Bag shape
4 posters
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Bag shape
A wee question,
Does the shape of a pipe bag affect drones striking in?
I have a Keith Bowes sheepskin bag on my pipes at the moment. I had a brief chat with him at Dumbarton, and he was saying that he had changed the shape slightly under the front of the bag, just where your forum comes around, to allow it to sit neater for your top hand, thinned it down a bit.
He has added a bit at the bottom to keep the capacity the same.
So, I changed my pipes at Christmas, set of 1950's Hendersons, all refurbished, and in the early part of the year had a Bannantyne bag and Ross system fitted.
Pipes started every time, unmissable in fact, with any kind of bass reed you cared to try, cane, plastic, different plastic, didnt matter, now, on the sheepskin, the bass has become very tricky to reed indeed, to the extent its starting to drive me to drink !!
I can't get cane to start with any degree of reliability, and some plastics refuse to go at all, unstartable in fact. I have been able to get a Crozier Carbon to work, but its hardly ideal.
So, i am at a loss as to what is causing it, the bottom of the stock is perfect, so the airflow should be fine, the drone is fine, and sounds great when it starts, and i've hit the bag hard, soft, blow in, and all over the place, still no go
I've tried inverted Selby inverted reeds which are supposed to unmissable, apparantly they're not
Any ideas would be much appreciated
cheers
Does the shape of a pipe bag affect drones striking in?
I have a Keith Bowes sheepskin bag on my pipes at the moment. I had a brief chat with him at Dumbarton, and he was saying that he had changed the shape slightly under the front of the bag, just where your forum comes around, to allow it to sit neater for your top hand, thinned it down a bit.
He has added a bit at the bottom to keep the capacity the same.
So, I changed my pipes at Christmas, set of 1950's Hendersons, all refurbished, and in the early part of the year had a Bannantyne bag and Ross system fitted.
Pipes started every time, unmissable in fact, with any kind of bass reed you cared to try, cane, plastic, different plastic, didnt matter, now, on the sheepskin, the bass has become very tricky to reed indeed, to the extent its starting to drive me to drink !!
I can't get cane to start with any degree of reliability, and some plastics refuse to go at all, unstartable in fact. I have been able to get a Crozier Carbon to work, but its hardly ideal.
So, i am at a loss as to what is causing it, the bottom of the stock is perfect, so the airflow should be fine, the drone is fine, and sounds great when it starts, and i've hit the bag hard, soft, blow in, and all over the place, still no go
I've tried inverted Selby inverted reeds which are supposed to unmissable, apparantly they're not
Any ideas would be much appreciated
cheers
Gordy88- Member
- Registration date : 2007-10-18
Number of posts : 1142
Age : 58
Pipe Band I belong to
Band Name: Geoghegan Memorial
Re: Bag shape
Gordy88 wrote:......i've hit the bag hard, soft, blow in, and all over the place, still no go.....
Individual bags (of any make) have their own little "sweet spot" for striking in.
You are obviously aware of this and have tried to find it.
Only thing I can suggest is to change bags and see if the same thing still happens.
If it doesn't change then I would look at the reeds. If it does change and strikes in fine then I would suggest the bag is the problem.
stormy- Member
- Registration date : 2007-10-13
Number of posts : 496
Pipe Band I belong to
Band Name: Enter Band Name Here!!!!
Re: Bag shape
Gordy,
I play a Bowes bag and have had some problems with double toning drones, tried the same as you with all sorts of drone reeds, What I have found recently is that I dont actually need to 'strike' the bag at all, just blow it up and shove it under my arm, not double toned since I started doing that, its not the ideal way of doing things but it seems to work. I have Kinnaird reeds in at the moment and seem to be going alright. Only thing I'd say about Bowes bags is that they dont seem to last too long. Get about a year and a half out of it. Think I will try a Begg bag on my new pipes and see if it is anymore sustainable.
I play a Bowes bag and have had some problems with double toning drones, tried the same as you with all sorts of drone reeds, What I have found recently is that I dont actually need to 'strike' the bag at all, just blow it up and shove it under my arm, not double toned since I started doing that, its not the ideal way of doing things but it seems to work. I have Kinnaird reeds in at the moment and seem to be going alright. Only thing I'd say about Bowes bags is that they dont seem to last too long. Get about a year and a half out of it. Think I will try a Begg bag on my new pipes and see if it is anymore sustainable.
orange_wings- Member
- Registration date : 2007-10-20
Number of posts : 155
Age : 39
Pipe Band I belong to
Band Name: Boghall & Bathgate
Re: Bag shape
Its typical,
Within 2 hours of posting, I had the drones starting perfectly.
A simple solution, A hepburn Cane, with a paper clip, starting smack on every time.
Simple as that, but it took the paper clip, wouldn't settle without it.
As regards The Bowes bag, I got a season out of it, March to Cowal last year, not that impressed TBH.
The new bag is twice as thick, and I expect better things from it.
I wouldnt blame him in the slightest as he has to take what he gets from the tannery. They are certainly well stitched etc
Thanks
Within 2 hours of posting, I had the drones starting perfectly.
A simple solution, A hepburn Cane, with a paper clip, starting smack on every time.
Simple as that, but it took the paper clip, wouldn't settle without it.
As regards The Bowes bag, I got a season out of it, March to Cowal last year, not that impressed TBH.
The new bag is twice as thick, and I expect better things from it.
I wouldnt blame him in the slightest as he has to take what he gets from the tannery. They are certainly well stitched etc
Thanks
Gordy88- Member
- Registration date : 2007-10-18
Number of posts : 1142
Age : 58
Pipe Band I belong to
Band Name: Geoghegan Memorial
Re: Bag shape
Hepburn cane.............says it all eh?.
Redneck- Member
- Registration date : 2007-10-13
Number of posts : 2051
Age : 66
Pipe Band I belong to
Band Name: Drumlough pipe band N.Ireland 3A
Re: Bag shape
Redneck wrote:Hepburn cane.............says it all eh?.
In most cases yes,
But I have tried and discarded this reed as it wouldn't go,
Pipes are singing, but it is bugging me as to why they were playing up
Never worry, the day when a piper knows everything has not yet arrived,
At least to those of us who have a tenous grip on reality
cheers
Gordy88- Member
- Registration date : 2007-10-18
Number of posts : 1142
Age : 58
Pipe Band I belong to
Band Name: Geoghegan Memorial
Re: Bag shape
Gordy88 wrote:Redneck wrote:Hepburn cane.............says it all eh?.
Never worry, the day when a piper knows everything has not yet arrived,
At least to those of us who have a tenous grip on reality
cheers
Sure is true m8. , see ya Saturday fer a pint?.
Redneck- Member
- Registration date : 2007-10-13
Number of posts : 2051
Age : 66
Pipe Band I belong to
Band Name: Drumlough pipe band N.Ireland 3A
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