SourceBagpipes is the largest vintage and secondhand Great Highland Bagpipe retailer globally, independently owned by the MacKenzie family and operated by Ross.
SourceBagpipes not only sell bagpipes, we also buy pipes, chanters, practice chanters and accessories. We also provide expert appraisals and valuations
The company was founded when I was Pipe Major of a local Pipe Band. The band had very few players at the time and I invested heavily in tutoring and increasing numbers in the band. As players developed from the chanter and arrived to practice with bagpipes I was noticing too many defective sets or sets that in my view were unfairly priced. From there I began to ‘source’ instruments that were of good quality, tone and priced correctly…the business has grown significantly since then and entirely through word of mouth which I feel is the best way to do business in this tight knit global community where trust is paramount.
Growing up I was fortunate enough to receive tuition from some of the most incredible pipers in the Highlands of Scotland. My initial tutor at the age of 7 was William MacDonald, aka, ‘Watery Willie’. A veteran from WW2 who managed to escape prisoner of war camps on numerous occasions he was a real character and created the foundation for my playing. Shortly after I went to lessons with Jim MacGregor, Nairn. Once older I was fortunate enough to receive lessons from Norman Gilles Snr and John D Burgess. Due to University / Marriage / family I have not competed in solos since the age of 18 however I receive Ceol Mor tuition from JonDon MacKenzie, Dornie who has followed teachings brought down through the Robert Reid of Glasgow ethos.
Since starting the business I have been lucky enough to provide bagpipes to Gold Medalists, Silver Medalists, World Pipe Band Champions and famous musicians although my passion will always be to help everyone find a set of bagpipes that is ideally suited to them.
In terms of service we can ship globally, and do so on a regular basis. Since start up there are not many countries we have not shipped to and have a successful and proven track record. Please note that CITES is an important aspect for sale of any instrument containing ivory and we take our responsibility toward compliance extremely seriously – we will work with you and the authorities to ensure compliance and again we have significant track record of successful transactions.
The values which we will never stray from are honesty, integrity, fairness and a bit of craic!
Prior to any set of bagpipe being advertised, they have thoroughly been checked for defects, anomalies, repairs or refurbishment with these being clearly highlighted. At SourceBagpipes we do not recommend or undertake refurbishment on bagpipes using tooling or lathes unless the pipes are beyond salvage otherwise as we believe this fundamentally changes the original instrument as is detrimental to the value of the Bagpipe.
BUY – SELL – TRADE
As well as sales, we buy bagpipes, chanters, parts and accessories. If this is something you would like to investigate further please email Ross on: info@sourcebagpipes.co.uk with a description and photograph(s). We will respond promptly with an offer and instructions to facilitate procurement.
Trade-ins are also welcomed to offset your purchase, again please email for a quotation and provide details and photograph(s) to: info@sourcebagpipes.co.uk
VALUATIONS / APPRAISALS
SourceBagpipes has extensive experience in identification and valuation of bagpipes. Contact us for more information or assistance.
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