New D

[Narzog]

Just watch these two videos and you'll get the gist of things.

As an experiment, in the first video this guy tries to make the cheap Amazon Pakistan made pipes work with the reeds etc provided.

In the second one, he tries to make them work at all with the good reeds, bag etc that he has.

I think it's obvious that he knows what he's talking about, and the pipes don't work properly on any level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyUxVu_mis0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVMLoKwHfH8

HAHA those drones sound like dying cattle. Not exactly how an instrument is supposed to sound. I guess they exceeded my expectations by partially being playable but they also sounded terrible so I think that still means they shouldnt exist lol.

[pancelticpiper]

In the second one, he tries to make them work at all with the good reeds, bag etc that he has.

I think it's obvious that he knows what he's talking about, and the pipes don't work properly on any level.

That's the thing: an experienced player with a high level of skill at bagpipe maintenance and reed manipulation can get one of these Sialkot pipes to sort of play. It involves as you mention replacing numerous bits with legit things that work right.

After you've replaced the chanter, bag, and reeds you've put more money into the Sialkot pipes than they originally cost, that is unless you wildly overpaid for them. You can buy these cheap pseudo-bagpipes directly from the makers in Sialkot for under $100.

Even after investing all the skill, time, and money to get the most out of a Sialkot bagpipe you still don't have a properly working instrument. Making a bagpipe that works really well is harder than people think- many modern pipes, even well-respected ones, don't function as well as vintage pipes that can be had for half as much as a new pipe.

In any case a beginner trying to play one of these Sialkot pipes is only going to lead to failure. It's simply throwing money away.

An issue many beginners struggle with is what's called the "strike in". It's how you start the drones, usually by striking the bag to get a "clean strike in" in other words having the drones sound properly and not squeal. Those Sialkot drones just want to squeal. Some very good Scottish-made pipes, both new and vintage, have drones that are finicky about striking in.

BTW it's standard for the tenor drones to initially strike in at a different harmonic/timbre/pitch, then when the bag comes up to full pressure and the chanter begins playing the tenor drones kick over to their true harmonic/timbre/pitch. This is called the "double tone" and most good bagpipes do it. The double tone isn't a squeal, just a different sound.

Anyhow I often see beginners having trouble with the strike in and trying various techniques to overcome the squealing. It's my opinion that a well-made bagpipe with decent reeds will always strike in properly no matter what you do. I made this video to demonstrate it, my 1940s pipes made by R G Lawrie (Glasgow). A bagpipe like mine is the diametric opposite of those Sialkot pipes, it's designed for ultimate ease of functioning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZhlBSxb6mA

[Dan A.]

You can buy these cheap pseudo-bagpipes directly from the makers in Sialkot for under $100.

Which will get you, as you prefer, an instrument-shaped object, a set of pseudo-bagpipes, or an unstrument. I know little to nothing about the pipes, but I am aware that a quality set would cost more than I paid for my last truck, which was $1,500. (Completely off-topic, but that was a damn good truck.) Quality is worth paying for, in my opinion.

That's another thing about whistles: none of the whistles I own are bad. Sure, some sound better to me than others, but that's subjective. I don't like the sound of my Little Black D, but objectively speaking, it's a perfectly good for a $6 whistle.