The joys and dangers of Ebay pipes

[OC Richard]

This obviously Pakistani bagpipe has got 19 bids! Stop the madness.

The first telltale things are the bag-cover and the cords (note the rubber O-rings). But it could be a legit set with the Pakistani dressings, right?

I don't think I've ever come across that; it's extremely unlikely. Because in Pakistan they do make quite nice cords and bag-covers and the ones they sell separately are like that. The wonky sort seen on this Ebay set are the kind that come on the cheapest Pakistani pipes.

So for a legit pipe to have the cheapest sort of Pakistani dressings would mean shifting them from a cheap Pakistani set.

Much more common is the other way round: Pakistani pipes which have been dressed in higher-quality things.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25549524229...ndition=4%7C10

[JPS]

This obviously Pakistani bagpipe has got 19 bids! Stop the madness.

The first telltale things are the bag-cover and the cords (note the rubber O-rings). But it could be a legit set with the Pakistani dressings, right?

I don't think I've ever come across that; it's extremely unlikely. Because in Pakistan they do make quite nice cords and bag-covers and the ones they sell separately are like that. The wonky sort seen on this Ebay set are the kind that come on the cheapest Pakistani pipes.

So for a legit pipe to have the cheapest sort of Pakistani dressings would mean shifting them from a cheap Pakistani set.

Much more common is the other way round: Pakistani pipes which have been dressed in higher-quality things.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25549524229...ndition=4%7C10

Are you certain? In the third picture, I could swear I can make out "Dunbar" in the cord guide.

[DCampbell16B]

I also do see Dunbar. And the mouthpiece looks like some variation of an Airstream. Concur on the cords though.

[imrichmond]

If these are Pakistani, they would be the first set of Pakistani polypenco pipes I've ever seen. The Pakistani makers just don't use polypenco. Even Hakam Din, arguably the best of the Pakistani makers, uses only African blackwood (poorly aged) and sheesham (which the Pakistanis misleadingly call rosewood). This is clearly a set of Dunbar polypenco pipes. Aside from the Dunbar stamp in the tenor cord guide, the single scored line in place of combing below the shoulder on the drones is virtually a guarantee that these are Dunbars. This set is identical to the set of imitation mounted polys shown on Dunbar's website. The mouthpiece is an Airstream, but the blowpipe is Dunbar. If someone can get this set for around $400-500 US, it will be a real bargain. Used sets of Dunbar polys are typically going for $750-900 US.

Why the seller would have dressed these pipes up with Pakistani cords and what could well be a Pakistani bag cover is anybody's guess, but I have seen this done with a couple of other sets of pipes in recent years. A few years ago, I purchased on behalf of a band mate a lovely set of 1970s Gillanders & McLeod that the seller, a piper in Germany, had fitted with Pakistani cords and bag cover for the posted photos.

[OC Richard]

I'm sure you gents are correct.

I didn't see the Dunbar.

It's the first time in 45 years of doing this that I can recall seeing somebody take both the bag-cover and cords off a cheap Pakistani set and put them on a legit bagpipe, but there it is.

[OC Richard]

Stamped Henderson set, opening bid $1200.

People are paying much more than that all the time for new pipes, which this old Henderson might outplay.

Of course like all pipes Hendersons did vary, and who can say what this set sounds like.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/23458715584...EAAOSwIYFipjlg

[OC Richard]

Really low $400 opening bid on catalin Grainger & Campbell set.

Pipers may scoff at pipes like this but my old Pipe Major played a silver & ivory set that had identical profiles projecting mounts etc and that set always got high marks for tone by judges.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16555055926...oAAOSwpbFiucT5