I generally work with Ebony and Brass with mount options being Imitation Ivory or Boxwood. Having said that I am completely open discussing material and design options if you have something specific in mind. All my work is individually hand made so I can customise any part of the design to exactly what you might be looking for. The only parts I don’t make are the bags (from Lawrence Thompson) and 10 brass screws (8 to hold the bass bar to the stock and 2 for the bass drone clamps).
The prices below are for a fully mounted D set in Ebony, Brass and Imitation Ivory. The prices of half, three quarter and full sets can be reduced by approximately 10% for less elaborate decoration and fewer mounts with no change to the sound of the pipes.
All chanters have blocks left for up to 5 keys. As with all wooden parts, they are rough bored and shaped, then stored for 6 months to allow the wood to settle before final reaming and shaping.
Drones are similarly rough shaped and left for 6 months. All drones have wooden slides, this means the internal part of the sliding section is wood with a brass ferrule over the wood. Internally all sharp corners are removed and the transition from the wide section to the final part of the bore is shaped with a bullet reamer. The final opening has a slight restriction which aids pitch stability.
Regulators are also rough bored and reamed 6 months prior to final shaping. They are reeded with spruce to aid stability
Waiting times are currently about 2 years, although I usually get practice sets completed within 6-8 months. A 10% deposit is needed to confirm an order.
**JULY 2023 UPDATE**
Due to the growth of my waiting list I am not accepting new orders. I will start accepting orders when my waiting list has been reduced to a reasonable length. I am still taking on a small amount of local repair work and reed making. Thank you to everyone who has ordered from me, I am very grateful to you.
Bag, Bellows and Chanter. These are the same as would be made for a full set. Blocks are left in place for up to four keys.
As for a practice set plus three drones and stock. I make synthetic reeds, which specifically match these drones.
Bag, bellows, chanter, stock, 3 drones plus tenor and baritone regulators
Options and Additions
Individually made, C and F natural being the commonest choices.
An elegant design which allows you to silence the chanter when tuning drones and regulators.
This places the three drone reeds in a common space within the stock. The tenor and baritone regulators fit into brass tubes which run through the hollow stock and the bass regulator has it's own separate air feed tube.