Another Vintage set surfacing for air

[Jeff Cullen]

I got together with a friend of mine yesterday who has had a set of un-restored vintage pipes in his family for a few decades. I took some photos. Any ideas as to maker(s)? Sorry that some photos are not well focused...it was outdoors at a Scottish Games with the parts spread out on a picnic table bench. Obviously some Taylor elements here, and some mix and match parts. The middle reg is the same size as the tenor reg on my Brennan set, the bass reg here is the same size as the Baritone reg on the Brennans. The small reg is very small. The reg by itself with the metal side plates is the tiniest reg I've ever seen, and I photographed it next to the bass resonator for perspective.
Most metal parts are nickel, but some seem to be aluminum. Tops and bottom mounts are ivory. Gotta love those double bore chanters.

Photos:

www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/all01.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/all02.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/bellows1.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/chanters1.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/chanters4.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/chanters5.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/chanters9.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/dronepieces.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/drones1.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/drones2.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/drones4.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/keys1.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/keys02.jpg
http://www.crossroadssoftware.com/downl ... sdrone.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/stock.jpg
www.crossroadssoftware.com/download/tops.jpg

[Chris Bayley]

Some interesting features - Bass Regulator that plugs directly into the main stock so presumedly some sort of crook arrangement inside the stock similar to the Captain Kelly set.

Keyed double chanter is interesting with the high 'd' key - especially the way it is sprung. Have only seen this on one other set a long, long time ago and seem to recall Henelly being the maker named.

And the other bits and pieces - two partly finished double bass regulators each with 4 tone holes rather than the usual 3.

Is this lot heading for Ebay ?

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

Funky stuff. I bought an old set from John Gallagher of Exeter Rhode Island years ago and he sent me a pic of his own set, which looked a bit like this, wide keys set in blocks. Think he said it was a Crowley, the Crowleys in Cork I suppose. There were NYC pipemakers named Crowley too...

Maybe the keyed part of the bass reg is plugged into the stock by mistake? The tenor reg looks much too low where it is.

If the middle reg is the same size as a Brennan concert pitch tenor that'd put the set in a very high key, F or G perhaps.

[Chris Bayley]

Yes Kevin - on a second better look the Tenor is plugged into the Double Bass position probably by mistake which would mean that the drone stop switch would then lie where it normally does between the Tenor and Baritone.

Quite a few bits and maybe the separator in there somewhere

[Piobairi Uilleann Inis Fa]

Funky stuff. I bought an old set from John Gallagher of Exeter Rhode Island years ago and he sent me a pic of his own set, which looked a bit like this, wide keys set in blocks. Think he said it was a Crowley, the Crowleys in Cork I suppose. There were NYC pipemakers named Crowley too...

Maybe the keyed part of the bass reg is plugged into the stock by mistake? The tenor reg looks much too low where it is.

If the middle reg is the same size as a Brennan concert pitch tenor that'd put the set in a very high key, F or G perhaps.

Not sure how many experts there are on the Crowley sets, but the son of one of the Crowley makers owns a music store still in Cork City and might have some knowledge of the family history of styles of sets tthrough perhaps some photos? I am sure that they must have a telephone listing. I was in his shop two years ago when I stumbled accross it and he was quite receptive to conversation but not particularly knowledgable of this sport that we play here other than the family history and childhood memories. The store is called Crowley's Music.

Neil

[Dionys]

Why do all these old sets get stored in salt-water?

[Joseph E. Smith]

Why do all these old sets get stored in salt-water?

... tastes better than pickling them.