Email from Davy Spillane himself??

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 6:00 pm

Well, it seems genuine enough. I wrote yesterday and just asked for more information about his pipes since they seem to be an emigma to most of us - more out of curiosity than anything else. Honestly didn't even expect a reply. But here it is one day later! Made the currency conversions online just for general comparison. CRIPES! He's an expensive bloke ain't he?

****
Hello Brian,

Please find pipes info as mac word attachment.

Thank you,

D Spillane

****

UILLEANN PIPES Hello and thank you for your enquiry . I am making concert pitch chanters , practice sets and half sets at the moment. My pipes are made from ebony , brass and ivory substitute.

If you are interested in ordering please note that I have pipes in stock some of the time , but a 6 -12 month waiting list may apply.

PRICES in uk sterling
Practice set: 1500 ($2,543 USD)
Concert Pitch D Half Set ( practice set plus drones)3000 ($5,087 USD)
Full sets (half set plus regulators) by special order 6000 ($10,173 USD)

Davy's Uilleann Pipe Tutor with tape: 25
Pipe cases ( recommended ) 175
Low whistles in D $???

A full catalogue of C.D.'s is available: 20 each uk sterling Atlantic Bridge;Out of the Air;Shadow Hunter; Pipedreams;East Wind ; A place Among the Stones. the sea of dreams and Forgotten Days.

TO ORDER Please confirm your order for pipes by stating left or right hand preference. the payment balance can be sent by bank draft prior to shipping.

Address for orders
D. Spillane Lough South Liscannor Co.Clare Ireland
Tel +353 65 70 81151 E MAIL
davy@davyspillane.com

**Edited for clarity.**

The Sporting Pitchfork · Thu Oct 30, 2003 10:11 pm

Brian Lee wrote: $ Full sets (half set plus regulators) by special order 6000 ($10,173 USD)

A vision of other pipemakers' prices to come? Barring some sort of tremendous economic catastrophe or a huge barrage of talented young pipemakers flooding the market with cheap, high quality instruments, of course. I weep for the future...

TO ORDER Please confirm your order for pipes by stating left or right hand preference.

Nice touch. Beats a 20% deposit anyways...

Jim McGuire · Post by **Jim McGuire** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 10:42 pm

Hmmm... Davy's a lefty, do they get preference?

snoogie · Post by **snoogie** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 5:02 am

Maybe there's a discount for left handed pipes, since it would be easier for him to test them out....

-gary

Pipeman · Post by **Pipeman** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 11:07 am

Does anyone know what the waiting list is for Davy Spillane pipes?

Do you consider his pipes to be expensive more for the name than the quality?

I would really like to buy a set of pipes from someone who has been long established with Uilleann pipes rather than a here today, gone tomorrow cowboy!

Pipeman · Post by **Pipeman** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 11:10 am

I am not going to post much more than facts here to avoid being flamed.

I want to purchase a full set of pipes, preferably from a UK or European maker.

I have £6000 to spend, so where do I start looking so to be sure I get what I order?

Thanks.

Mark

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 11:23 am

Pipeman wrote:Does anyone know what the waiting list is for Davy Spillane pipes?

Do you consider his pipes to be expensive more for the name than the quality?

I would really like to buy a set of pipes from someone who has been long established with Uilleann pipes rather than a here today, gone tomorrow cowboy!

Davy has been notoriously um....difficult to contact in the past, not to mention.....uh quirky in his responses. There was a thread on the whistle board some time ago asking about what type of whistles he played and after much discussion someone got an email from him that seemed very terse and short.

Anyway, his piping skills are certainly not in question, his pipe-MAKING skills however are still relatively unknown as far as I can tell. I fully didn't even expect him to write back at ALL so when I got that reply it supprised me greatly.

I would think you'd have a 50/50 chance of getting something pretty nice or getting hosed. You'll have to make the call - perhaps to Davy himself - his number is listed above.

Who knows, you might just get lucky.

Bri~

edited for P.S. His prices do seem quite high compared to many of the makers on this side of the pond...I haven't looked too much into european makers as the distance makes repairs etc. difficult.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 6:30 pm

I didn't do a search, but has anyone ever played a full or half set by DS?

Irish Terrier · Post by **Irish Terrier** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 8:39 pm

I once phoned Mr Spillane and asked him the price of the chanter. He wanted more than what Cillian O’Brien charged at the time. Davey told me his time was very valuable. This is why he can be costly and this is why I didn’t place that order.

Davey can charge, but so too do many other pipe makers. The prices to me are well over the top and this is my opinion and others may disagree, but I feel the boot is firmly being put in. I also phoned to ask about other pipemakers and prices and they both told me they don’t know what they will be charging in a couple of years time. This is ridiculous and I think we the pipers make it easy for them. This isn’t true with all pipemakers, as many can give you the price, details and time of delivery and what ever else is asked from them.

Seamus

lemonsquash · Post by **lemonsquash** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 9:37 pm

Bottom line: The cost here is several thousand dollars above what is generally charged by pipemakers who do little or nothing else except practice and improve their craft, whose instruments are much more readily available for trial and and who have a much larger base of customers from whom to draw references. This isn't to slag Spillane's talents at all, either as piper or maker--Brendan Ring posted something on another thread about hearing his pipes (played by him) and noting that the tuning and tone was excellent. Consider, though, the initial cost, the factors mentioned above, and what you might be expected to pay for post-sales service, if Davy had the time or inclination to do it.

djm · Post by **djm** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 10:28 pm

Spillane's prices are in line with the best makers in the world. People here seem to be making out that his prices are unheard of. They are not, and I believe you are missing the point. The question should be: do you consider Spillane's pipes to be among the best in the world? I don't know of anyone other than Spillane who plays his pipes, so its really pretty hard to say.

Yes, there are makers charging less, but is that because they are less experienced, less busy, less well-known? I think IrishTerrier makes a really good point about pricing: it can only go up, and like in any market, the pipemakers will charge whatever the market will bear. This is where all those good questions in the FAQs come into play about pre- and post-sale service, etc.

When we pipers start saying "Enough! No More!" then the prices will stop escalating. Those who know their maker personally will have gotten a more intimate view of what it takes to make pipes and may have broadened their outlook on this, but it really is up to the pipers to dictate what they will pay, and what they will accept as adequate quality and service.

So based on the above ranting and raving, I would have to say that, no, I don't think there is enough information available to say that Spillane's pipes are amongst the best in the world, nor his service to be known to be worth the price.

It doesn't hurt to just say NO.

djm

lemonsquash · Post by **lemonsquash** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 10:39 pm

Yeah, I agree, but I don't know who you're thinking of whose prices are up in the $10,000 range. From the U.S. standpoint, Lynch, Gallagher and Angus all charge $3-4000 less than that for a full set. I think you'd be hard-pressed to call any of those boys inexperienced, idle or obscure.

djm · Post by **djm** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 11:06 pm

Check out prices for Wooff or K&Q.

djm

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 11:24 pm

djm wrote:Check out prices for Wooff or K&Q.

djm

The bottom line prices might be the same, but is the final product really comapring apples to apples?

I know that Mr. Spillane is known for his playing ability. But is Mr. Wooff also - or rather for his skill in crafting the instrument itself? If I could play as well as Davy can, I think my time would be valuable too. Has anyone seen his discography lately? When does he find time to sleep?!?!

Quinn doesn't even have open books right now, though the last time I heard a price quote from an owner of one of his sets, it was about $5,000 or so for a half set. I believe something around $8,000 to 9,000 depending on options was the quote for a full set.

Davy offers pretty standard materials: ebony, brass and ivory substitute. Many other makers offer 'perks' such as German silver, horn, bone or even mammoth ivory mounts, *many* different wood choices, as well as design options such as wide or narrow bore chanters, flat or concert pitch, regulator length/style, extra keywork, intricate tooling of the metalwork etc.

It does seem to me that Davy is certainly on the higher side of the curve here bar none. Granted, there are exceptional sets that can sell for $25,000.00 but this is extremely rare.

Interesting points though.

B~

Kevin L. Rietmann · Post by **Kevin L. Rietmann** » Sat Nov 01, 2003 2:38 am

Geoff Wooff is a very good piper. There are qualities in Dickey Deegan's piping that remind me of Geoff's playing, I'd guess that Geoff inspired him at an early stage.

Chiff and Fipple Forums

Email from Davy Spillane himself??

Email from Davy Spillane himself??

Re: Email from Davy Spillane himself??

Who do you advise I contact?