Whether the Scottish Highland, the Irish Uilleann pipes, the French Bombarde, the German Dudelsack, or even the Asturian Gaitas, essential is the use of flawless larger parts, especially for turning the critical chanters, base and turner stocks, also called the drones of the bagpipes.
Woodwinds made of porous timbers, like ebony (Diospyros spp.) will result in critically flowed instruments, indeed the human saliva is acid and the parts of instruments exposed to it will crack!
When selecting the best timber species, we consider in first place the prevailing standard of the African Blackwood, but also good substitutes by their aesthetic, sound quality, stability and workability.
Mopane colophospermum
- The aesthetic of the wood is a strong point.The heartwood is reddish-brown with very dark streaks. Notable figure produced by the growth rings.
- The sound quality is nearly perfect.It is described by the makers of quality clarinets as an early starter, with a slightly sweeter tone, that some find typical of the clarinets made by Schreiber, the German leader in musical instruments. This wood has a density of 1.3 kg/dm3, 77 lb per cubic foot, about 96% of the Dalbergia melanoxylon, the wood standard for woodwind instruments.
- Mopane is significantly less prone to cracks and slits than other woods of higher density. It is considered by some as even more stable when turned than the African Blackwood.
| WIND INSTRUMENTS & RELATED COMPONENTS & ACCESSORIES | HARWOODS USED: Mopane =Mopane colophospermum Pink ivory =Berchimia zeyheri Black chacate =Guibourtia conjugata African Blackwood =Dalbergia melanoxylon |
Standard sizes in mm Section of the blanks is indicated first, length second. |
| PIPES : | ||
| Highland bagpipes (HBPs) | Sets of ABW and Mopane / additional chanters / turners stocks and base stocks. | 14 blanks of 11 different sizes / totalling 6.555 dm3 1 x 54 x 54 x 305 2 x 51 x 51 x 205 1 x 40 x 40 x 385 1 x 47 x 47 x 310 1 x 47 x 47 x 195 2 x 47 x 47 x 160 1 x 47 x 47 x 125 1 x 47 x 47 x 115 1 x 40 x 40 x 310 2 x 40 x 40 x 245 1 x 40 x 40 x 220 |
| Bagpipes and folkloric instruments | Sets of ABW and Mopane | Irish: Uilleann pipes Irish pipes 5 blanks, section 30 x 30 mm / totalling 0.640 dm3 1 x 30 x 30 x 325 1 x 30 x 30 x 175 1 x 30 x 30 x 136 1 x 30 x 30 x 75 English pipes 8 blanks, section 36 x 36 mm / totalling 2.62 dm3 1 x 36 x 36 x 380 2 x 36 x 36 x 310 1 x 36 x 36 x 260 3 x 36 x 36 x 200 1 x 36 x 36 x 160 Gaitas: Spanish pipes 12 blanks of various sections / totalling 4.302 dm3 1 x 65 x 65 x 115 1 x 50 x 50 x 350 2 x 40 x 40 x 320 2 x 40 x 40 x 230 1 x 40 x 40 x 190 1 x 36 x 38 x 175 1 x 36 x 36 x 140 1 x 36 x 36 x 120 1 x 36 x 36 x 110 1 x 40 x 40 x 90 |
| Bombarde (French pipe) |
Sets of ABW and mopane | 5 blanks of various sections / totalling 0.722 dm3 1 x 80 x 80 x 50 1 x 30 x 30 x 300 1 x 30 x 30 x 280 1 x 20 x 20 x 180 1 x 20 x 20 x 150 |
| Drum sticks | Blanks of ABW and Black chacate | 2 X 28x28x490 |
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