Who owns Walsh SSP?

[Peter Duggan]

I'm used to supporting things with my breath.

Better eliminate the bag and just blow down the pipes, then?

[bogman]

Fair enough Madman, I've never been to your part of the world so I don't know what you have to deal with.

[MadmanWithaWhistle]

I'm used to supporting things with my breath.

Better eliminate the bag and just blow down the pipes, then?

I used to, but my pulmonologist got angry.

Bogman: I do appreciate your advice; if I was going for best possible sound and nothing else I'd likely be looking in that direction. However, given the constraints of the climate here and the fact that as a junior in a very intense college, I want to keep music as fun and stress-free as possible, synthetic seems to be the appropriate option.

[pancelticpiper]

Madman, I'm just down the I-5 from you, well, a lot down the I-5, just above Santa Barbara and climate was a big consideration for me. We can be dripping wet in the morning (marine layer) and in the 90s with no humidity in the afternoon. Cane highland pipe drone reeds were a bitch, so part of my Walsh choice was due to advantage of plastic reeds.

Yes indeed! I'm even further down I-5, in Orange County, and our weather is what you describe: we can have a thick "marine layer" (usually in the morning but it can last all day sometimes) with cool temps and humidity around 80%... but then, quite suddenly, the dreaded "Santa Ana"/"Santana" winds can start to blow from the East, and within minutes the humidity can drop from 80% to 10% and your lovely-sounding cane uilleann chanter reed can just shrivel up and die. Literally. Or if you're lucky it won't die, but it will be playing at an entirely new pitch!

Once the Chieftans gave a concert here during a blasting Santa Ana wind and I felt sorry for them! They had played the night before in the snow, a mile high, in Denver. Paddy Moloney's uilleann chanter reed was squealing and the fiddles and harp were de-tuning so rapidly that they had to be re-tuned between each piece, the tuning holding, at best, only halfway through the piece. Only Matt Molloy's flute was singing in its usual way. There are three things that cane chanter reeds don't like 1) temp change 2) humidity change and 3) altitude change, and Paddy Moloney had to deal with all three simultaneously!

These are the ideal conditions for things like the John Walsh all-plastic smallpipes. They'll keep on playing just the same.

About mouthblown v bellows, though I've played uilleann pipes for many years, all my Scottish smallpipes have been mouthblown.

[bogman]

all my Scottish smallpipes have been mouthblown.

That's pretty unusual.

[crookedtune]

I guess I'll chime in, since Madman and I exchanged PMs on this.

I have a set of Walsh A2000s, which I flirted with the idea of selling, since they get far too little play. Mad was interested, but I backed off because, although I tend to ignore them, they really are an incredibly good, stable and inexpensive set. It's only my fluting that keeps me from spending more time with these --- and I'm hoping to change that.

Anyway, I'm a fan, though I've only played one other SSP set, (more expensive, harder to play, and much more finnicky). I can highly recommend the A2000 to anyone looking to dip a toe into smallpiping.

EDITED: Just to add, this is a mouth-blown set. I haven't heard enough good things about Walsh's bellows adapter to take that plunge.

[jadphoto]

It might be useful to point out that John Walsh has two methods of switching from mouth blown to bellows blown on his small pipes. The first it the "adapter" which is "L" shaped and fits into the blow stick stock. I had one and found it to be less than thrilling. It flexes the bag something fierce at the stock and causes the pipes to want to twist under the player's arm.

The second approach is how I ordered my black wood set and it's very successful. John mounts a blow stick stock as per usual, plus a second recessed bellows stock in it's usual position in the side of the bag. Both stocks take an insert/plug combination that allows you to use the pipes with a blow stick, or a bellows without any contortions involved.

Very elegant solution which I find useful when traveling as the pipes are much more compact without the bellows.

I'm considering sending my mouth blown (only) set of delrin pipes to John and having him set them up the same way.

JD

[crookedtune]

Useful indeed! I might just do that myself! Thanks for the tip!

[MadmanWithaWhistle]

Well, nearly four months later, I received a beautiful set of Walsh SSP. With the help of my highland piper brother (careful not to overblow!) I tuned up the drones and played a rather shaky version of Sunset over the Somme. These pipes sounded freaking fantastic. I was initially apprehensive because it's hard to gauge an instrument's tone with online samples, but you guys (and my teacher) led me right. I'm very happy with these pipes and look forward to learning more tunes!

Thanks again, guys!

[jadphoto]

I'm thrilled that it's working out with the new Walsh's.

I don't know your skill level, but Vicky Swan has a good on-line tutor, and don't miss out on all the goodies that are available from the LBPS (Lowland and Border Pipe Society) web store.

Slan'

JD