Just for you, Tucker...

In the interest of full disclosure, when I made the little announcement that I had new a new set of pipes, it was more that I had gained ownership, but did not actually have them in my possession. My dad had picked them up from his friend who was selling them to me, but I hadn't actually laid eyes on them in years (I had played in the same band as him about 10 years ago), nor had I actually heard them with my own ears.

All that changed on Thursday. And I will never be able to go back.

I had though that the sound of my old pipes wasn't half bad, but holy f'ing crap.... these things sound incredible. Just a richness of sound that I have never had the pleasure to play before. Playing in the sanctuary at the church, they just fill the entire place, without, oddly, being overly loud. It's more of a depth of sound than pure volume. Just incredible. It defies description, really, but I'm doing the best I can here....

Anyway, the real reason I didn't post any pictures before was because I didn't have any. Now, thanks to the magic of the cameraphone, I do, and here they are:

Old...

New...

I'm not sure that they real quality of the wood comes across, as the c. 1910 African Blackwood is far different than the c. 1950 wood, although they do claim to be the same kind of wood. However, the difference from the hideous sun-damaged immitation ivory to the near-100-year-old real ivory should make itself clear.