The joys and dangers of Ebay pipes

[OC Richard]

Thanks for the clear explanation!

So a person couldn't take their ivory-mounted pipes from Eire to Northern Ireland?

Things are much simpler in North America...well they were until NAFTA, which was an attempt at a semi-EU thing.

In any case here's a Scottish-made set for well under $1,000 with air-tight provenance in great condition that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/36369194854...oAAOSwdfdh4ukx

Why you say? Because I've come across a couple Clan Bagpipes sets and I didn't think much of those drones. They were very difficult to reed, suggesting that there was something off with the specs.

If any pipers out there have played good Clan Bagpipes drones please tell us about it. My sample-size was just two sets.

[Nemuragh]

Thanks for the clear explanation!
So a person couldn't take their ivory-mounted pipes from Eire to Northern Ireland?

I suppose that would be governed by the Northern Ireland Protocol!

[OC Richard]

A "joy" to report about Ebay pipes!

I'm a Lawrie guy. My first set in 1975 were new Lawries and I've owned quite a few Lawries since, ranging from around 1900 to the 1960s.

I just got these Lawries, said to be 1950s or 1960s. (EDIT: similar sets have been brought to my attention which are from the 1930s.)

So far they're sounding and performing as I expected they would, with good volume, great harmonics, and super functioning (easy strike-ins and very stable). In short a joy to play.

These pipes have been up on Ebay for quite some time, and listed other places, but for some reason nobody was interested.

They're dense Blackwood with the typical Lawrie spun-nickel ferrules. The bushes are ivory but the rings are plastic. It was typical for Lawrie to mix various materials that way; they mixed ivory, Catalin, and this other imitation ivory that doesn't darken with age.

[JPS]

A "joy" to report about Ebay pipes!

I'm a Lawrie guy. My first set in 1975 were new Lawries and I've owned quite a few Lawries since, ranging from around 1900 to the 1960s.

I just got these Lawries, said to be 1950s or 1960s.

So far they're sounding and performing as I expected they would, with good volume, great harmonics, and super functioning (easy strike-ins and very stable). In short a joy to play.

These pipes have been up on Ebay for quite some time, and listed other places, but for some reason nobody was interested.

They're dense Blackwood with the typical Lawrie spun-nickel ferrules. The bushes are ivory but the rings are plastic. It was typical for Lawrie to mix various materials that way; they mixed ivory, Catalin, and this other imitation ivory that doesn't darken with age.

Wonderful looking pipes, Richard. Hope to have a set of Lawries a lot like those one day, though for obvious reasons, I'm avoiding ebay while shopping for my first set of pipes.

[WalesLax]

Wonderful looking pipes, Richard. Hope to have a set of Lawries a lot like those one day, though for obvious reasons, I'm avoiding ebay while shopping for my first set of pipes.

Avoiding eBay while shopping for pipes is an intelligent decision, in general. That said, OC Richard and a few others on here are fantastic resources for identifying some potentially good opportunities on eBay, and possibly more importantly, avoiding some major issues.

Adding my own $0.02, I bought a set of pipes off of eBay that were brought to my attention via this thread, and I was happy with what I got. If you scroll back a few pages, you can see the pictures, but the gist of the story is, I spent a few hundred dollars on what I knew was a bit of a lottery ticket. Once they were in my hands, I could see that they weren’t a jackpot, however they were definitely quality pipes that look and sound gorgeous, and should have cost significantly more than I paid for them.

While not an expert, I am always happy to help out when and where I can, which I think is true for the vast majority of people on this thread and in this forum.

….if nothing else, I find the pipes posted in here to be incredibly interesting and the discussions fascinating.

Rob

[OC Richard]

I spent a few hundred dollars on what I knew was a bit of a lottery ticket. Once they were in my hands, I could see that they were definitely quality pipes that look and sound gorgeous and should have cost significantly more than I paid for them.

That is what I love to hear!

I don't know if I've mentioned these Gillanders & McLeod Forfar pipes which seem to be in great condition for a very low price. Yes the seller's low transaction number is concerning. A guy in my pipe band plays a set like this and they have a wonderful tone.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/31386079093...UAAOSwk~1h5MZW

And yet another David Naill set for much less than they would cost new. This set is very interesting in being externally copied from Victorian-era pipes, with Naill's lovely aged ivory:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/29477524616...MAAOSwkpth1OnW

And a nice-looking McCallum set for a very low price, though there's loads of bidding. Once again the seller doesn't have very many transactions. The mounts seem to indicate a newer McCallum set: the cream-coloured Dunbar imitation ivory and alloy, as opposed to McCallum's previous ivory-coloured brittle resin and nickel-plated brass.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/30433788155...EAAOSwEBlh9TC8

And last but not least, for under $600 including shipping, a c1960s/1970s pipe in great condition with Catalin mounts proudly showing the pipes' age. They say they're RG Hardie Glasgow but the drone tops have a Gillanders look to them.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/22481040147...wAAOSwWYlh8v2D

[OC Richard]

African Blackwood Dunbar pipes with chalice tops and brass ferrules, slides, and caps.

In appearance not my cup of tea but the price is under $600 for an ABW set of the highest quality, less than some Sialkot pipes sell for.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11523787841...kAAOSwD~xh~tse

Here's a big-name pipe, Peter Henderson, possibly from the 1950s, when they were making some very fine instruments. A friend plays a Holy Grail set of Hendersons: full silver in Henderson's "dragon" (each-uisge or sea-beast) engraving, hallmarked 1957 as I recall. That set and other 1950s Henderson sets have an amazing tone.

What's odd is that this Ebay set appears to only be stamped in the Bass cord guide. Did Henderson do that? I'll have to ask my friend.

Anyhow not cheap, but just about the least expensive way to play authentic vintage Hendersons, unless you happen upon one of those amazing bargains pipers sometimes do.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/26553479112...IAAOSwxdthtQOF