Neil O'Grady Pipes

[projektio28]

Anyone have any experience with O'Grady pipes? If you want to send me a PM with pros/cons experience that would be great. I am seriously considering buying a second hand set and wanted a little more info...

Also, does the maker have a website? I couldn't find one on the interweb...

Matt

[PJ]

Website:

http://www.celticmusiccrafts.ca/

[projektio28]

Thanks a bunch PJ! I've received a few PMs so far and its been helpful, but please keep them coming if anyone else has experience.

Cheers!

Matt

[anima]

I can't really comment of their sound but the aesthetic, well.......... ummmm........ not to my taste........ to be diplomatic.

[projektio28]

I don't care about the aesthetics as I have had a half set of CJ Dixon pipes on order since 2008. These pipes would be to keep my fingers busy until the set I really want is ready. But yes, I've heard (and seen) that they might be a little rough around the edges, but I've received several positive comments about the tone and pitch of the chanter. That's very encouraging!

Matt

[Joseph]

Matt,

I own a Neil O'grady chanter/full set. Take a look at this previous post from years back. It might help you get some more info.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17207&hilit=Neil+O'Grady

Also, I modified, reeded, and sold a separate NO chanter last year. Here is the post along with pictures and sound samples.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=71928&hilit=Neil+O'Grady

My own opinion of NO chanters is relatively unchanged. They can sound very good with the right reed. (I'm fortunate to make my own reeds). So you could say, I like the bore on Neil's chanters and think they are ok looking once themounts and thumb rest are modified.

hope this helps
Joseph

[Joseph E. Smith]

In my experience reeding and playing a handful of Neil's chanters, I find their tone equal to most other chanters I have played... which is a considerable number thanks to reed making.

In other words, absolutely nothing wrong with their tone and playability.

[No E]

If you'd turn up at a SoCal Uilleann Pipers Club meeting, you could see Joseph's (Sampson) set, not too mention a wide array of pipes by variety of makes.

Posts and PMs are all well and good, but seeing, hearing and playing will give you the answers you seek.

No E

[Joseph E. Smith]

Posts and PMs are all well and good, but seeing, hearing and playing will give you the answers you seek.

No E

... such a wise fellow you are.

[projektio28]

Well, I can report that of the seven separate PMs I received that all the comments were positive with regard to the sound, pitch, etc. I never want people to badmouth makers on this board, doing so in private is another issue. I've seen moderators shut down threads pretty fast if people go nuts. So I thought making sure I was right in my thought process on a brand I knew nothing about by asking for private comments was the way to go!

I'd love to attend one of those meetups at some point. I've been invited a couple of times but have been too busy to go. Are they monthly? Is it the one in San Juan/San Clemente?

Matt

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Second Sunday of every month:

http://www.socalpipers.com/

Hopefully see you there some time,

Patrick.

[projektio28]

Thanks Patrick! I hope to be there too...

Matt

[Ugi]

I'd like to share my opinion about O'Gradys pipes too.

Two months ago I bought a second hand Grady chanter from Ebay for 450$. I got them very quick but the two reeds that came with it didn't do it. As the pound was low I bought a Brian Howard reed like a year ago and this seemed to fit the chanter better. But since I'm not a reed maker or an experienced player at all I decided to let Tom Aebi having a look at it.

So I visited Tom in his shop two weeks ago and he had a look at it. The two reeds weren't good so he took the Howard reed which he considered a good reed and made it fitting the chanter. He had to make the back D hole bigger and modify the reed but after 1 1/2 hours, the chanter played great and we didn't even have to put wax in the holes. He had a self-made reed that fitted the chanter well too, so reeding it seems easily possible.

I don't know how the condition of the reed/chanter is when you buy directly from Neil O'Grady but having an experienced piper and reed maker look at it was necessary for me after buying a chanter second hand. Now I have a nice chanter, fully keyed with a good sound for not much money. Sure, its no high quality work like Tom Aebis own chanters but it still is a nice chanter for a non-proffesional player.

A picture:



I'll upload something on youtube soon.

[Ceann Cromtha]

How common is it for a maker to alter the product of another maker like that? I've always heard that it was completely off-limits to do that (unless, of course, the original maker gives the second on permission to do so).

[Ugi]

Hm, if it wasn't Tom Aebi, I don't know if I would have allowed another maker to alter the chanter. But there seem to be only a few pipemakers who understand the pipes and pipemaking like Tom Aebi does. So he had my trust.