I have a B 3/4 set and a C sharp half set by Joe, both are very fine peices of work and both have gotten great receptions this side of the pond by some very well known names in piping. I have had no trouble with the B set and only had to adjust the C sharp chanter reed slightly after some months (not bad considering the change in climate) ,but then I have a reasonable idea how to adjust (and when NOT to adjust) a reed... is the same always true?... Joe has recieved several Irish orders on the quality of these sets.
I have a D 3/4 set on the way from Joe. He has been refining his D chanter design over the past years. He sent me a tape of himself playing his latest concert pitch design and I am very encouraged by what I hear there. To be honest I am not 100% sold on the narrow bore D thing, but a prototype of the design that he sent me over a year ago is very interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing what's new through subsequent design developements. He is really dedicated to the design and experimentation process... and he doesn't butcher old sets or think he's God or Paddy Keenan or anything silly like that...
Joseph E. Smith wrote:Brian, give it a week or two and you'll have an elbow as rough as a jockey's bollocks.
A friend of mine was once playing Scottish smallpipes at a wedding. The bellows were unpadded and as he was starting up, it became apparent that his bag had sprung a major leak. He bravely soldiered on through the gig, his arms flapping wildly like a turkey. Afterwards, he had a lovely bellows-shaped bruise on his ribcage...
Ouch. I've never had a bellows with a pad, but then again, I have enough 'natural' padding that it's never been a problem. I have had a GHB bag blow out during a gig. I was able to finish the gig but it took a great deal of effort and breath...I'd mutch rather flap like a turkey.
I too have misgivings about the narrow bore d. Joe however says he is aiming for a 'middle bore'.
A few years ago a D chanter of his found it's way to Miltown Malbay, looking for opinions on it's design and ended up with one one of my pupils. It came with some five reeds, not all of them great but we settled for one [whcih wasn't Joe 's choice as the best by the way]. it needed some fiddling to get the octave in tune but afer two years of playing the chanter has settled into a nice toned instrument and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an instrument that is strong enough to be heard without it screaming at you.
I've got a D 1/2 set from Joe...I love it. Very responsive and a sweet tone, and the two chanter reeds I have from him work pretty much all of the time regardless of the weather. We do live in the same climate however. I'm very lucky-Joe's only an hour away from me.
I am rethinking some of the earlier comments people have made about unpadded bellows, and would like to make some suggestions:
don't wear the belt around your waste, but tie it higher up around the middle of your stomach
your elbow should be at the bottom edge of the bellows paddle, not in the middle
tilt the small end of the bellows up so it doesn't run into the stock and drones
