Chanter bias?

[Patrick McLaurin]

If someone discredits a product without stating why, I ignore them.

It could be good advice but without stating why they discredit a product they either want you beholden to them or they are trying to profit from a different product, possibly without justification.

[Don Smith]

Something to consider.....different reeds go better with certain chanters, and the same is true with matching chanters to drones. The right combination makes all the difference in the world. Conversely, so does the wrong combination.
So....a chanter that may sound lack luster with one set of drones may really do well with another. Also a great chanter can sound dull and lifeless with the wrong reed. There is no one size fits all. I see pipers all the time that are convinced that their chanter isn't very good when it is actually just the wrong combination of reed and chanter. They are always floored when I match their chanter up with the right reed and all of the sudden it springs to life and sounds great.

This is also true to a much smaller extant between pipes and chanters by the same maker due to the natural variances in the wood they are made out of. I once maintained several different makes and vintages of pipes, and I did't have a single one of them set up the same. I worked to find the right combination of reeds and chanter/drones to get the best out of each set.

I guess what may be a "door stop" to one piper might be great for another depending on what drones they are playing. Anyone that says chanter xyz is best across the board is not being honest or is still learning about what makes a great pipe.

FWIW

Don

[Pppiper]

Originally Posted by Don Smith

Something to consider.....different reeds go better with certain chanters, and the same is true with matching chanters to drones. The right combination makes all the difference in the world. Conversely, so does the wrong combination.

So....a chanter that may sound lack luster with one set of drones may really do well with another. Also a great chanter can sound dull and lifeless with the wrong reed. There is no one size fits all. I see pipers all the time that are convinced that their chanter isn't very good when it is actually just the wrong combination of reed and chanter. They are always floored when I match their chanter up with the right reed and all of the sudden it springs to life and sounds great.



This is also true to a much smaller extant between pipes and chanters by the same maker due to the natural variances in the wood they are made out of. I once maintained several different makes and vintages of pipes, and I did't have a single one of them set up the same. I worked to find the right combination of reeds and chanter/drones to get the best out of each set.



I guess what may be a "door stop" to one piper might be great for another depending on what drones they are playing. Anyone that says chanter xyz is best across the board is not being honest or is still learning about what makes a great pipe.



FWIW



Don

Very insightful, thank you.

Cheers,
~Nate