Pictures of Your Pipes

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Next time you have to replace the leather on the valve try using a thin neoprene foam. Works a treat and molds itself to any surface better than leather.

Patrick

[ennischanter]

Next time you have to replace the leather on the valve try using a thin neoprene foam. Works a treat and molds itself to any surface better than leather.

Patrick

Would It work as a popping strap?

[RLines]

Thanks for the tip Pat.

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Would It work as a popping strap?

The right kind might. It might not reflect the sound in the same way as the leather does, may be too absorbent sound wise. Some experimentation might be worth while. Know anyone with an old wet suit?

Patrick

[ennischanter]

Hmmmmmmmmm... Maybe........ : I

I never knew popping straps would affect sound that much. Purty cooooooooool!

[bobkeenan]

Well mostly new. The chanter was one I have had for the past year. The rest is new. I was only going to get the drones and had been waiting 6 months when I thought " if I ever want a full set in my life time I should order now"! So I did and then he told me he had just finished a full concert D set that he was doing for fun and would be willing to sell it.....!! And I could buy that. Well I have neither the talent nor the money for that.... but I am not getting any younger.... so I will work on the talent and I borrowed some money from another account I have and now I have this full set. Because I have a year's experience, I have found that while the drones sound great, there is more pumping than a practice set. And the regulators.... they sound great. But it will be a while before I can put them with a tune. Brad played several tunes for me before I left his shop. They all sounded great! He also acted like he was giving up one of his children. I think he said that this was his 50th set. Here are some pics. Hope they turn out here. Oh and there is bit of wax in the E and F# holes to correct for a bit of sharpness. With some weather some of my reeds don't need that. But with the current one it does.

The gallery of images is here:

[Lorenzo]

I kind of forgot, but looking at the finger holes in that chanter, does Brad make a small bore D?

[bobkeenan]

I kind of forgot, but looking at the finger holes in that chanter, does Brad make a small bore D?

I have heard or read that he does do small bore. When I was first fiddling with reeds I was not having any luck. Then I checked my vignoles chanter throat and then this one. Vignoles was a little larger than 5mm and this one was about 4mm. So I thought ah ha.... I have a small bore chanter.

But when I asked Brad about it he said that it was not small bore. So I am left being confused about what makes a small versus large bore chanter. He said something like that he makes the throat a bit smaller because it is more forgiving for his reeds. But don't quote me or brad on that. As a beginner I am libel to misunderstand anything an experienced pipemaker says to me!

[DjUntzUntz]

beautiful set Bob Congratulations!

[The Sporting Pitchfork]

Brad does make narrow-bore D chanters, and he's also made chanters à la Taylor and Patsy Brown that could perhaps be described as "medium-bore" (or something). I've played this chanter myself, and it's definitely _not_ narrow bore.

Gorgeous set, Bob! Looking forward to seeing it in person!

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

Brad makes the throat of his Rowsome-type chanters smaller, which helps the hard D to sound. Rowsome's chanters had 3 tapers in the bore, I'm told. Simple conical bores, or "dunce caps" as someone once termed them, will require you to sit on the bag to get the hard D to work.

Brad's given up on the narrow D stuff, unless you specifically ask for it. People seem to want LOUD IRISH PIPES.

[PJ]

C 3/4 set. Chanter by Matt Kiernan, drones and regulators by Nick Whitmer.

[DjUntzUntz]

Nice looking set! What wood is the chanter made from?

[PJ]

Don't know for sure. Possibly greenheart.

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

Matt liked to make pipes from old boxwood rulers, which I'd guess is what yours is made from - look up images of greenheart, it's more open grained than box, kinda mahogany-ish actually. Dunno if those old rules were big enough for a whole chanter but I'm sure he could find sticks per se of the stuff.

He also, being a Garda, used the odd lignum vitae truncheon for raw material. Was just reading an obit of Matt in an old Treoir.