The joys and dangers of Ebay pipes

[OC Richard]

Wow a Lawrie set in great condition for around $300 Buy It Now.

I've owned sets like this, they've sounded great and been very stable.

If I didn't already have a great vintage Lawrie I'd jump on this.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/23645837760...ndition=4%7C10

[OC Richard]

Old nickel & ivory pipes here in the USA so no border-crossing or tariff worries.

Currently under $500 but they'll go much higher. They already have a lot of bids.

Of course the ever-present worry is that they'll be an old set of so-called "three-quarter" pipes, which in actuality are around 7/8 size, and practically impossible to distinguish from fullsize pipes from photos alone.

I asked the seller to measure the length of the Bass drone top section.

I've measured dozens of vintage and new fullsize pipes and the Bass tops have ranged between 11.5 inches and 11 7/8 inches, and usually around halfway between those extremes. Most common is around 11 11/16 inches.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/306655317675