Ima-usa Scottish military bagpipes

**kilted hillbilly** · 20th July 11, 06:49 AM

IMA-USA.com has Scottish military bagpipes for $199.95.Can anyone here tell me anything about them(the bagpipes)? I'm thinking of getting them just to play around with, but if they are just junk I wont bother. Theyre surely not high quality,but maybe not to bad.Thanks. Forgive me , I misspelled Scottish in the heading.DUH!

**piperdbh** · 20th July 11, 07:09 AM

If this company has a good returns policy, as in "money back if not completely satisfied", and you're willing to let go of a couple of hundred simolians, then I'd say go ahead and buy them, then take them straight to a good 'piper and have him/her test them, and then make a decision about keeping them. At best, you might wind up with a playable stand of 'pipes. At worst, you have a $200 ornament to go over the fireplace.
It's interesting the the website does not mention which military these 'pipes allegedly came from, nor does it mention a maker, but it does use up a whole paragraph describing a scene in a movie. That raises some red flags, right off the bat.

**castledangerous** · 20th July 11, 07:15 AM

Don't, under any circumstances, waste you money on those pipes. They are obviously South-Asian made. Not to mention, you don't buy bagpipes to learn bagpipes. Do a search on innumerable discussions on this topic, both here and elsewhere on the web

**kilted hillbilly** · 20th July 11, 07:52 AM

They have an exellent return policy.They also say on some items that "this product does not meet our strict quality measures so we are offering at a low price, etc." On the pipes they dont say this. I will never learn the pipes. I have no musical talent whatsoever. I dont want to spend great amounts of money on something I'll never be good at. But if these are not complete garbage I'll be satisfied.Thanks for the replies.

**ohiopiper** · 20th July 11, 07:54 AM

Ditto what castledangerous said. If you want to learn the pipes, go buy a practice chanter, called a PC for short. Expect to spend a minimum of several months on it learning the basics. Only then will you be ready to move on to the pipes. A decent set of pipes can be had for about 800 bucks if you go with poly pipes from a reputable maker like Dunbar or Macallum. Pipers Choice also sells poly for a reasonable price, but I've not personally heard a set. A PC will only set you back between 50 to 100 bucks, go poly for you first, ABW (African Blackwood) later if you choose to.

**beloitpiper** · 20th July 11, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by kilted hillbilly

I will never learn the pipes. I have no musical talent whatsoever. I dont want to spend great amounts of money on something I'll never be good at. But if these are not complete garbage I'll be satisfied.Thanks for the replies.

There are two types of bagpipes: well-made pipes and garbage pipes. There really is no in-between. If you're looking for a set of pipes to hang on the wall as decoration, then I'd say buy these pipes. If you're looking for something that you might be able to learn to play someday and hand down for generations to come, then you're going to pay at least $1200.

**kilted hillbilly** · 20th July 11, 09:13 AM

OK, so I wont get them, I called IMA, they said made in middle east as far as they know. O well, u get what u pay for, I shoulda known they where crap. I did a little research and found out some info about constuction,materials,etc, and these pipes met really none of the criteria. Maybe I'll get a chanter and aggravate the heck out of my wife?Thanks

**TheBrus** · 20th July 11, 09:28 AM

That's the spirit!

**English Bloke** · 20th July 11, 12:58 PM

That's the spirit indeed!

Like it!

If you are after a practice chanter (P/C), get a long one rather than standard size. The holes are positioned roughly the same as a bagpipe chanter and makes the transition from P/C to pipes proper, that bit easier. There is no issue with getting Polypenco (plastic, also known as Acetyl) as a first buy rather than Blackwood. In beginner terms the poly chanters are virtually indestructible and pretty much maintenance free which means you can cart it anywhere without fear of it breaking and get more practice time, and you can always upgrade to Blackwood later if you wish.

My P/C is a Long Bannatyne without sole (the sole is the foot-piece on the end rather than my inability to play it well). It's polypenco, good quality and it works for me but there are also numerous suppliers of quality piping kit on your side of the Atlantic. Have a look at these chaps (Henderson's) in the USA for ideas on prices. All of these listed makers produce quality products and you can always enquire to the manufacturers direct...

A very good, easily portable and inexpensive tutor book to start on is Logan's Complete Tutor for the Highland Bagpipe by Captain John MacLellan. It's a bit dated now but it has all the basics you need for mastering the P/C and contains loads of tunes as well which you can carry forward to the pipes at a later point. (Previous knowledge of music notation is an advantage but not essential).

You will however find it beneficial to obtain proper tuition as you progress and if you stick at it and you do make the transition to full pipes, instruction is probably a must. Have a scout around your area for pipe bands that are happy to recruit beginners. If you're pushed to find an instructor there is tuition available online (click for an example but there are others) or at a push there is quite a bit of one-way bagpipe instructional clips available on You-tube. (Google's your friend).

Either way, it is great fun but it isn't easy.

I also have a set of Custom made McCallum Poly P1's (with a bit of extra shiny bling). I bought Poly pipes as a first set because again, I need them to be sturdy and light on maint for how I intend to tackle them. They are a smashin' set of pipes too but I think I have jumped the gun a bit as I'm still not ready for them yet. Consequently I'm still plugging away on my P/C for now. Commitment of time is my problem. You really do have to practice... alot!

My dream pipes would be a set of hand made, plain turned MP01's, by Doug MacPherson. Their simplicity blows me away. His prices are also not unreasonable. The set I have in mind are in Blackwood with a few Mopane tweaks in place of the imitation ivory on the standard set and I have tentatively contacted Doug regarding prices, I must say, I was amazed at the value he offers for a set of handmade pipes of such quality. Not inexpensive but not unaffordable, depending of course on both your desire and definition of affordability. As a maker he his very highly regarded in piping circles.

You don't have to spend a fortune but my only recommendation is, if it's very cheap, it's generally rubbish and you'll be wasting your money... Spend a portion of that $200 getting a decent P/C and have a bash first! You'll be glad you did.