My bagpipes were made by Peter Henderson in the late 1940s. They are very simply appointed with wooden projecting mounts, nickel ferrules, and imitation ivory drone caps that have turned pumpkin-orange over time.
The pipes were originally presented to Mr. Eugene Lucas of the Carnegie Tech Pipe Band in Pittsburgh, PA, by his late wife the first Christmas they were married. Mr. Lucas used the pipes very gently over the years, and eventually stopped playing for health reasons around 1985. In the early 1990s he had the pipes refitted in the hopes his grandson would learn, but they ended up sitting in a box in Mr. Lucas’ apartment. In the spring of 2006 I heard from a friend that Mr. Lucas intended to sell the pipes; he was understandably reluctant to part with them because of the emotional connection to his wife, but he also recognized that they are a good set of pipes that should belong to someone who will appreciate their quality.
I bought them directly from Mr. Lucas in June 2006 and have been extremely pleased with them. I’ve set them up with Balance Tone reeds for the tenor drones and an eZee drone bass, and the drones produce the full and warm sound that made Henderson pipes famous. I use a modern blackwood Kron Medalist chanter, an adjustable blowpipe from Peter Crisler, and a True Fit bag cover from Brian McNulty.
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