I am a new piper looking for a good practice set maker. I have been considering buying from Uilleann Pipe Works of Boston. Does anyone have any info on this maker? Because I live in the Mojave desert, dry air and the its consequences are a problem, so the synthetic materials used by UPWB are very appealing. Their price ($650 for a practice set) is also a recommendation. I have also looked at CJ Dixon’s pipes, and I like the look of his pipes and the goose neck head mount, but I’m not sure about the materials and the price. Any comments? Thanks for your input.
Slainte,
S. K. Cull
You can always try David Daye, or Patrick Sky… Good Luck
I have a plastic D chanter on the way from BPW of Boston. I will gladly share my thoughts when it arrives.
I have it on VERY good authority that the chanters are excellent, and curiosity got the better of me. Very good price as well… so you can keep your poxy Canadian lottery!
Regards,
Harry.
Hi Learning Piper–I will be getting a practice set in the spring (not from the maker you are asking about). It is nice to meet a fellow beginner. I cannot advise you, I don’t know anything, but I have two suggestions.
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Look at the list of threads in the UP forum index. At the top you will see one titled FAQ. In that thread you will find places of info about makers. It also explains that people here can’t always say these are good, these aren’t. Too many opinions, not enough data, maybe no one right now has those particular pipes, etc. You should just read that section so you’ll sort of know what the deal is. It’s not a matter of being evasive or unfriendly.
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Do a search on your topic. This could be very helpful to you. Here’s how to get the best results:
a. Look in upper right hand corner of screen. Click on “Search”.
b. On search page, find “Search Query” section. Using the top space, Search for Keywords, type exactly this: Works and Boston
c. Underneath what you just typed, click the dot for “Search for all terms”
d. Go to bottom left-hand side of page.
e. At Forum: Choose Uilleann Pipe
f. At Category don’t worry about it
g. This is important!! At Display results as: Click on Posts. You will get a much better and more easily sorted through bunch of things than if you click on Threads.
I hope this helps a bit. Other people will come along as well with their advice. Good luck. 
As you live in the Mojave Desert, I might recommend you get a good humidifier for your home, or the room you plan to practice in… that is, if you do not already have one.
Also, and I know that it is a bit soon, but I’d also look into learning how to make your own reeds. Given your location, you’ll want a reed that’ll play well in your environment… and the best way to do that is to make the reed in said environment. Reeds are such fickle things.
SK-
The SCUPC has one of Patrick Murray’s earlier chanters, and one of our newer members recently purchased the latest version from Uilleann Pipeworks of Boston. If you can make it out to the next club meeting (Sun., Nov. 13), you can see a wide variety sets from an array of different makers.
PM me if you’d like further details.
Larry Dunn
Good luck with shopping. We’re excited for you.
Seth Hamon makes a great practice set which may meet your requirements.
This brings up an interesting question, one that other can perhaps answer. Living in the Mojave is obviously dry and, I’m guessing, consistantly so. Couldn’t that be considered a stable environment where you’d just need to get a reed to match the conditions?
Seems to me that there are two schools of thought on this. The put a pot of water on the stove and play in the bathroom group and the I’ll make this damn reed play no matter what school. I fall in the later as I live in a very large loft where a humidifier is going to do nothing.
Sure, UP reeds are designed for the moist conditions of the old country, but could you reed it for the new country?
-Patrick
Living in the Humidity Hell of Minnesota
I am also a new piper who has just joined.
Interesting about the humidity. Great when it’s always either dry or always wet but what do you do when one days dry and the next is wet. Does it mean two different reeds.
Somedays me practice set plays reasonably well and in tune and on another the reed feels really unresponsive and won’t play above g in the next octave
John
If your weather is stable, then once you find a working reed in your climate, it should last you at least 6 months. Great reeds last for years (and are as hard to find as chicken lips). Everything is by degree - the greater the humidity swing from day to day, the tougher time you will have with your reeds. Here, it is very dry in winter, but it is always dry, so my reed plays well. In summer it gets very hot and humid, so somedays the reed can cope and some days it can’t.
djm
Thanks for the input. It has all been very helpful. I have a few more question. Has anyone actually played a chanter from UPWB? If so, how the octave change and the low D? I’m not sure about the feasibility of getting regular lessons, so I will probably be using tutors. I have looked at the NPU videos and the some book/cd tutors. Any thoughts, recommendations, warnings (you never know), curses (again, you never know), etc.?
Slainte,
S. K. Cull
Pipemaker David Quinn has very nice things to say about them. He’s one man whose word on the matter I would never question.