Who do you know playing Wooff sets ?

[Steampacket]

The late Bernard Grigsby had two Wooff sets. What happened to them? One was a Bb and one a C was purchased from Australia. I think one of the sets had an E regulator if I remember correctly.

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Victor Fitzsimmons has a lovely B set. Gabriel also has a C set and a spare C chanter. Dave Collins has a Bb set. I have my B which is an incredible set of pipes.

[Fergmaun]

Joe McLaughlin from Derry has a B natural full set.

Cheers

Ferg

[rorybbellows]

Has Geoff really made over 300 sets of pipes?

Sorry, my mistake ,maybe I was thinking about Alain Froment. In the booklet that comes with the heart of the instrument it says by 2004 Geooff had made 190 sets.

There was a concert pitch set sold recently on this forum made by Geoff and a piper called Oliver on the forum that also plays a Wooff set.

RORY

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

The late Bernard Grigsby had two Wooff sets. What happened to them? One was a Bb and one a C was purchased from Australia. I think one of the sets had an E regulator if I remember correctly.

Bernard bought a set that Ted Anderson had Geoff build; it had a 17 inch chanter, which gives you a pitch between B and C. That's the one with 4 drones and 4 regulators. The styling was after Dan O'Dowd's Egan pipes, with the big "trumpet" regulator caps. Beautiful work, I don't recall in whose hands it wound up after poor Bernard passed away, RIP.

[rorybbellows]

Didn't Ronnie Wathen (?) also play Wooff pipes ? What became of those pipe after Ronnie pasted away ?

RORY

[Mr.Gumby]

Brian Vallely has them now.

[Cathy Wilde]

The newest issue of An Piobaire notes that Jaye Grigsby (Bernard's sister) recently donated a C set of Kohler & Quinn pipes to Na Piobairi. No mention of anything else, though.

[Steampacket]

My Wooff C chanter came from Malcom Sims in Australia in 2001. I think it was made for Malcom's dad. Malcolm was using it with a Froment set instead of the Froment C chanter. Malcolm had returned it to Geoff in 1997/98 to be uppgraded with Geoff's new bore measurements as the chanter was made in the early '80's. Malcolm asked me if I wanted the Froment wind cap (nickel) or the original Wooff wind cap. I chose the original wood and brass wind cap. It came without a working reed, but with a Wooff reed in pieces in a vial. It came to Sweden without mishap from Australia. I took the chanter to Clare at Willie Week time, 2001 and Geoff took the chanter home and I got it back during the week with a new reed that has been working fine ever since. It's very in tune and sounds very mellow and oldfashioned compared to a D chanter, although my D chanters are not shrill and strident like some can be. Geoff is a bona fide craftsman that's for sure.

[billh]

Did Geoff make more than 6 sets a year in the early days?

I believe so, and that he has made fewer sets per year in recent times. At one time he was estimating four sets per year, I believe. Taking the figure from the Heart of the Instrument (190:2004) and the recent completion of nr207, it seems the figure may be smaller.

[Jeff Cullen]

Has Geoff really made over 300 sets of pipes?

Sorry, my mistake ,maybe I was thinking about Alain Froment.

I'm not sure about the accuracy of this, but I had read that Froment made between 100 and 125 sets in his entire career, and typically made 4 or 5 sets a year. Probably a subject for another thread though.

[rorybbellows]

I heard he made at least 9 a year ,sometimes more, and just as an idea of what is possible, David Quinn once made 17 sets in one year.

RORY

[ChristianRo]

I play a C chanter which Geoff set up and re-reeded last year. I know of two proficient German pipers who own Wooff sets but are rarely seen in public with them I dare say - or at least they told me so.

[gwaite]

I know of four sets in New Zealand (and another D set that has left the country).

D half set (mid 80s), whose owner is the original, and an occasional player.

Bb full set (mid 80s), also original owner and regularly played. Distinguishing feature is the sixth key (for e) on the tenor reg.

D full set #151

B full set #205 (made last year)

Last two are mine and are played daily at home, plus out at two gigs minimum weekly. My only problem with the B set is that they are impossible to put down, once you start playing them. NZ's east coast of the South Island is wonderful for reeds. Climate just like Ireland!

Greg

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

OK, are we talking about full or at least 3/4 sets of pipes, or counting anything that leaves the shop? Brad Angus only stamps 3/4 and up with a number, as a practice set you couldn't really call a "set of pipes," in his estimate anyway. To me that's a sensible way of looking at it.