Sunday, September 19, 2010

Who Made These Pipes?

I'd really appreciate some assistance in identifying the manufacturer of these pipes. I purchased them in 1985 from a retailer known as The Wee Piper in Miami, Florida. He thought they were Hardies, and in fact the set came with a wooden chanter marked “R.G. Hardie, Glasgow.” However, the combing on the drones and blowstick doesn’t resemble other Hardies.

The combing appears flatter than Hardie sets I've seen. It consists of tight groups of eleven grooves, forming ten raised rings, separated by a pair of grooves that are slightly wider apart. The rings are nickel silver, with one groove at the top and two at the bottom of the ring. Projecting mounts are imitaton ivory. I can't find any identification marks on them, and I’ve inspected the drone cord areas carefully.

Any and all ideas are most welcome. Measurements are detailed after the photos.







All drone reed seats are just under 7/16”.
All stocks, measured at top, are 3/4”.

Bass drone:
• Bottom section pin bore diameter is 5/16”
• Middle section pin bore diameter is 6/16”
• Top section bore (measured at the bottom end) is 11/16”

Tenor drones:
• Bottom section pin bore diameter is 5/16"
• Top section bore (measured at the bottom end) is 9/16”