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.)