Images of an unusually configured set of “taylor style” set of pipes has been added to NPU’s Source gallery.
Can anyone suggest a maker?
I recall seeing a photo of a similar set in Pat Sky’s book.
Holy cr*pbuckets! I don’t even know where to begin with dissecting this set…
Hennelly?
Mindblown,
Good lord!!! looks very robust - unusual to see a squarish stock too. Four regs so not for the shy piper. No chanter though. Could it be a Kohler/Quinn set. Who is/was Tom MacMahon?
Will go out on a limb and say not K&Q.
If a right-hand set, the player liked lots of bass and tenor reg combos. Maybe it’s a lefty set? I wonder what the extended drones play… Tying this set in must have been a bear. I like the round-to-square stock. That’s dead-sexy!
It looks like there are no drones under the regs. The drones seem to be sticking out of the other end of the stock and turning back under it. The drones also look like they’ve been turned from ivory.
Pat Sky’s book has a photo of a US based maker (Hennelly? Brennan?) playing a set the looks similar to this one.
The Empire?.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqSuUHqvGO8 
That is Hennelly’s experimental set. Tom McMahon was a Chicago piper, taught by Dave Page, Tom is mentioned on this tribute page to Dave, who lived in Chicago for a spell. Joe Shannon told me the set didn’t really work, as wouldn’t be surprising; the plumbing for those drones is more than a bit crazy. In this shot note the “key” sticking out of one of the drone pipes underneath the stock. Is that the drone switch? There’s no switch sticking out of the front of the mainstock, you notice. Hennelly conducted a quite amazing experiment here. His solution for the construction of the double bass regulator is the same as I had done for my Bb set, that is, to make the upper section longer, instead of plugging the reed end into the mainstock and having the bore reverse back to the stock half way. This way the keys point in the same direction as the other regulators, and you don’t have to construct complex reverse action keys like the Taylors did.
The body of the big drones looks to be celluloid, or mother-of-toilet-seat as it’s often derisively termed.
I think this set was used a substitute for the WW1 “trench-broom!?”
Certainly looks like the set being played by Hennelly in my copy of Pat Sky’s tutor
Pity someone could not be bothered to turn the regulators the right way up for the photoshoot as the drones should be on top looking at the photo of the set being played
I assume that in playing the drones extended over the top of the bag ?
This way the keys point in the same direction as the other regulators, and you don’t have to construct complex reverse action keys like the Taylors did.
The Taylors did construct Contra Bass Regulators the ‘right way’ round on at least one set (SRS2) so guess they found their ‘normal’ reversed way easier
From the photos on the universe of bagpipes site Sean Folsoms big set also seems to use pearl style celluloid so is his also by Hennelly ?
John
It took me a moment to understand what you were referring to but I think you’re right. It looks like the set was assembled incorrectly. The regulators are turned the wrong way.
Well spotted.
I remember Ted Anderson saying that was most likely. The celluloid might be a giveaway; of course, maybe Hennelly slapped that stuff on someone else’s work. Another story was about Tom Ennis having Hennelly build a deluxe set, which he left on a subway, never to be seen again. It’s hard to tell. You’d have to put a bunch of his sets in a lineup and seen what the common denominators are. From what I’ve heard he only built about 6 sets of pipes, though; this one, Folsom’s maybe, Joe Shannon’s, another one that Brad Angus worked on years ago.
Sean’s pipes are kind of funky, the work in general, and the Cuban mahogany. I think they have a terrific sound for a loud pipes, though, and like to listen to Sean play 'em.
An article by Jim McGuire about Joe Shannon, published in An Piobaire in Dec 2003, mentions:
Pat Hennelly played the warpipes and did make 6-10 sets of uilleann pipes between 1928 and 1978 but never played the uilleann pipes
… and later:
Pat Hennelly loaned [Joe Shannon] the body of a Taylor set (the set was oriented for a right handed player, even though Joe was left handed) for the summer to dress up the appearance on stage. Shortly after that, Pat Hennelly made a left handed set for Joe.
On Wed Jan 15, 2003 in a Felix Doran thread on C&F Jeff Lindblade mentions Tom MacMahon’s Hennelly set here:
“Actually I understand that Hennelly did make pipes in Chicago for a number years. Kevin plays one of his sets regularly. I also know that Tom McMahon has a full+ set of Hennelly’s but unfortunately is no longer playing them. I’ve heard that Hennelly was originally a coach maker (horse drawn carriages) who thus had the ability to work in metal and leather. I’m sure there are other sets in Chicago, but I don’t have the exact information to share. jeff” Jeff Lindblade
The full set I saw was owned by another Chicago piper, I think - the name was Vincent someone, perhaps? Vinny? This was about 8 years ago. It had a box of very old reeds, the double reeds were shot or needed bringing back to life but the elder drone reeds were still buzzing nicely, by and large.
I would bet money that this set was made by Patrick Henley of Chicago. He is the only maker that I have seen who uses a squared off stock
All the best,
Pat