Author:
Jim Ryan
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Date Posted: 10:10:12 03/09/02 Sat
I got my first set (1979 Kintails) for Christmas when I was 12. I think my dad said he paid about $250 for them =-)
The set I'm playing now is a pretty funny story.
In 1995 I was getting back into playing solos, having stopped when I was a teenager. I went down to the Fair Hill games with a coupla friends of mine and we were looking around the booths after we'd competed. The "Wee Hoose of Supply" had a booth there with about a dozen sets of used pipes on display. I don't know if it was personal preference or what, but this one set of pipes was literally the most beautiful set of pipes I'd ever seen; 1959 Robertsons, S/I with huge chunks of ivory in nearly pristine condition. I couldn't take my eyes off them. I also couldn't afford them. In fact, I couldn't afford 1/2 of them. And, I couldn't stop thinking about them the rest of the season.
Everywhere I went that season I'd check the "Wee Hoose" and there they were. I talked to the owner (Angus)of the shop, trying to see if anyone had shown any interest. I couldn't believe they were still for sale in late August.
Finally, about a week before Altamont (Labor Day weekend contest in Albany, NY) I'd managed to scrape together about 1/2 the asking price. I called Angus to ask him to come down some on the price. He came down to $2800, but I still didn't have enough. I begged and borrowed the last few hundred $$'s, went up to Altamont, handed him the cash and walked away with what I think are still the most beautiful pipes I've ever seen.
Jim Ryan
> Another thread here got me thinking, beginners often
>post here asking advice about what pipes to get for
>their first (last?) set. So, all you old timers, and
>you not so old timers, what twisty turny road did you
>take to your current set of pipes?
>
>I'll go first. I mail ordered a set from Scotland out
>of the Pipeing Times magazine. After a full year of
>struggle with what turned out to be Scottish garbage,
>I asked my instructor if he knew of a set of pipes in
>the local piping community for sale that he would
>recommend? He said there was a set at the local
>Scottish shop that he was impressed with and might
>just suit me. Next day I met him there, popped in my
>ezee drones and band chanter, started playing while he
>tuned the drones, half an hour later I was signing the
>Master Card form. Been happy ever since.
>
>OK folks, I know there are some real wild tales out
>there, let's have fun.
>
>Hank
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