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There’s a photo from the late 1920s of a young LR with the original Quartet in which Tom Rowsome is holding what looks like a Taylor set.

Where in Boston are you?

PJ wrote:There’s a photo from the late 1920s of a young LR with the original Quartet in which Tom Rowsome is holding what looks like a Taylor set.

Yes it's a great photo. Leo looking particularly stylish! It's not a Taylor set (although it's very similar to an old Tayor-style set I used to own some years ago).

I'm also told that the pipes in the photo weren't actually Tom Rowsome's own set but a set he had borrowed.

Every Taylor chanter that I've heard and played has been fantastic. I'd say they're better than any of the modern 'modified Rowsome' chanters in terms of expression, tone, triplets, playability, etc. Just listen to Patsy Touhey or Sean McKiernan, or Fionnan MacGabhann for a younger player on a Taylor chanter. JR

From Michael Dooley: "Regarding the soldering of Taylor sets, Michael had this to say: "I'll bet the main soldering is hard silver solder and soft stuff is used to fill in where complex joints are made - between the foldover reed cap on bass reg and the reed carrier tube or between the return joint on the double bass reg."

From Matt Kiernan: "A few interesting observations from Matt Kiernan (who began making pipes 1920'ish - not long after Taylors) - Taylors had a set of master reeds and each chanter had pilot tone-holes drilled before being fitted with the master reed. This explains oval tone-holes and accurate tuning. It seems also that Taylors adapted chanters to fit the playing style - Matt suggested that some apparent mis-tuning (mostly B and G) on some Taylor chanters was attributed to the chanter being set up for a tight player."

Who made Fionnan MacGabhann's set in this video. Is it a Coyne?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y3eJgTINAE

JR wrote:Every Taylor chanter that I've heard and played has been fantastic. I'd say they're better than any of the modern 'modified Rowsome' chanters in terms of expression, tone, triplets, playability, etc. Just listen to Patsy Touhey or Sean McKiernan, or Fionnan MacGabhann for a younger player on a Taylor chanter.


An early Leo on the right. These two chanters are very similar, both 14 inch, same singing back D, same hole placement, same dimensions aside from the oval F hole (which was common on T chanters). The sound is surprisingly similar too with the same reed, but the bore in the Leo is a little more open.

This is very cool. I'm very interested in the chanters of the Taylor Brothers. I love Sean McKiernan's playing. I would kill to try the Touhey set!

I have a Taylor style chanter that I'm learning to reed. Loving it so far. It's very easy to play. But I don't actually know how close to a real Taylor it is. It certainly seems like whoever made it did so not too long after the Taylors, so I have to wonder if it's in the ballpark. I wish there was more info about the bores of Taylor chanters. I'd love to know more about them.

You'd have to confirm but a few years ago David Quinn produced a dvd that in part had some information about Taylor pipes. AFAIK you can buy it directly from Mr Quinn.
RORY

I have the packet from Mr. Quinn. Though it is a plethora of Taylor info, I think the only chanter info is a double chanter.

There used to be a graph of a Taylor bore somewhere on David Daye's site; a bit hard to read but gave you a general idea. And I think Bill Haneman or someone posted details of an early Taylor bore on the Chiff.

I've got the bore numbers from Bill Haneman, but I'm more interested in the later work of the Taylors.

Here's the info about the Taylor chanter from David Daye.

I wonder how their ordering worked, did they make this set to order or did they make the set and then put it up for sale.
https://youtu.be/2jI9rYIAQBk
RORY

Hi Thomas,
Fionann’s c# set is Maurice Coyne and came through Michael Cooney.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N30WMRC-Vis

I read somewhere that there were a number of pipers who were hanging about the Taylor´s shop on a regular basis. . .until someone attempted to impose some order by shooing them out.

Bob

i Thomas,
Fionann’s c# set is Maurice Coyne and came through Michael Cooney.

Thanks Patrick. I thought it was a Coyne.