Nighthawk-

Is it important to you to be totally historically accurate or will a very-historical-looking-but-modern-playing instrument satisfy your needs?

In either case, the Dunbar poly pipes are not what you want. There's no way the plastic looks historical. I own a set and they work fine for loaner pipes (my student is using them until her MacLellan pipes are done), but I find them heavy and starkly plasticky. Not a bad sound, but I do think my blackwood pipes sound richer.

If you want to play GHB pipes that don't look modern, there are a couple of things you can do to get a more historical look. First is to get plain-turned pipes. The beading and combing of modern pipes just looks so modern that it is hard to suspend disbelief and think of them as an ancient instrument. Several makers offer plain-turned pipes. I'm partial to Soutar, myself, as my mom has a set of his plain-turned pipes and they are beautiful. However, they still are blackwood and look rather modern. The second thing you can do is to use only one tenor drone. Many early illustrations of the bagpipe show only one drone (a bass, usually) and plenty show two, but very few show paired tenors. If any. In this case, you would buy the pipes as sticks and stocks and use a bag you can tie in yourself. This isn't hard to do, so don't be afraid. Alternatively, if the retailer gives good service, you can specify only two stocks tied in. Keep the other tenor drone in case you ever want to use it or in case something happens to your main drone, but there's no real need for it if you want that historical look. The third thing you can do is look for alternative woods. MacLellan and Gibson both use Mopane wood for some models and it has a more medium brown look to it. I'm not endorsing any particular maker or retailer, but here's a look at the Gibsons:
http://www.ethnicsounds.com/Bagpipes...?ProductID=141

Now, with those pipes tied into a leather bag, no bag cover, only one tenor drone, I'd totally go for that as a medieval instrument. It has a nice organic look, it has a great sound (Gibson makes a very fine bagpipe) and it won't be like everything else that you see on the shoulder of other pipers. However, it will still play in tune with others so if you have a chance to jam, you can. And it fingers just like the practice chanter you've spent 18 months learning to finger. That's a real plus.

Many people seem to get Kitchen Pipes or other small pipes as a transitional instrument, hoping it will make playing the big pipes easier. My experience and that of my teacher is that it doesn't help. Those are a great way to have fun making music with actual drones, once you learn to blow and squeeze them you will be able to play a lot longer than with the practice chanter, and they do look cute. But if you want to play the big pipes, these seldom really help people to move past the big hurdle of keeping the GHB going. There may be some who find it helpful, but I spent three years on the Shuttle Pipes before I make the transition and they didn't help me any at all. And I'm not alone in this. Fair warning.

Of course, if you have decided you want a truly medieval bagpipe, check with someone like Goodacre. But be prepared to relearn a lot. And your instructor may be less help than you would hope with such an endeavor. The difference would be like the difference between a kilt and a sarong. Either works great, but they are totally different unbifurcated garments. A true medieval bagpipe may have totally different tuning and fingering than a modern one. The bag shape may even be different. Look at Durer's bagpiper picture for a more medieval bag shape. Great for leaning up on a tree, not so much for marching, which is what modern GHB bags are designed for.

-Patrick