Ian Richmond's Product Reviews

• Great jacket!, June 5th, 2009

  We recently outfitted our band with navy blue piper flex jackets. They look great and are very comfortable to wear. The fit is excellent. We are very pleased with our choice of jacket. Ian Richmond, P/M, The Clansman Pipe Band of Powell River
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  Gannaway Hide Pipe Bag with Zipper Great bag, January 19th, 2010

  I switched to a Gannaway without grommets after having experienced grommet failures on two relatively new bags from other makers. The Gannaway is a great bag. It is comfortable to play, is absolutely airtight and positions the chanter just right. With Gannaway's Highlander seasoning and a Moose valve in the blowpipe stock I have no moisture problems.
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  Kinnaird Kanister Moisture Control Excellent product, February 27th, 2010

  This system is great in a Bannatyne hybrid bag. I purchased a second canister and alternate them. That way, they dry out completely between uses. I also play a small Gannaway bag (without grommets) and regret that the Kinnaird system does not fit into that bag. The neck is just not wide enough to allow for its installation.
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  Piper's Pal for Retailers & Bands Great!, February 27th, 2010

  This is an excellent way to keep my band's reeds in playable condition. I can take it to band practice and performances in my pipe case, where it takes little space. The reeds are well protected and easy to get at.
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  Piper's Pal Hinge Clip Very useful addition, September 1st, 2010

  This clip is certainly a very useful addition to the personal Piper's Pal reed case. My complaint with the reed case was that it did not close tightly, which caused the humidifying product to dry out quickly. This clip solves that problem.
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  McCallum McC2 Gold Blackwood Chanter Great chanter!, September 1st, 2010

  This is certainly the best chanter I have played in more than four decades. It is comfortable to play, easy to reed and has great tone. The first three reeds (from different makers) I put in this chanter all balanced nicely at 476 Hz with minimal adjustment. My all-time favourite chanter.
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  Piper's Pal Reed Protector Excellent product, September 1st, 2010

  This is a great product. It works as advertised. I was so impressed with my first one that I bought a second one and now have one for each of my band and solo chanters.
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  Bannatyne Synthetic Bag for Smallpipes Very good replacement bag, February 27th, 2010

  I put one of these on my Walsh smallpipes when the original Ross bag became seriously porous. It is a very good bag for the smallpipes. My only criticism is that the inner side of the material is so slippery that it can be difficult to tie in the blowpipe and drone stocks. Holding them in place with electrical tape makes the tying-in much easier.
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  Gannaway Hide Pipe Bag Excellent bag!, September 1st, 2010

  I switched to the Gannaway a year or so ago. The Gannaway is comfortable to play and has excellent moisture control. I prefer the version without grommets as it gives a bit more leeway for customizing the angle of the drones and blowstick. Also, I have found grommets to be the point at which other bags are most likely to fail. Tying in the stocks on a precut Gannaway is no more difficult than on any other hide bag. A little lubricant to help the stocks pass through the precut holes is all that is needed. I play a small size and my only complaint is that the bag could be a couple of inches longer. Because of the bag's short length, the upper back corner occasionally catches on my jacket when I strike in. An extended small would be a perfect bag!
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  Kron Poly Band Chanter Forgot the rating, September 1st, 2010

  In my previous review, I forgot to set the rating. Please ignore the single star in that review. I cannot see any way to edit the review once it has been submitted.
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  HBT Bagpipe Tuner Bracket Mount Very handy tool, September 28th, 2012

  I bought this gadget for tuning my drones in a noisy environment where it is difficult or even impossible to hear your own drones. This often occurs when a number of other pipers and even a few drummers are bringing their instruments up to pitch around you. Used in conjunction with the contact mic, it provides a handy tool for tuning in this situation.
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  Kinnaird Kanister Moisture Control Works well with a hybrid bag, October 15th, 2016

  I have been using the Kinnaird Kanister Moisture Control system for several years. I found that the tube and bottle supplied with Bannatyne hybrid bags was just not sufficient for me, so I tried the Kinnaird system. It works really well. I like that it connects to the blowpipe stock, so that the inside of my bag stays dry and I have nothing attached to my drones. My only complaint with it, and the reason I give it 4/5 instead of 5/5, is that the desiccant balls give off some dust that has to be cleaned from under the drone reed tongues occasionally.
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  Piper's Pal , February 27th, 2010

  I bought one of these to keep my personal reeds (as opposed to the band's reeds) in playing condition. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to close tightly enough, which causes the moisturizing material to dry out very quickly. Also, the method of holding the reed is not very secure. The little plastic pegs are even too thick for some reed staples. On the whole, I have not found it a very satisfactory way to store reeds.
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  Kron Poly Band Chanter Very good chanter, September 1st, 2010

  A nice sounding, well-made chanter. Tone is a bit sweeter and volume rather less than from a McCallum poly band chanter, at least to my ear. Tunes well at 476 Hz with Troy or Ross reeds, but can be somewhat finicky with some other brands. Tends to have an unstable F with Elliott reeds, although I haven't experienced this with other makes of reed. All in all, certainly a chanter to recommend.
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  Tunetape Pipe Chanter Tape Not worth the price, September 28th, 2012

  I've used this tape for 3 months now. I have discovered that after it has been on the chanter for a few weeks, it leaves a lot of residue and, if the piece of tape has been moved a couple of times, the adhesive becomes gooey. The other day, for the first time in many, many years, I had a piece of tape -- THIS tape -- slide down over the hole as I was playing. In summary, there are better and cheaper tapes available.