Chiff and Fipple Forums

I got a set of Jon Swayne student pipes in G for Christmas, and expect to acquire at least one more set (D) in the future. Can you recommend a good place to buy a hard case that will be suitable for a varying number of pipes? I've not found anything sensibly priced so far, and am currently using a large tote bag with silly amounts of padding...

Anyanka wrote:I got a set of Jon Swayne student pipes in G for Christmas, and expect to acquire at least one more set (D) in the future. Can you recommend a good place to buy a hard case that will be suitable for a varying number of pipes? I've not found anything sensibly priced so far, and am currently using a large tote bag with silly amounts of padding...

I have a case by these people:
http://www.diato.org/gama1.htm
It is an offshoot of Bernard Loffet's instrument business I think. Anyway, my case easily carries two Gs, a set of Ds, bellows and several flutes, etc. They do a range of sizes, I think mine is the 16 - 20 pouce (G & D).
I hope you find a case that is right for you, I tried all sorts of odd things before I found these.
Jules.

It's always a challenge for us people who play various unusual instruments.

There's no one ideal answer because each musician has a different lineup of instruments, different sizes, and so forth.

Sean Folsom here on this forum, who travels with dozens of different bagpipes, uses (or did when I last saw him) a number of ordinary suitcases with several bagpipes shoved in each one.

There's a case company in your country, up in the north-east somewhere (Northumberland?), that makes wonderful cases: extremely lightweight, sturdy, with a sealing gasket. The make them in a large number of sizes for different instruments, and they used to come standard with Stephan Sobell octave mandolins and Colin Ross Northumbrian pipes. I'll look up their name, which I can't recall at the moment. A prized possession of mine is one of their cases, because they're not available in the USA. What's odd is that they had a booth here at the NAMM Show (National Association of Music Merchants, a huge music industry trade show) and when I asked them about bagpipe cases they looked at me like I was crazy. I think there would be a huge market for their cases, because the size they make for Northumbrian pipes is also perfect for Highland pipes, Spanish gaitas, and many other pipes.

EDIT: I searched and couldn't find the name of that Northumberland case manufacturer. But here on this page you can see two of their cases, one being sold with a Colin Ross set of NSPs, one being sold separately, which you can see open, with the velveteen lining they come with.

http://www.junglekey.fr/search.php?quer ... mg=1&adv=1

Currently I use a gun case for my uilleann pipes.
Here's the American company, Plano. Here's a page of their gun cases (good for long flutes or long bagpipes, like the Cornish pipes by Julian Goodacre, and uilleann pipes)

http://www.planomolding.com/subCategory.php?CID=121

For my Highland pipes I've recently gone to a Pelican case. These are amazing! Telescoping handle, wheels, designed to fit the airline standard carryon size, extremely sturdy- they would survive the Apocalypse.

http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail_sto ... ase=iM2500

Richard, do you mean Savage and Hoy cases? If so, I think that they may well be out of business. Their website www.savageandhoy.co.uk doesn't open, and no-one's posted on their Facebook page for a year.

I've had issues in finding a case for my Swayne D's. The chanter in its stock is 650 mm long. My pipes have his triple-bored drones, so they're less of an issue as far as length goes. I ended up getting an old keyboard case which will take the D's along with two gaitas and two sets of Welsh pipes and various bits and piece. It'd stop a tank but it's a chore to lug about. I looked at the Gama cases - perhaps I should explore that option again! I seem to remember that some people use bassoon cases too. Bear this in mind if you intend to get a set of his D pipes.

I did meet someone a few months back who was using an arrow case for her G pipes, which worked well for her. I'm not sure there'd be an arrow case big enough to hold larger pipes.

2 suggestions for you (i use both these cases for a disgraceful variety of unusual bagpipes)

*Tenor trombone case: not the form fitting 'contoured' type, but squarish. Mine is a Protec. Some of the interior baffels may need to be removed. But it's not difficult, and the case is very safe. anything that needs to keep a thin brass tube from bending will certainly endure the rigors of bagpipe cartage.

* Pakistani made Uilleann pipe hard cases. Yeah ,OK I dont like giving them money either & most of their stuffs very very poorly made. but, I have two of these, going on 6, 7, years moderate now. they lock, they are sturdy, they are safe, and have plenty of room inside.

@ Panceltic, iirc, Sean had most of them stuck in those huge old fashioned steamer trunks & footlockers. But we;re talking 50+ sets of pipes here.

Yes indeed Savage & Hoy!! I just couldn't remember the name offhand.

I have one, that a set of NSPs came in, and it's an amazingly useful case, big enough for Highland pipes but nice for Gaitas, SSPs, whatever, and combining light weight and strength. I wish I had two or three of them.

It was at either the 2011 or 2012 NAMM show that Savage & Hoy had a booth. I told them that Highland outfitters I knew would be very interested in selling their bagpipe-size cases. They seemed completely disinterested and moreover denied making cases suitable for bagpipes. But I'm pretty sure that the case my Colin Ross NSPs came in, and the cases that Stephan Sobell citterns used to come in, were by them (though not marked).

Geraint wrote: I've had issues in finding a case for my Swayne D's. The chanter in its stock is 650 mm long.

I went to a mm>inches conversion site and it indicated that 650mm is less than 30 inches, not a problem. My PLANO gun case that I carry my uilleann pipes in is 36 inches long, which I like because I can pop the pipes in there without moving the drones at all; at a gig I can pull out the pipes and play.

Bass guitar cases are readily available, quite affordable, highly adaptable and can accomodate even low D pipes with drones erect. The only snag is that the carrying handle is positioned to compensate for the weight of a bass guitar body so that the case tilts away when you use it for other purposes, but it is a minor annoyance at best and you can get a whole lot of pipe and other woowinds in them...

Yes I carried around my uilleann pipes for years in an old beat-up electric guitar case, wood, fabric-covered, with leather trim.

The handle issue you mention was easy to fix: the handle was offset in such a way that I only had to drill new holes for one of the two brackets, spin the handle round the other way, and bolt one of the brackets in its new location, to now have the handle centered.

It was kind of cool to have everyone think you had a guitar, then open the case and pull out pipes! The pipes fit fully assembled, even the bass drone, so that I could pull the set out and play right away.

I don't have a clue whether or not Anvil cases are available where you are but they make a huge variety of sizes and shapes. As does Pelican, Pelican cases are even waterproof if you take your pipes kayaking.

Anvil cases can be found at large camera shops, especially those catering to the cinematographers and videographers or sound production equipment suppliers. Pelican case are usually sold through camera dealers.

If you want to keep your pipes, or other instruments from being stolen... just keep them in a banjo case.

Sorry...cheap shot I know, but after 40+ years of enduring bagpipe jokes I think I'm allowed one transgression.

JD

(Late) Update: I got really lucky - someone offered a hard tenor sax case on Freecycle, and we customised the inside with polystyrene and velvet. Well, when I say 'we' customised it: the husband did all the work. I provided the velvet.

Offtopic, but Jules, what pipes are you playing in your avatar? Are they Cornish pipes?