ex-Shotts WarMac blackwood pipe chanter with double hallmarked plain silver sole

This is perhaps the most remarkable pipe chanter I have ever come across. As I have been told, it is one of the pipe chanters played by Shotts that were also the subject matter surrounding Shott's controversial fallout with the McAllisters brothers. I have been told (and I am quoting here) that back then Shotts P/M R.Mathieson was not satisfied with the chanters and that offended the McAllisters brothers, so they recalled all the chanters that were loaned to Shotts. Hence, R.Mathieson wrote the tune "Farewell to Camraw" ("Warmac" backwards!), which is a bit disrespectful to the McAllister brothers.

The chanter in my possession, along with the rest of the batch used by Shotts, carries a double hallmark on the silver sole - one on top of the sole and one below - which is very unusual. Every chanter in the same batch also carries a unique number on the bottom of the sole. It is not known what the number represents. The very chanter which I acquired has a number 2 inscribed onto the bottom side of the sole - as I was told this normally stands for the Pipe sergent's chanter.

I was very taken with the chanter the first time I heard it played to me. It is very compatible with most makes of reeds. The notes are very true and balanced regardless of the pitch of the chanter (the chanter pitches at 468Hz to 480Hz depending on reeds and external conditions) and the chanter sounds very bright and full. It is very forgiving with many reeds - very good with Ezee, G1, MG and Warnock reeds. It plays and sounds like very piper's dream. The chanter is particularly good with Brian Lamond's reeds, but then his reeds are good with many chanters!

The external profile and shape of the chanter is excellent too - a straight body in the top hand which I prefer. The holes spacing is almost identical to a Naill blackwood chanter which I have, so it feels great in the fingers too.

 WAR-MAC. The 3 combs on the bowl stand for the three McAllister brothers.

 Unusual double hallmark

 #2

 #7 & #14. You guys will go to good homes.

See: http://www.piperspersuasion.trad.org.uk/billmcallister/

The most outrageous and stunning set of bagpipes

I was viewing a set of 1/2 size D.Glens in full ivory that belonged to a gentleman piper in Perth and he kindly showed me the most outrageous and stunning set of pipes I will probably ever see in my life - I was told it is a set of golden age Hendersons in ebony, ivory projection mounts, chased and repoussed silver in ivy leaf pattern. Not a bad day that was!

Remounting a set of Athertons in full silver

This set of Atherton bagpipes, purchased from Dave in 2013, is the best set of pipes I have ever owned. It is a set of the Premier model and originally came with imitation ivory mounts. The plain silver ferrules and slides are original. Atherton bagpipes without a doubt are the best pipes the world has ever seen; I have to turn it into a full silver set. Unfortunately, when I contacted Dave silver projection mounts are not offered anymore, so I have to find my own solution.

Remounting silver projection mounts has not been an easy project. Pipe makers source their mounts from silversmiths who supply them in standard sizes and pipe makers turn their pipes to suit the mounts, not the other way round. It was very difficult to get silver projection mounts of a customised size from suppliers on a one-off basis and most refurbishers are not willing to work on existing pipe makers' pipe for very obvious reasons. Most refurbishers advised me to consult the maker for such a project. (However Dave does not make or supply silver mounts anymore...) It was back to square one.

I was very fortunate to have the help from art clay silver maestro, Ms Morana Lee (http://www.silver-craft.hk/index.php?lang=en), to make the silver mounts and the 8 mounts were made, over the course of 6 months, to the precise dimension of my pipes and the shape of the original Atherton plastic mounts was also perfectly replicated.

The mounts are solid, hand-formed, art clay silver which is 99.9% pure silver - much higher purity than 925 sterling silver. The silver mounts on average weigh at a hefty 112grams each and the full set weighs like a tank!