I've had a number of practice chanters over the last 25 years (including Dunbar and Cushing) and have found the one I'm sticking with for life - the Walsh Long Blackwood Practice Chanter. It's got a great full sound and a number of other features that make it my favorite of the bunch.
http://www.johnwalshbagpipes.com/cat_prcch.html
John makes serious instruments for serious musicians. His many years of experience with the 78th Frasers serve to help him produce well thought-out instruments. Also, if you're looking at a young child as a student, he makes a child size chanter that I recommend highly.
The Long Blackwood Chanter is a bit pricey, but one that is built for a lifetime or longer. I love the integrated water-trap......it makes a long practice session on a winter's day much less disgusting. The sleeved delrin top is a great aesthetic enhancement over a plain delrin top. I can't speak highly enough of its sound. I've known many pipers who don't spend enough time thinking about the tone and tuning of their practice chanters, and this one has a full resonant tone and is beautifully tuned right out of the box requiring very little reed manipulation to get it spot on.
As to my other, older practice chanters, I loan them to my students until we're both satisfied that they're going to stick with bagpipes, and then help them find a practice chanter that will last *them* for their lifetime.
While I've waxed poetic about the Walsh, there is nothing wrong with the Cushings or Dunbars or Lawries. They are all great chanters, but I just happen to like what I like. (I have no commercial interest in Walsh Bagpipes or any other bagpipe manufacturer, and this endorsement is based strictly on personal experience accumulated over 25 years of playing bagpipes.)
The tradition continues!
The Pipers Gathering at Killington, VT
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