Let's play 'Review the Flat Set Makers'!

[Jack Macleod]

Just for arguments' sake, let's say Geoff Wooff makes the best flat sets. If you couldn't get a Wooff set--and most of us can't--who would you go to next?

Does one or more pipemaker(s) really stand out for their flat sets, say over the usual D set?

If you choose to reply, what would factor into your decision? Lead-time? Cost? Tone (hopefully our first priority)? Aesthetics?

Jack

[Cayden]

Enter kevin 'but Brad in my opinion..' enter fmaunsell 'my left handed plumwood..' enter blevins 'my beehive..' etc etc do we really have to do it again ?? Try the search function.

[vcolby]

Good topic.

I have heard mp3's of the Wooff flat sets, and found the tone of Joe Kennedy's flat sets just as sweet and in tune. I have a B flat set on order from Joe, and his C# set is very nice (he just finished a nice C# flat set for his own personal use).

I have no experience with the other makers' flat sets.

Virgil

[djm]

found the tone of Joe Kennedy's flat sets just as sweet and in tune

That's because he is under direct mentorship from Geoff Wooff and uses Geoff's plans. He also just completed a C# set for Harry Bradley. Harry was playing it at the Chris Langan weekend just passed.

djm

[Cayden]

I have heard mp3's of the Wooff flat sets, and found the tone of Joe Kennedy's flat sets just as sweet and in tune. I have a B flat set on order from Joe, and his C# set is very nice (he just finished a nice C# flat set for his own personal use).

I can assure you the two have disctinstly different characters and the former is a lot more complex in it's sounds and workings than the latter.

[Dionys]

Enter Peter in his "I love Wooff"

Not that I disagree.

It's all been covered. No sense in beating a dead sheep.

[fancypiper]

I prefered my Seth Gallagher C chanter over the only Geoff Wooff chanter I have played as the position for the bottom hand holes were more natural.

That was after I had made my own reed for the Gallagher, the Geoff Wooff chanter still had the Geoff Wooff reed. Responsiveness and tone of both left little to be desired.

[Cayden]

Enter Peter in his "I love Wooff"

.

It's not the I love Wooff trail I am on, I very much try to avoid this. The very predictable thing [see my first post] is that eveybody has a set by pipemaker Q,R,S or whoever is likely to butt in here to state that they are the same as pipemaker W's.

Which they aren't, they are very different. The whole point is a thread like this is so incredably useless, few will have played enough sets by different pipemakers long enough to make a reasonable comparison, so off they all go to tell the world theirs is the finest, or at least just as fine. There is no way around going out to listen to different pipes [not recordings], play them, for an idea of what you want, talk to the makers and dthen only you can begin to form an idea on which you can base a deciscion to buy a set that suits yourself. My line is not to convince Wooffs are the best, I think they would not suit a lot of you but it's nonsense to say, based on a few MP3s that such and such pipes are as good as eachother.

I agree dead sheep and horses should be left alone. Maybre a moratorium on discussions about sets of pipes would be a good idea.

[Antaine]

Enter Peter in his "I love Wooff"

.

would that be "Peter and the Wooff?"

I agree dead sheep and horses should be left alone. Maybre a moratorium on discussions about sets of pipes would be a good idea.

I'd like to propose another idea...i actually find this stuff valuable as someone looking to buy a set. ultimately, this was what led me down the path i ultimately chose...however, it can get annoying to people that aren't coming to the board for the first time and have been over all this a hundred times. I think there should be a couple threads of immediate use to newbies that can just be kept running at the top of the board (like the two up there now), and they should be:
-the "pictures of your pipes" thread
-a thread on "makers and sets"
-and maybe one on reedmaking, tuning, etc

this way everyone can just get in there and say their piece once, and it will be Rud a hAon (agus dó, agus trí) that a newbie will see...they don't know to search until they already start a thread and six people down someone says, "we've covered all this ground...run a search..."

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

Krumb Snatcha (Home [????])

[Dionys]

Peter.. I was just joking. Everyone has their preferences and we all know that most people with preferences aren't completely exclusive of other makers.

Personally I think these threads are somewhat useless. We all know who some of the more-respected makers are and some people have their bad and good experience with certain makers. One shouldn't choose by name alone and in truth should choose (where possible) by specific set / chanter as each one will have a different sound. Plus people enjoy different things. Some like blaringly stark concert sets, some like a mellow concert set, some like narrow bore concert or flat. A change in reed can make a big difference, and each makers's sets tend to sound somewhat different.

What it comes down to is that people should be made aware of the fact that to make a truly good choice, they should go listen to as many sets of pipes by different makers as possible and decide which sound they like. Then go with that maker unless they have some serious issues, like that infamous maker from down under.

It's too subjective a thing to say who is the best maker, or who is a great maker. It's okay to say who is a decent maker, but timbre/tonal quality is subjective.

That said, I'd also repeat Kevin's suggestion to look into Brad Angus for flat pipes. He has a short waiting list and generally does a good job and is well liked for his flat pipes. I will, however, caution that you should play before you buy. I would do so for any newer maker (and suggest it even for well-established makers).

Dionys

[glands]

What about the dead guys?

[Lorenzo]

Ken Rickett's flat set in B, by Dave Williams, sound pretty good. Like a couple others here on C&F, Ken should really make a CD, if he hasn't already.

Reviewing pipemakers really is kinda meaningless unless you know and trust the person who offers his opinion.

[No E]

This is like asking "who makes the best car?" While most of us can agree on what makes a good car or a bad car, arguing about "the best" would result in a long (and futile) argument. Ask what YOU are looking for in a set of pipes, and forum will pass on it's collective wisdom (and collective ignorance, for that matter ).

No E.

[boyd]

I've a piping friend called Rory O'Connell who had a go at making a flat set



...he reversed his car over his concert set one dark night.

Smashed the wooden pipecase but the pipes survived almost untouched.