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~ Universe of Bagpipes ~  |
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QUALITY CONTROL ISSUES However, we now have available a new Canadian-made alternative, the Swivel-Stock. This clever design consists of a blowpipe stock with a swiveling ball joint. This allows use of the existing blowpipe, and adjustment of its angle over a wide range in any direction. The ball-joint and locking ring are kept pretty much out of sight by the bag cover's collar and fringe. There is no adjustment for length, but that can usually be addressed by using an appropriate length Airstream mouthpiece, among other things. We are preparing a full description of the Swivel-Stock that will be posted soon. In the meantime, please contact us for futher details. |
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Are you turning blue huffing on your bagpipe even though you've spent hours setting up the lightest possible reeds? Does your blowpipe hiss like a snake? Do little spit-bubbles form on it? Are you stretching your neck forward or back, or turning your head, or hunching up a shoulder to get the mouthpiece between your lips? Do you have to bite the mouthpiece to keep it from whacking your teeth? Are you holding the bag awkwardly to position the mouthpiece rather than holding it in the best position for comfort and fingering? If you lose your grip on the mouthpiece, do you have to let go of the chanter and use a hand to get it back in your mouth, creating sonic havoc? Is the blowpipe valve leaking back at you, forcing you to close off the mouthpiece with your tongue when taking a breath? Are there hose clamps and/or duct tape holding your split blowpipe together? If so, O Noble Piper, you need a new blowpipe! Blowpipes tend to be taken pretty much for granted by most pipers, but they can be the source of serious problems, some obvious and others not. There are five areas of concern: |
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Many blowpipes, and not just older ones, restrict airflow because of a too-small bore size. Pipers are often surprised by how much easier it is to play a bagpipe through a blowpipe that has just a little bit bigger bore than their old one. Anything less than about 3/8 inch is too small for a Great Highland Bagpipe. One reason why many wooden blowpipes have a too-small bore is because the maker is trying to delay inevitable cracking and splitting. In the long run even fine, well cared-for wood can't stand the strain of constantly being steamed in warm moist air, especially in dry and/or cold weather, and thinner walls mean an earlier demise. (Pakistani-made blowpipes have been known to split when the word "water" is uttered.) An old solution - and not a bad one - is to line the blowpipe bore with metal tubing. More recently, wooden blowpipes might be lined with Delrin or other suitable synthetics. A less expensive and more practical solution is to make the entire blowpipe out of a synthetic. Such aftermarket synthetic blowpipes have been available for some time, but until now none address the issues of proper fit to any extent (see below). The most popular one, the overpriced "Airstream," is rather cheaply made, being molded rather than machined, and does not have a crisp look or feel. The Flexistik has what may well be the least air resistance of any available blowpipe. We have not run formal tests here, but the maker's statement that flow volume registers 18% greater at a given pressure than that of any other aftermarket blowpipe seems reasonable. Now, this doesn't mean that your pipe will suddenly be 18% easier to play, but most of us can use any little edge we can get. Even if your pipe is equipped with a decent blowpipe you'll likely gain at least a bit of relief, and as already mentioned if you have a restrictive blowpipe the difference may be dramatic. Ideally, a bagpipe would be custom-fitted to each piper in regard to bag size, shape, and positioning. It should be the piper's hand, body and head position that determines where the mouthpiece tip is, not the other way around. In practice, it's not quite one-size-fits-all but close to it. With the exceptions of choosing among three or four bag sizes and fitting an appropriate-length mouthpiece (choosing from one-inch increments), the piper is forced to adapt to the pipe, with the blowpipe position often being the thing most out of place. When setting up a new leather bag, an experienced piper will try to choose the correct spot to make the hole for the blowpipe stock, and some further adjustment can be made when tying the blowpipe stock into the bag. But the result is often not quite perfect, and of course it can be set up only for one piper playing in one position (standing, usually). If the pipe is to be played, say, while sitting, or while wearing significantly bulkier or thinner clothing, or by another piper, then the fit will be compromised. The situation is worse with synthetic bags, as these are provided with special fittings for the stocks and the positions cannot be modified. The Flexistik completely solves the fitting problem, and it is the only blowstick that does so. Hand-loosening a ball joint by means of a threaded collar allows this blowpipe to be adjusted through nearly 45 degrees of vertical arc and swung through a full circle horizontally. Furthermore, the blowpipe's length is adjustable from 8 inches to 10.5 inches (measured from the top of your existing stock to the tip of the mouthpiece) with the supplied setup. For anyone needing additional length, an alternate part to accomplish that is available. These adjustments can be made quickly, at any time, without the use of any tools. A related issue is mouthpiece configuration. Some pipers are content with a traditional round mouthpiece, while others prefer the flat, oval shape. To switch from one to another requires a blowpipe with a threaded end, of standard specifications. Mouthpieces on wooden blowsticks are often glued on and thus are not interchangeable. The Flexistik is supplied with two mouthpiece tips. One is round, the other is oval and covered with a replaceable soft sleeve. The blowpipe tube is threaded to accept these, and the thread size allows some other mouthpieces to be used if desired, for example those of Dunbar and Airstream. Blowpipe leaks can be a bit difficult to detect or locate. If you feel water dripping on your shoes you might want to look for a blowstick leak. Leaks can occur at the blowpipe-tenon/stock junction, from the body of the blowpipe through cracks, or at the mouthpiece/blowpipe junction. Any amount of leakage is unacceptable - would you put up with a slowly leaking tire on your car? Any new high-quality blowpipe, including the Flexistik, is going to be airtight. Almost all bagpipe blowpipes are equipped with a one-way valve that allows the piper to take a breath without the bag deflating and without trying to keep air from backing out by closing the tip with the tongue. The most ancient sort of valve is a simple hinged flap at the bottom of the blowpipe, formerly made of leather but today usually rubber. Flap-valves are quite effective but have limits as usually designed, especially in regard to unimpeded airflow, and they can be cranky about sealing completely. A very popular and effective modern replacement used by many pipers and bagpipe makers is a self-contained synthetic valve called "Little Mac" (available from us, by the way). But because the Little Mac is located at the very bottom of the blowstick, its overall diameter cannot be greater than that of the blowstick tenon; this results in a bit of restriction, and as already mentioned any restriction is undesirable. The Flexistik incorporates a simple but very efficient internal valve that is located above the tenon, where its size is less limited. Even though it is mounted internally it can be quickly accessed if necessary (for example to dislodge pizza crumbs), by unscrewing the tenon from the blowpipe body. Even if all of the issues discussed above are addressed in a design, it does little good if the blowpipe is not manufactured to a high standard. Additionally, most pipers care (a lot) about the appearance of thier bagpipes, and don't want anyhting on them that looks cheap or roughly finished. TheFlexistik is finely machined (not molded) from Delrin (polypenco), the same structural synthetic long used as the main material in many fine bagpipes and practice chanters, as well as in orchestral woodwinds. The internal and external machine work is impeccable. There are ten fabricated pieces, incorporating eight screw-threads. Externally, the beading and combing is as crisp and sharp as that on, say, a J. Dunbar Ltd. "P" series bagpipe, and the imitation ivory projecting mount is highly finished and of a very realistic color. |
| The first bagpipe blowpipes were probably simple hollow cane tubes, or perhaps bird wing bones. As bigger and more powerful bagpipes were developed, the valve and a mouthpiece (often made of horn) were added. Other than that, blowpipes have not changed much in recent centuries, with the exception of the use of synthetics. The Flexistik represents the first significant overall blowpipe design improvement and brings this essential part of the bagpipe into step with other modern components, such as Gortex bags, synthetic drone and (gasp!) chanter reeds, drying systems and so on. Anyone interested in setting up a pipe to be as easy and convenient to play as possible, or who simply needs to replace a defective blowpipe, should consider the Flexistik. |
US $99.00
Shipping/Insurance, Domestic, US $6.00
Sales currently suspended: See above.
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Please feel free to contact us by email at bagpipes@hotpipes.com or by telephone at (707) 937-1626 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Pacific Coast time (GMT minus 7- 8 hours), seven days per week. We suggest you do so if you have any questions and especially if you have any doubt about the suitability for you of your intended purchase. We're anxious that you get what you need, and we're not interested in selling you something you don't need! We can accept payment in many different ways from just about anywhere in the world: Credit Cards: We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards by three methods:
Other Payment Methods: We cheerfully accept personal checks, money orders, wire transfers, bank drafts, cash and so on. Let us know your preferences (or problems) and we'll work with you. The prices on this site are in U.S. dollars and are current. We never issue surprises in this regard. There is no fine print about fluctuating currency exchange rates or such. You may find some lower posted prices elsewhere, but you will also find dealers who don't update their sites, and/or who add qualifiers to their stated prices, and/or who do not actually stock what they sell, and/or who provide little if any real customer service. Not here. We can offer modest discounts on quantity purchases of some items - feel free to inquire. We stock what we sell. Occasionally there are unpredictable runs on items, and/or short re-supply delays. If an item is going to be out of stock for more than a few days you will find a notice to that effect at the top of this box. Fine bagpipes and bagpipe accessories are made in small lots by meticulous craftspeople, not mass-produced & warehoused, and buying them should not be viewed like zipping down to the 7-Eleven for a six-pack. Feel free to ask us to reserve items for you, even if you're not quite ready to order - it will help us, and avoid a possible delay for you. Domestic (US) Shipping: We usually ship the next business day after an order is received. We normally ship by U.S. Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation, except for small items such as reeds and CDs which are normally shipped First Class. Standard shipping costs are listed with each item's price. We do not attempt to profit on shipping and charge no "handling" fees or such. Our packages are insured by a private company (DSI Insurance) so no signature is required on delivery of most packages. (This also means packages can be left if no one is home - a good thing for most people, but if that might be a problem please let us know.) Priority Mail has been very reliable and fast, taking three days or less to cross the country. If faster shipping is required we can provide Express Mail (two days from here to most US locations) or Federal Express - but be aware that these services are pricey. If you are ordering more than one item, please contact us for shipping costs, which will be less than the total of the respective amounts. We guarantee delivery and in the very rare event of a lost or damaged shipment, we send a replacement first and worry about the insurance etc. later. We ship to APO and other military addresses at no extra charge. International Shipping: If you're not in the US or at a US military address, please email us for shipping options and costs. We ship something overseas just about every day, so we can offer advice based on experience. We send most medium-size packages (practice chanter outfits, electronic pipes, Kitchen Pipes, etc.) by postal Global Priority Mail, which costs only very slightly more than ordinary airmail and is safe and fast. We stand by everything we offer, as do the manufacturers and our suppliers. We sell only properly made, high-quality items in the first place, so problems are altogether rare. In the unlikely event of any difficulties, you will be dealing with us on an immediate and personal level. If necessary, we will deal with the maker or distributor of the item on your behalf - we are a major customer of most of them, and have a bit of clout. We (and the makers of the items we sell) are keenly interested in maintaining our hard-won reputations for quality and excellent service, and we do whatever it takes to keep our customers happy! (707) 937-1626 From 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific Coast time (GMT minus 7 - 8 hours), seven days per week. To Order by Email: bagpipes@hotpipes.com We try to answer all email within a few hours - rarely, a day at most. If you don't hear from us, something's wrong - try giving us a phone call. To Order by Mail: please send your payment to: Oliver Seeler Universe of Bagpipes P.O. Box 447 Albion, California 95410 Please make your check or money order payable to Oliver Seeler. To Order On Line by Credit Card:  Click on the above logo To Order Using:  Go to your PayPal account and initiate payment to bagpipes@hotpipes.com Always feel free to ask questions and thanks for your interest! |
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