A FEW PERSONAL THOUGHTS ON OWNING A SCOTTISH BAGPIPE MADE IN PAKISTAN.
When researching the purchase of your first set of bagpipes, you will find a variety of sales pitches, practical advice, and educated insights, all of which are based in relative fact and arguable fiction. Much sincere advice stems from education and personal experience, tradition, and accolades; presumably broad in scope, yet in actuality can often be extremely limited. While still others offer to steer buyers in directions that simply advance their love of profit in place of service and economy. In chat rooms and forums, you’ll hear sound bites and broad categorizations that get passed on that soon seem to solidify as fact and golden rule. Lest we remind ourselves that careless regurgitation from person to person does not make something fact, no matter how sincere the intentions of each and every poster.

To the point: I have seen many posts on the net proudly warning everyone not to buy the "cheap" "rip-off" "junk" bagpipes from Pakistan ... as they would be much better spending $1500-$3000 on a set that is "quality". What kind of quality can one expect from $150-$200, right? "You get what you pay for" etc etc.

And to qualify their argument they begin the math equations of costs associated with upgrades and "fixes", such as new reeds ($100), or better Chanter if necessary ($200); but in the end their arguments always leaving a large margin remaining in the “quality” bagpipes costs unaccounted for.

Lets see, $150 bagpipe + $100 new reads + $200 chanter upgrade = $450... even if such upgrades were even necessary, $450 is still much better than the suggested "quality" bagpipes that cost $1,500.00; unless of course you are at the other end of the $1500.00!

Bottom Line: I for one simply applaud the maker of the $150 bagpipe. A proven performance worthy bagpipe, designed economically priced so that it can easily be obtained by anyone with a yearning to hear and breathe the magic melodies of the Scottish Highlands. Yes, everyone's invited!

Sure a Cadillac is wonderful, it drives a little better, its a little quieter to the trained ear, and it takes bumps a little better to the trained derriere, but are such things really worth $1000's more to the beginning driver who can drive a road worthy vehicle, feel the pavement, and set off to new horizons with little care of who they impress? Is a Cadillac really a better investment IF YOU SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD IT? hmmm...

I wonder what beautiful melodies would have been forever lost had the Bagpipe Player "waited" in order to afford that set of pipes with the costly moisture control system rather than play that cheap piece of junk built way back in the 1600's?

I love my Pakistan made Bagpipes. I am certain countless others do too!

Sincerely,
my 2 cents