eBay Rosewood Bagpipes - GOOD GRIEF!

[@PracticaProphetica]

The paperclip up the Cane Drone was very useful to me. I'd seen pictures, but your video demonstration showed it much more clearly. I recently bought 4 instruments from EnSoul: medieval bagpipe, medieval smallpipe, twin chanter bagpipe (no drones), and a medieval"cromorne" pipe (like a cornamuse). These were all made in Pakistan, so I knew there were going to be difficulties. They were all in the $200 CDN range each (after duty/tax/shipping). The medieval "cromorne" ended up being quite good. It worked without too much difficulty and sounded like a medieval/renaissance double-reed instrument. Yay! The bagpipes....oh my. I will say that the wood on them looks quite nice. The medieval bagpipe (chanter and two drones in key of F) has what looks like a cane highland chanter reed. I can't get any sound out of it. The drones have synthetic reeds, similar to the ones you showed here, only smaller. I was able to get them to produce sound, with some work, but they are fairly quiet, and will shut if I put too much pressure. Since the chanter bore is conical, I expect there will be a problem with balance (the drones too soft, the chanter too loud). But since I haven't gotten them that far, it's hard to say! The medieval smallpipe (chanter and two drones in key of D) has a synthetic chanter reed, and small cane drone reeds. It was the first time I'd seen cane drones, so I wasn't sure how to get them to work. I did some searching online. I put a hair down the blade openings, to keep it slightly open, and flexed/bent it back a bit, gently. This got the drones to work, but I'm still having problems with one of them shutting off. I'll try the paperclip. The chanter seems quite off in a different key than its supposed to be. At first when I tried mouth-blowing it, I couldn't get the highest note (with all holes open). It didn't make a difference. The thumb hole seemed remarkably small (about 1/16"). I got a 5/64" drill and reamed it bigger. That worked! So these are also not entirely working yet. The twin chanter bagpipe (also called Mediterranean in some places) has no drones, just a chanter stock, with two pipes (5 holes each), joining a common bell stock a the end. It uses two small cane drone reeds! Initially, I tried using other types of reeds (practice chanter, etc), but nothing was very musical! Since I now know how to make these cane drones work, I'll have to go back and try it again. All the bags seem to be synthetic...a couple of them feel really stiff, so not sure of the material. The bags seem to be sealed well (no leaks). There were problems on a few of them with the blowpipe getting air coming back up from the bag. They used a piece of leather for the stopper valve, and I think it was binding on the side of the mount hole. I trimmed one of them a bit and it was better, but I really think they should be rubber. Something cut from an inner tube would probably work better.

[@GettingEpic]

Any idea where I can buy a good bagpipes where I don’t break the bank? New to the hobby, but don’t want to start with a beginner set and have to pay to upgrade down the road.

[@KyleBantaMusic]

$800-1500 is the ballpark range that you should expect to pay for a good set of pipes. I would be skeptical of anything cheaper than that. While $800-1500 may seem steep, there's no way around it with bagpipes; you get what you pay for. If you invest in the proper pipes, you wont be disappointed. McCallum, Naill, Hendersons... these are just a few of the trusted retailers out there. There are may sets of bagpipes to choose from, so contact a retailer and they will guide you to make the best purchase.

[@GettingEpic]

@@KyleBantaMusic Thanks Banta! Would you recommend one brand over another?

[@GettingEpic]

@@KyleBantaMusic also are there any good stores online that are actually reputable and not knock offs?

[@KyleBantaMusic]

All the big bagpipe makers in scotland have online stores and brochures. Several retailers in the US and Canada have online stores as well.

[@KyleBantaMusic]

@@GettingEpic McCallum is a very common and reputable brand. I use a Naill chanter and they make pipes too.

[@jazzman1626]

Imagine the disappointment for anyone exited to get their first pipes, being told by a piper that their new pipes are useless? So sad.

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Absolutely! That is a major reason why i made these videos. These pipes are not made to expected standards and the material they use is weak. I understand that money is tight nowadays, and people are trying to save at every corner. I get it! However, buying cheap bagpipes like these is NOT the way to go. That's why I hope more people watch these videos and see the reasons WHY the pipes are not worth buying, especially if they are just learning!

[@michaelgillespie1206]

I'm sure that happens to many people, I almost made that mistake when I started saving money for my first set, I continued doing research while I was saving and got a good deal on a set of Peter Hendersons.

[@piperian3962]

They’ll look nice on your wall.

[@jeremyrusu9687]

It's funny, because this is what happened to me when I first started. Somebody was selling a set of pipes similar to this although I'm not sure what would they were made out of, as I am totally blind after all, so I didn't give it much thought. I am a multi instrumentalist musician that plays a bunch of different woodwind instruments though, so I knew right away, even when testing the chant and drones individually that things were not right and sure enough a trip to a bagpipe shop in Saskatoon confirmed this. At least in your set they drones actually played, and with proper reads in them they could be tuned to the same note as each other as they're supposed to be. Matt Willis made a video with a similar set of these pipes and his kept shutting down. Incidentally enough I was sold my first set of Highland pipes by a real Piper and this set actually is of Pakistani origin, and yet, these ones play and tune well and we're sold by someone that knows. My pipe chanter is a Dunbar though, obviously the original chatter probably was terrible. With easy drone reads in these I can get them to pitch as low as 466, With the tuning screws pulled out, as I do actually have several pipe chanters, for when I want to play in BB tuning. Of course they can tune to any pitch that you want to. I got these after playing small pipes for a while, and this occurred several years after my disappointment with the first set. Not everyone has the musical experience or background though to know intuitively what to look for And I am sorry for them that people are not making these up to a good standard and they go and buy it not knowing.

[@marcsurinx64]

it's almost Christmas, maybe firewood for the fireplace ?

[@jamesskinner794]

Hi Kyle, to be fair you should have tried them with a decent set of drone reeds. I'm pretty sure with those reeds even the best pipes would sound like crap. Chanter is obviously a lost cause.

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Hi James, I did try some Ezee drone reeds, which made an improvement (I did not include this test in the video). However, no matter what I did, I could not keep a steady tone. If you would like me to upload the video showing this test, I will be happy to upload it as it is rather amusing (but also painful to watch!). I absolutely agree that the chanter is a lost cause. It's honestly unfair to the buyer if they are serious about learning the pipes, as this is simply not a proper set to say the least (and they are more expensive than other sets I looked at).

[@jamesskinner794]

@@KyleBantaMusic Hi Kyle, I would think a demo with the ezees would add to your video. It was pretty obvious the supplied drone reeds were, to be kind, sub par. Cheers,

[@chriscipiti6005]

1:51 The blowpipe never came out

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Eventually I did, but it took WAY too much effort!

[@michaelgillespie1206]

I had that happen ONE time, I had applied too much hemp and it swelled with moisture, I couldn't get it out or budge it, I had to be patient and wait for it to dry somewhat, then I redid the hemp and was more cautious after that, I would have hated to split a stock.

[@Ndropazin]

Hi ! As a random non piper I will appear harsh or mean. These low budget items are worse than a "simple" money sink, in fact except their price, customers know nothing and can't track anything related to their fabrication : - As a low price item, you can imagine that penny pinching is everywhere in the industrial process, so what about the metal ? Is there a way to be sure the product is fine for your health ? Many metals can poison you while you touch the pipe. The "wood" seams to be painted/treated but what was the product used to do so ? - Correct me if I'm wrong but blackwood has a special resistance to moisture, you still need to clean your pipes in order to avoid fungus infection but blackwood (and polypenco) won't retain much moisture after the cleaning... Standard wood will. Using one of these may threaten your health with a fungus disease. - Child labour and other work regulations. I have no doubt Mc Callum or Henderson, for example, don't hire children in their workforce.

[@KyleBantaMusic]

These are good points. I havent seen any comments from other users saying that they have had issues with the metal on the pipes, but I guess it could be possible. Black is resistant to moisture to an extent being more dense than rosewood or boxwood.

[@jazzman1626]

Wow the drone cords are tied way too far apart. They’re set up for a bigfoot sized person. At least bigfoot would be able to stomp those things into the ground, since he has a big…foot 😂😂😂.

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Absolutely, they were too far apart. This would also affect the drone sound.

[@JR-bj3uf]

People think that pipers are being jerks or elitist when they say that "these pipes will not work" but trust me, these pipes are a waist of money. As a piper myself I know the desire to want to play but I have to tell you that bagpipes are not something you can just pick up and play. There is too much going on, too much tuning, too much coordination and too much stylistic and musical precision. Find an expert, start on a practice chanter do the work, learn the tunes and be a real piper. Every other path is just frustration

[@KeyserTheRedBeard]

tremendous content Banta Music - Bagpipes. I broke that thumbs up on your video. Keep up the great work.

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Thank you!

[@KeyserTheRedBeard]

@@KyleBantaMusic no problem at all. always happy to support my fellow content creators. I am looking forward to improving on my own current video format I have uploaded and, in the future, trying to create content as good as yours in the long term.

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Im flattered and humbled! I still have a long way to go with my content but it’s a work in progress.

[@ukspankedyank]

Dude I almost bought that same set!!!

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Good thing you didnt!

[@RenanLeviathan]

Me too!

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Unfortunately, this is quite common as people are looking for cheaper options.

[@PiperMac55]

The drone spread 😂😂

[@KyleBantaMusic]

I know, made the tuning far harder (although tuning with these was basically non-existent!)

[@jazzman1626]

So awkward! You can’t (attempt to) tune your drones when your outside tennor drone is in France but you’re in America 😂😂😂

[@vincentrigby5611]

My God wish I'd seen this before buying a st of if you can call them bagpipes. Everything you've shown and much more like bag leaks loads , also the bag is porous pretty well all over, but I did continue with maybe doing something with them, hate being beaten I'm a jack of all trades ho ho. The only thing I got was a great lesson in some folks shit 💯... workmanship. I did eventually after some hours and hours 😢get the things to hold air put an air tight bag in and redid stocks etc. Oh I've never played pipes ever, but shut it was a challenge, as I said learnt loads and loads. I've also bought a rubber bladder from India its like a cullender. Dirty leaks lots but again got it to inflate.then a Goose bag same old problems, they were guaranteed 💯 air tight and leak proof.. NO NO NO. more lessons learnt through these . But am giving up now, maybe put in my music room guitar keyboard etc. All played by me rhythm and lead. As ORNAMENTAL. BUT good to learn a bit from shitty made instruments. Bye now and thanks. Vincent 🍻

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Unfortunately, regardless of what you do with them, the results wont be long term. Sorry to hear about your troubles.

[@vincentrigby5611]

@@KyleBantaMusic cheers 🍻 it kept me off the streets, and a tad of brain power. 🧠

[@jamestremain8115]

Amazon pipes are the same DO NOT BUY !!!!!!

[@PiperMac55]

😂😂😂

[@ianpeebles358]

never never never lol

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Sadly, there are people who do, possibly without the knowledge that these pipes are just not adequate.

[@bltrnm]

Hi. Greetings from Brazil Kyle. Famous Paki pipes . Terribel . Bad sound .

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Hi Marcelo! Yes indeed, Ive seen reviews on Amazon pipes that worked and sounded better than these. I was blown away to think that these pipes are for sale (and for the price)! I made this review to show others what they might get (I say “might” because the quality of the pipes seem to vary). It’s not worth it! Thanks for watching 😃

[@bltrnm]

I have a Paki pipe in my wall to decoration .

[@KyleBantaMusic]

That’s what Im doing with mine. Got a refund for them but the seller didnt want them back.

[@johnbolt665]

The quality control kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5vTZ3ujfLmqiq8

[@KyleBantaMusic]

Thanks for sharing this, John. Hadnt seen this video yet. Things i will point out are: - the drones were touching the furrels. That is not correct - The guy said that they make the pipes as good as Scotland. He’s probably referring to child-sized pipes you would find in a souvenir shop that are only suitable as a wall ornament. Any knowledgeable piper will tell you that these pipes are not authentic and well made. My Pakistani pipes are half the weight of my Robertsons. If you check the ratings of some of these producers on ebay, you will see how many buyers report receiving them damaged or not receiving them all at. Plus NO customer service!