on eBAY: Willie Rowsome Bb Set for Sale - ca. 1905

tompipes · Post by **tompipes** » Sun Jul 25, 2004 9:20 am

Jim,
Best of luck this time too. Third time lucky.
But just to remind folks, this is a historic instrument. Willie Rowsome had a short enough pipe making career because he died so young and this is the only Bb set that he made.
I know pipers out there moan and bitch by saying "$12,000 for a set of pipes, thats "ridiculous""

If you have the bucks and you want to wait, go for a Wooff or a Froment or a Angus,etc.
But this is not just "a" set.
It's like owning a Kenna or a Coyne.
Mind you, I'd love to see what one of those babys would cost. A good 5 figures I sure, easy.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Tommy

glands · Post by **glands** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:31 pm

Pipe dreams

Kevin L. Rietmann · Post by **Kevin L. Rietmann** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 3:20 am

Eh...Jim McGuire is as reliable in business dealings as you'll ever come across in this line. He attends NPU AGMs and the like, has booked scores of artists to play in Chicago, very much a nuts and bolts and dollars and cents person. He's sold heaps of material on Ebay to many satisfied people, myself included. If there were any piper I'd trust in such a situation to be professional about these things it would be him. I don't think he's precluded interested parties from examining the set themselves if they wish, either.

Jim McGuire · Post by **Jim McGuire** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 7:34 am

Auctions are not for everyone. Glands had contacted me via e-mail before this last post; I had extended the offer to him, as I would to anyone, to come over and examine the set. I am located 9 miles north of Chicago.

Brad Angus, who performed the restoration, is willing to take calls on the set 360-699-4409. I do not coach Brad on what to say; he has no interest in the sale save that it nicely represents his efforts and skill (and his own chanter with the set).

Dionys · Post by **Dionys** » Thu Jul 29, 2004 7:28 pm

Brads flat chanters are very, very good. How much is this set worth? Ultimately it's worth what someone will pay for it, which fluctuates day to day, week to week, &c.

Dionys

The Sporting Pitchfork · Fri Jul 30, 2004 2:12 am

I'll say it again--

I've seen this set up close and I was aboslutely gobsmacked.
If some discerning piping nut doesn't doesn't snatch this one up and give it a good home, it'll be very sad indeed.

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 5:05 pm

I wonder why this set is not selling. Seems people of late are more reluctant than ever to buy vintage sets. Maybe there's too much emphasis put on the better playability of modern sets. Maybe it's the replacement chanter. The set would have greater value with the original, of course. Maybe it just takes one person to get things started, like glands.

Dionys · Post by **Dionys** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 11:48 pm

I think it's a combination of factors. The economy being in the toilet is a big one. Starting the bidding out high was perhaps another mistake. Sometimes when people list their houses too high at first, they don't get takers when it gets down to a reasonable price.

There's also the question of buying via ebay. It's likely a beautiful set both in sound and appearance, but how many people are going to take someone else's word for it when it's an X thousand dollar item.

Likely if people could see and hear it and it was of excellent quality (which I'm guessing it is since it's Brad's restoration) and the bidding started at 5k, it would have gone above 7.5k by now. Then again, it's entirely possible no one has the money for it right now.

I think it'd absolutely get bids at 5k. I also think it's likely worth the 7.5 k being asked for it now. Think of it as a full set even without the history and it's not a terrible deal. Neither is it a bargan, of course, and a lot of people look for that and only that.

Dionys

tompipes · Post by **tompipes** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 4:34 am

Well boys.
Heres the scoop.
May I say for a start that I don't have any financial interest in this thing at all but, the closest thing any of us alive will get to this kind of instrument is either Brad Angus or Geoff Wooff.

Brad restored this set so I'm sure he took measurements so you could get him to make a copy.
But with the amount of frills on this Willie Rowsome set, it would cost a good size more for Brad to make a copy than the price offered for the Rowsome as it is.
As regards Geoff Wooff, his prices went up a bit in the last wee while.
I didn't hear this from Geoff, but I did hear this from a great pipe maker that is in touch with Geoff often enough.

Full set , 14,000 hard earnd bobs.

Do the maths,

Tommy

Jim McGuire · Post by **Jim McGuire** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 7:11 am

One never knows at auction time what exactly will happen. Some people do not prefer to buy items pf any kind through auction. (I just renovated my condo and bought over a dozen items toward the project, including lights, cabinet pulls, and tools; 3.5 million items go up on eBAY every day.) Since there are many, many different format combinations possible for the auction, one has to make one's best guess on how to generate interest and max the auction. An auction is not over until it is over!

The set sounds great and is stunning to look at. Aside from the people that have registered an opinion in this forum, others have volunteered that same, the set looks more impressive than the photos.

It is a piece of history. I am very careful about the research and this was a delightful surprise that it turned out to be the set in the only Willie Rowsome photo (with pipes) that we have. Someone also executed a painting based on the photo; Leo Rowsome and Andy Conroy were photographed in front of it with pipes on. Kevin Rowsome has the painting.

j dasinger · Post by **j dasinger** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 4:07 pm

Has anyone thought of contacting Kevin Rowsome or the Rowsome family to see if they are interested in it? They might want it for it's historical link to their family.
J.

Jim McGuire · Post by **Jim McGuire** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 9:07 am

New price - $7,000 - 3 day auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MESE:IT

stew · Post by **stew** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 10:55 am

Send a sound sample in to clips & snips let us hear this lovely set, it may
help to sell it. all the best Stew.

Steampacket · Post by **Steampacket** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 2:05 pm

"I wonder why this set is not selling. Seems people of late are more reluctant than ever to buy vintage sets. Maybe there's too much emphasis put on the better playability of modern sets. Maybe it's the replacement chanter. The set would have greater value with the original, of course." Lorenzo

Well although it's an old historical set, Willie Rowsome sets don't appear to be in the same league or as desired as say the Kennas, Coynes, Egan or Harrington instruments or even Taylor sets. Kevin Rowsome's boxwood W. Rowsome sounds lovely and is nice looking set, but from what I understand it has been looked over by Andreas Rogge to get it sounding like it does.
W Rowsome sets are historical of course and there is a intrinsic value in that, but was Willie really that good a pipemaker making quality instruments of the day as regards tuning and playability, compared to Coyne or Harrington etc.? Leo Rowsome would seem to have surpassed his father as a pipemaker, piper and teacher. Mick O'Brian doesn't seem to use his W. Rowsome set. I don't know if Pat Sky plays his W. Rowsome? A working Leo Rowsome full set would probably be more coveted and command a higher price than a Willie set for an active playing musician of today I'd think. Brad Angus has a reputation of making fine instruments so I'd guess that the chanter is a good one and that Brad has looked over the rest of the set which bodes well. I wonder what a fair price for both seller & buyer would be?

lemonsquash · Post by **lemonsquash** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 6:46 pm

Mick O'Brien uses his Rowsome all over "May Morning Dew", if I'm not mistaken, and it sounds mighty. All factors in play, 7k is a very fair price for this set.