwiched between something abrasive. It’s more apparent to the hand than the eye.

The blowstick is quite short, and with the longest mouthpiece will only extend to 9.5.” A longer poly Walsh extendable with an imitation ivory mount that matches quite well can be provided if a longer blowpipe is needed.

The pipes are quite bold, even by MacDougall standards. They are steady and seamless with a great bass. With a set of Canning reeds the tenors tuned just below the hemp. This 120-year-old MacDougall set is really a lovely find.

This Atherton set was made in 2011 of blackwood, with engraved silver ferrules, legal ivory ring caps and blackwood projecting mounts.

They are in pristine condition and feature Dave’s brass-lined blowpipe. The zoomorphic silver pattern is elegant and beautifully excecuted. The reclaimed ivory is of exceptional quality.

Dave Atherton captured the Duncan MacDougall sound better than any other reproduction maker, then retired from bagpipe making with around 170 sets to his credit. This is one of his less common designs, #50 on Dave’s website gallery.

The tone is bold and rich, with a big, dominating bass sound, and great chanter blend.

These Robertsons were thought to have been purchased new in 1962. They are in superb condition and come with the original chanter and sole, as well as the original owner’s ivory-mounted Robertson practice chanter.

This set was owned by a gentleman whose wife owned a set of Robertsons as well. One of the sets was much, much older. At some point it’s possible that a couple of the pieces got switched around. The silver ferrule on one tenor stock is the same pattern, but much older, though the stock appears to be original. The bass stock is a Robertson, but with a tapered bore typical of older Robertsons. However, the silver ferrule on the bass is orignal to the set. Suffice to say that all parts are Robertson and the set suffers no tonal or visual ill effects from the switcharoo!

The pipes have been refinished and the ivory and silver are all in immaculate condition. The pipes play with typically bold Robertson timbre — rich, steady and with a dominant bass sound.

This is really a gorgeous and exceptional pipe, free of cracks or blemishes, though missing the original engraved mouthpiece and ivory bulb.