FS: Bellows-blown Scottish Smallpipes, nearly new - $650

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moonlitnarwhal
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Tell us something.: Hello, I'm hoping to sell a pair of all-new bellows-blown Scottish Smallpipes. I'm hoping that I came to the right place.

FS: Bellows-blown Scottish Smallpipes, nearly new - $650

Post by moonlitnarwhal »

Hello!

I'm selling a nearly new set of bellows-blown Scottish Smallpipes, made by Mr. Robert Felsburg, owner of 'Quietpiper' in the US, delivered to me in mid-December 2017, less than one month ago. Please spend a moment at Mr. Felsburg's website (www.thequietpiper.com) to get a sense of the incredible craftsmanship of these handmade pipes.

The reason that I am selling this set is because, although I had always dreamed of playing the smallpipes, I quickly realized that the time and skill to do this instrument justice is far beyond my ability... I am selling the pipes at this price because Mr. Felsburg was incredibly kind to make me a custom set at a much-discounted price, offering to spend less time on the ornamentation of the drones, while not changing or diminishing the tone and quality of the instrument. In fact, while these were being built, Robert decided to upgrade to a set of Cherry wood bellows (as opposed to Poplar), and even included pieces of Koa wood in the drones (as a generous tribute to me living in Hawaii)... what originated as a discounted 'beginner's smallpipe' instead became a custom instrument of the highest quality, comparable to the several thousand dollar instruments on his website in appearance, and equal to them in quality and tone.

(Here is a YouTube video of a very similar set, both in appearance and tone - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dpuF7VynED8).

This set is tuned to A, with three dones and a custom 'scalloped' chanter, all in hardwood (with Koa on the drones). The bag is real leather, the bellows are leather and Cherry wood, and the entire set is nearly new - and the only things I did upon arrival were to slightly trim the rubber air hose on the bellows and punch a new hole in the leather belt to fit my (small) waist. However, the only issue with the pipes is that I attempted to adjust the drone reeds (based on a YouTube video that Robert posted on the subject) and I very much regret this, because although I only moved the silicon bands at the base of the drones, I now have completely messed-up the drone tuning, with the highest pitched drone refusing to play properly and the other two sounding out of tune. I contacted Mr. Felsburg after making this mistake, and he assured me that I did no damage, but after trying to restore the tuning several times myself and failing miserably I've concluded that living in rural Hawaii without a single bagpipe player within a 3,000 mile radius may be a foolish place to learn this beautiful instrument! So these pipes will definitely need a drone tuning, but they are nearly new with nothing broken, leaking, or damaged (that I'm aware of) - the drone reeds are fully intact, just as they arrived, just badly adjusted...

I feel guilty posting these for sale, particularly since Mr. Felsburg went to so much time and effort to create these beautiful, custom pipes, but I already recognize that the learning curve is well-being my ability and I'd like them to go to someone who will make them sing like they deserve! This is why I'm selling them for the same amount that I paid (including my shipping expenses), which is the same incredibly-low amount that Robert allowed me to pay since I was so excited to learn and on a tight budget.... I hope it is clear what an incredible instrument this is and why the price is so low. A comparable set could easily sell for several thousand dollars.

Please contact me directly with any questions. The set has been recently posted to eBay ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/Custom-Scottis ... SwP8daT9ux)...

I can send photos to motivated buyers (my camera broke and I was forced to use a tablet device for the photos on eBay, but can send photos of any aspect upon request). Finally, I am located in Hilo, Hawaii (USA). Shipping elsewhere within the US can be USPS Priority (or faster), UPS, or FedEx, but the buyer must pay shipping expenses. The whole set is only several pounds, and I paid for about $50 for 3-day USPS air from Philadelphia, PA to Hawaii. I can get a price quote for international shipping if needed and it wouldn't be an issue to send internationally, but again the buyer must pay shipping.

Thanks for reading!

Rich DeLong
quietpiper
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Re: FS: Bellows-blown Scottish Smallpipes, nearly new - $650

Post by quietpiper »

to Whomever purchased this set of pipes. Please get in contact with me.
I am the maker and would like to know who has them.
Robert
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