I'm just curious about hearing from someone who plays the pipes AND doesn't have an axe to grind in this "Far Eastern versus the 'Real Thing'" discussion AND who has actually tried the FC pipes. Judging by the photos on the FC website, they're selling what looks like the same stuff that other internet dealers...I would expect that it's possible, though, that someone over there might be working up to the tolerances necessary for a set of those pipes to be considered "playable" but not necessarily "excellent".

From what I heard over the past weekend at the Highland Games, even the name-brand pipes end up needing modifications to suit the individual player and to fit in with a band's sound. We've heard that someone in the forum did get a set of the "Far-Eastern" pipes "playable" after a certain amount of re-adjusting and part substitutions.

I'm not trying to be pro or con on this topic but I would like to see someone who's a qualified player give an impartial opinion once and for all...

Best

AA