Equipment

A piper's website is incomplete without a loving description of his pipes. Here's a description of the various instruments I use and have used. Photographs will follow when I get around to it.

Instruments

Great Highland Bagpipes
Set #1: MacLeod
I estimate these pipes were made in the mid to late 1990's. They are African Blackwood, fully combed with button mounts, nickel ferrules, and imitation ivory drone caps. I bought them used in the fall of 1999 as my first set of pipes, and they have served me very well. They proved to be a great starter set, though I got a very good sound from the drones; I think the pipes produced a better sound than they were designed to. I don't play these pipes anymore, but I still own them and someday would like to have two sets up and running.

Set #2: Henderson
My primary set of pipes was made in the late 1940's by Peter Henderson. They are fully combed African Blackwood with nickel ferrules, wooden projecting mounts and artificial ivory drone caps. The drone caps have aged to an orange color. They were originally purchased in 1949 as a Christmas gift for Mr. Eugene Lucas of Washington, PA by his late wife, and he treated them very well for as long as he had them. I bought them directly from Mr. Lucas in June of 2006 and have been playing them since. They are tied into an extended small synthetic Ross bag with Achiltibuie's MCS2 moisture control system on the drones and a corrugated plastic tube on the blowpipe. I play EZee Drone reeds with an inverted bass drone. This combination produces a very well-blended mellow tone, which has earned many positive comments from judges. The chanter is a blackwood Kron Medallist with artificial ivory sole, and a Soutar reed.

Practice Chanter
I play a long plastic Gibson practice chanter with a Gibson reed. Not very exciting, but it gets the job done.

Kitchen Pipes
I also have a set of 2-drone small pipes known as kitchen pipes. It's basically a practice chanter with a bag and two plastic drones with practice chanter reeds. It has a nice mellow sound, and since they play in the key of A they are much better suited to playing with other instruments than the GHB.

Electric Deger Pipes
My electric pipes have been a big hit among my college roommates and fellow airline travelers, for the simple fact that I can use them with headphones. I have also performed with them connected to a guitar amp or sound system, but prefer to play the real pipes in public.

Uniform

Can't perform with the bagpipes dressed in a tshirt and jeans! Here's a brief rundown of my attire that I wear for solo performances. The band uniform is something else entirely and is not discussed here.

Kilt
My kilt tartan is Robertson Hunting, which is the nearest family connection I've ever found (my mother's maiden name, Roby, is a sept of Clan Robertson). The kilt was made by my friend Joel Adams, formerly of the Macdonald Pipe Band. I wear it with a MacDonald clan kilt pin. What I wear under my kilt will be left to the reader's speculation.

Utilikilt
Never.

Jacket and Vest
I have a charcoal gray Argyle jacket and vest combination. The jacket has straight sleeves, braided epaulettes, and a chain fastener in the front. I find it looks nice with a white, blue or light green dress shirt. I usually with a plain black tie but have been known to wear a Grinch tie in season, or a Daffy Duck tie if I'm feeling daffy.

Sporran, Hose, Footwear, and Headgear
I have several sporrans, but usually wear a leather day sporran with nickel cantle. I also may wear a gray rabbit dress sporran and a simpler leather day sporran with three tassels. I wear white or cream hose with red flashes (though I also have tartan flashes that match my kilt) and standard piper ghillie brogues. I have three sgian dubhs: one has an antler handle with embedded heather gem, the second has a molded plastic handle, and the third is a novelty sgian dubh bottle opener. I wear a black glengarry with a red pompom that at the moment does not have a badge.