Store Profile

CC Bagpipes - Store, Massachusetts, United States

Website:

CC Bagpipes

At C and C Bagpipe Supply we take the utmost care to insure that our products meet the highest standards of quality.
The purchase of a set of pipes is a major decision, in that a good set of new pipes costs upward of $1000.00 - it is very important to do some homework. the following is intended to be a listing of some considerations to help in your decision making process. new or used?? there is nothing wrong with getting a used set. often the wood will be of excellent quality, and there could be price advantages. you might be able to find a bargain, but this is rare -- often times the used sets sell for as much if not more than the new. also, as a rule, it will be necessary to buy a new bag and have it tied in. another concern is the chanter -- the older ones are pitched a bit lower than the newer ones and as a result, playing with other people could be a problem unless a new chanter is purchased. best advice is to have an experienced piper examine the set and make recommendations in your interest. the bag: bags come in several variations (2size, materials etc.) first, never purchase pipes without being 'measured' for a proper fit. arm length and upper body size will dictate what size bag you want (2small, extended small, medium, large, extra lage or custom). length of blowpipe is also a major factor here as to materials, the main ones are leather and gortex, a space age synthetic material. both have advantages, and if you ask 10 pipers you will get 11 opinions. some prefer the leather for the 'heft' and feel. also, it is consistent with tradition. the leather bags do require some maintenance, however. the gortex is somewhat more expensive, is light and maintenance free. the best advice is to talk to as many pipers as possible, and try the bags out for yourself. there is no musical consideration, the bag is simply an air reservoir. the drones: there is only one material for the drones proper that i would recommend, and that is african blackwood. i have seen and played pipes made of other woods, but in my opinion, the sweet drone sound you want is best produced by this dense, hard (2and unfortunately expensive) wood. the stocks and blowpipe have no effect on music, and some savings can be achieved by having them made from polypenco. also, being the part of the drone which absorbs the most moisture, wooden stocks are more susceptible to splitting (2rare but it does happen). the chanter most chanters purchased for beginning and intermediate pipers are made of polypenco or other synthetic material. the sound is good, maintenance easy, and the price is substantially less than a blackwood chanter. for a first set, i would recommend the synthetic unless you recently won the lottery. a blackwood chanter can always be purchased later (2as can any part.) mounts the mountings (2ferrules, caps, mounts, chanter sole (2if any) are a matter of personal taste - there is no effect on the music. a sterling silver set will sound the same as one mounted in wood and plastic. mounts are available in heavy duty plastic (2in imitation ivory or horn - some makers have additional colors, but these are the most popular) and occasionaly in metal or wood. ferrules can be either the plastic, nickel, brass or sterling -most pipers prefer the metal (2nickel or brass for the non lottery winners) because it reinforces the wood better and does not require the wood to be turned as thin as the plastic ones do, thereby reducing further the danger of splitting wood.

978-283-4201

Categories this link is in:
Shopping - America
Shopping - America - Massachusetts
Shopping



More Links of The Same Owner
CC Bagpipes