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Electronic
Bagpipe

The Fabulous "Technopipes"
Fagerstrom Electronic Great Highland Bagpipe
&
Smallpipe

The Swedish Fagerstrom Technopipes Electronic Great Highland Bagpipe & Smallpipe (shown here in "clear" - also available in black (the most popular color) and white (looks too much like plumbing for our taste...)

Please Note: This Fagerstrom electronic bagpipe, called Technopipes, is a recently developed (mid-2006) electronic full bagpipe (so with drones), different than Fagerstrom's similar-looking electronic practice chanter, the Technochanter, which is on its own page here.

The State of the Art! Anders Fagerstrom, the brilliant Swedish musical electronics engineer, has outdone himself! Long famed for his outstanding electronic Great Highland Bagpipe (GHB) practice chanter, the "Technochanter" (see detailed description here), his firm has just released a spectacular full-blown electronic bagpipe, the Technopipes, that emulates a Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe, a Scottish Smallpipe and more, and that fits in a pocket or purse! Piping on the Fagerstrom Technopipes The brand-new (mid 2006) Fagerstrom "Technopipes" have instantly re-defined the field of electronic bagpipes. We have rarely been as excited by any new bagpiping item - this e-pipe is just plain fabulous and represents a huge leap forward over anything else currently available. Its superb sound quality and extensive features would make it a great instrument even if it were bulky and expensive, but it is extremely compact and moderately priced. While the Fagerstrom Technopipes, like the Technochanter, is excellent for use as a practice tool it is also usable as a professional-level performance instrument. The output, either regular audio or MIDI, can be fed to an appropriate amplifier and speaker system or other devices.

Features: Sound Quality: No other e-pipe or chanter comes nearly as close as the Fagerstrom Technopipes to genuinely sounding like a bagpipe. The Ross, which is itself a fine instrument for the price, has decent sound as does the high-priced and clumsy Deger, but both have been left in the dust by this new Fagerstrom. Running the output through a good amplifier or listening with high-grade earphones is a remarkable experience - one can easily forget that this is an electronic instrument. Sound Samples Click on the pipers to hear the Fagerstrom Electronic Great Highland Bagpipe & Scottish Smallpipe Here are three sound samples of the Fagerstrom Technopipes. These were recorded very casually using the setup in the photo below. The piper, Charlie Martin (a pipe instructor and member of the California Division of Forestry and Fire Protection Honor Guard), had no previous experience with the Technopipes - we simply handed him the instrument and asked him to play a bit. It was interesting to see that he had no problems adjusting to the Technopipes. We spent about ten minutes altogether laying down these tracks. Samples #1 and #2 are in the Fagerstrom's default Great Highland Bagpipe mode. Sample #3 is in Smallpipe mode, with default drone tuning. We will be adding more samples in different drone tunings and pitch settings as time allows. These samples are "right out of the box" and have not been modified in any way whatsoever during or after recording, except for the additions of fade-in and fade-out. Note that these are large WAV files (for maximum accuracy), of 3MB, 5MB and 3MB respectively - downloading may take a while on a slow connection. General Operation: Like the Technochanter, the Technopipes' controls, including the "fingerholes" and settings, are non-moving touch-contact switches. There are the usual seven finger contacts and one thumb contact, and two additional contacts at the bottom rear of the chanter. Various settings and functions are accessed by making different contact combinations. Pitch Adjustment: The Fagerstrom Technopipes' pitch can be adjusted over a huge range, from ground-shaking low (pump that though your kid's hot-rod car stereo to drown out annoying thunderstorms or noisy neighbors ...) to a high that will likely attract flocks of bats. Pitch can also be snapped instantly to A=440 hz (standard modern concert pitch) to play together with other instruments. The drone pitch follows chanter pitch automatically. Aside from personal amusement this can be used for all sorts of special effects in a performance situation. Volume Adjustments: Overall volume is adjustable. Drone volume, relative to the chanter, is adjustable. The drones can be silenced entirely. The drones can be sounded alone, with the chanter silenced. (Why? For example, try setting the drones to sound a harmonic fifth or fourth to back another bagpipe.) Sound can be switched off entirely when desired, while retaining settings. Smallpipe Mode: The Fagerstrom Technopipes emulate not only a Great Highland Bagpipe but also a Scottish Smallpipe. All of the GHB features work in Smallpipe mode. Again, the tone quality is very, very good. Smallpipe chanters have a distant, hollow sound that is a defining characteristic of such pipes, and the Fagerstrom captures this without sounding artificial. (The Deger also has a smallpipe mode, which sounds OK - until you hear it side-to-side with the Fagerstrom.) There are five different drone tunings that can be used in Smallpipe mode (or for that matter together with the GHB chanter sounding) - A, AE, AD, E, or D - so again, versatility is unsurpassed. Metronome: The Fagerstrom Technopipes include an adjustable built-in metronome. Recording and Playback: The Technopipes have the unique ability to internally record up to 500 notes. The recording can then be played back, and during playback the Technopipes can be played along with itself. Wearing earphones, you hear the playback in one ear and what you're simultaneously playing in the other ear. The playback speed is adjustable in both directions. Pause is available. This is a great learning and practice tool for pipers of any skill level. ( For example, hand the Technopipes to a fellow piper and have him or her play that tune you've been trying to learn. Slow down the playback and play along until you've got it....) MIDI: The Technopipes can be used as a MIDI instrument. A MIDI cable is provided. (We're not all that conversant with various MIDI standards etc. and will add some further comments and specifications here as we explore this capability. Sensitivity: As with the Technochanter, the Technopipes' finger-contact sensitivity can be adjusted for skin moisture and environmental conditions. Power: A single AAA battery powers the Technopipes , as opposed the the three button-type batteries used in the Technochanter. Battery life is about 10 hours. Rechargeable batteries are recommended for longer life & lower cost. Dimensions: "Fingerhole" placement follows standard Great Highland Bagpipe spacing. Overall length is 10 inches (one inch longer than the Technochanter). Diameter is 5/8 inch and weight is 2 ounces (!!). The output jack is the normal 3.5 mm stereo socket found on most portable recording devices, laptops, etc. The extremely compact size of the Technopipes is a major attraction - it can be carried anywhere easily. Reliability: Like the Technochanter, there are no moving parts in the Technopipes. While this is a new design, we are confident that reliability will be on a par with the Technochanter, which we have been selling in considerable numbers for several years with exactly zero reported failures. The Technopipes carry a one year warranty, which we honor directly here. (Update: In three years we've had only a couple of issues that required warranty work; the Technopipes have indeed proven to be highly reliable.)

The Fagerstrom next to a Dunbar GHB chanter
This setup shows the Fagerstrom connected to a laptop
(on which the sound samples on this page were recorded)
and to two sets of headphones

Some Practical Notes about the Technopipes Color: The Technopipes are available in black, clear and now also white. We try to keep all three on hand. In making a choice, consider that the clear tends to draw attention, while the black is more low-key. The clear model will show scuffs and scratches more than the black. The white looks too much like a piece of plumbing pipe for our taste, but that's just our taste ... Black is the most popular and we think the most practical. Manual: A printed copy of the four-page manual is included with the Technopipe. It's in a smallish format, so it is also available on our site as a larger format PDF file here. We will be adding to these instructions from time to time on this page, with items such as the next one, below. Battery Installation: The battery installs easily, but the method of retaining and releasing it is a bit unusual. We've put up a page here with illustrated instructions. Hard case: The available soft case is adequate for most situations, but if you want a hard case one can be constructed very cheaply out of a few pieces of plastic plumbing and some bits of foam. Portable Amplifiers: We are evaluating several inexpensive fully portable compact amplifiers for use with the Technopipe and will post the results here. Meanwhile, we suggest that if you intend to use such an amp you try it before buying it - some may choke on the sound of a bagpipe. Update: October 4, 2006: We are now using a Roland "Micro Cube" portable amplifier with our own Technopipes. This is a good-sounding amp for the price ($150 list, findable for around $125) and handles the range of the Technopipes well. It's about the size of a car battery and very solidly built. It operates on six AA batteries or an included wall-wart. Volume is powerful enough that you won't want to stand right in front of it. CAUTION: The input of this and similar guitar amplifiers is monaural - if you are connecting the Technopipes to any monaural input, use a stereo-to-monaural adapter, or damage may result. (Radio Shack has adapters for a couple of dollars - in this case a 1/8 inch stereo to 1/4 inch monaural does the trick.) Earphones: At this time we are providing a set of basic ear-buds with the Technopipes. But do consider using high-quality phones to get the full effect of the Technopipes' great tone and wide range. (Lesser electronic instruments are sometimes better heard through low-end phones - that's definitely not the case here.) Dual earphones: By using an easily obtained splitter (see photo, above), the Technopipes output can be fed to two pairs of earphones. This sets up a situation in which an instructor and student can work together anywhere in outward silence and privacy. Learning the controls: There are quite a few control settings, all of which involve "closing" a particular set of fingerholes and then touching either or both of the dedicated control contacts. Some will be learned quickly while less frequently used ones will likely require having a look at the provided control fingering chart. This chart is also available as a PDF file from us. We suggest printing a reduced copy and keeping it with the pipe.

A NOTE ABOUT PRICES: BEWARE! You may find a slightly lower posted price than ours on the web for the Fagerstrom Technopipes. However, be aware that a few low-ball dealers provide no support or direct warranty, overcharge for shipping, charge excessive "re-stocking fees" for returned items, omit necessary accessories, don't keep adequate stock on hand, sell outdated models, don't know the instrument well enough to answer questions (note that Fagerstrom's own site refers vistors to us for information), and are in some instances just plain unfriendly and uncaring.

Price:
Fagerstrom "Technopipes" Electronic Bagpipe

US $375.00

Soft Case, Padded Black Nylon: $12.00

Audio cable, 10 ft., one end 1/8" male stereo, other end 1/4" male monaural (for guitar amps): $10
(This cable is a bit hard to find so we've gotten some, but they are for our customers only.)

Shipping Cost: $10 via insured Priority Mail (domestic U.S.A. - international cost varies, please contact us)

Stock Status:
Unless otherwise mentioned here,
the Fagerstrom Technopipes are in stock, available for immediate shipment.

Ordering and Payment: SHOPPING CART BUTTONS, below, can be used to purchase any of the items on this page. The on-line shopping cart system is administered by PayPal and is highly secure. The merchant (that would be us) never sees your card numbers. You do not need to have an account with PayPal to use it. There are no fees or such added at your end. You can also order (or just ask questions) by calling us at (707) 937-1626 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. U.S. Pacific Coast Time (GMT minus 7 - 8 hours), 7 days. We welcome calls, which help both you and us be sure that you are getting what you expect and need! You can also choose to pay by numerous other methods, for example by mailing a check, using PayPal, and so on. For details, including shipping policies, warranties, privacy, return policy, etc., please contact us and/or see the General Ordering Information Page. International customers: Contact us first! We routinely ship all over the world. But if you are ordering from outside the U.S. (other than from an overseas US military address), you must contact us for shipping options and costs before orderimg. IMPORTANT: Please pay attention to the shipping cost options! If you are ordering multiple items, we do not want you to pay additional shipping for each item. You should only pay shipping for the item with the highest shipping cost. To allow you to do this, each item has two "Add To Cart" buttons, one with shipping cost added and one without. If you are purchasing only one item, select the button WITH shipping. If you are purchasing multiple items, use the WITH shipping button only on the item with the highest shipping cost, and use the WITHOUT shipping buttons for the rest. For example, if you are purchasing a No. 2 Practice Chanter Outfit and two spare reeds and a water trap, you would add the outfit to the cart using the button WITH shipping and add the other items using the buttons WITHOUT shipping. When you look at your shopping cart, you should see one, and only one, item in the list that has "plus shipping" after the item name. This little dance may be a bit awkward, but the idea is to keep you from overpaying for shipping. NOTE: You may not see the following format on other product's pages; we are switching to this one page at a time. Click the above button to view your shopping cart. FAGERSTROM TECHNOPIPE, Color BLACK WITH Shipping: $375.00 + $10.00 = $385.00 WITHOUT Shipping: $375.00 FAGERSTROM TECHNOPIPE, Color CLEAR WITH Shipping: $375.00 + $10.00 = $385.00 WITHOUT Shipping: $375.00 SOFT CASE for TechnoPipe WITH Shipping: $12.00 + $2.00 = $14.00 WITHOUT Shipping: $12.00 AUDIO CABLE, 10 ft., one end 1/8" male stereo, other end 1/4" male monaural (for guitar amps) WITH Shipping: $10.00 + $2.00 = $12.00 WITHOUT Shipping: $10.00

See the Fagerstrom Technochanter Practice Chanter

See the Ross E-Pipe

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