This is a Lee & Sons 3A-style set of pipes. It is marked #10 on the cord guide. I bought these pipes in as-new condition from Tom MacKenzie of Nova Scotia in October of 2022.
The pipes are made by Andrew and Jack Lee and are based on Jack’s set of late 19th century Thow pipes. These are without question the most solid set of bagpipes I have ever seen or played. The blowpipe is brass-lined, the blowpipe stock is poly-lined, and all the other stocks have an under-ferrule brass ring to help keep them stable and prevent cracks. The pipes are made of premium African blackwood with holly mounts and nickel drone slides. the holly has been treated with a special finish to keep it shiny and prevent dings or other wear.
These work well both at modern pitch (480-ish) or reeded for Bb 466 with a variety of different reeds. I personally found that Ezeedrone, Balance Tone High Resonance, Selbie, and original Kinnaird (plus Kinnaird Evolution bass) all worked exceptionally well in these pipes. The drones are very stable, easy to tune, hold their tuning well, and feel very air-efficient to play given the wall of sound they produce.
I normally wouldn’t be inclined to sell them, but I have a set of Lawries that I also love, and an opportunity just came up for me to buy a set of border pipes I’d been eyeing for some time, so I need to free up some funds. I’d like these to go to a good home where they’ll hopefully be played and enjoyed for many years. They’re a brilliant set of pipes.
Sold as sticks & stocks for $1100 USD (including shipping within N. America).
