Lochalsh Pipes are based in the beautiful area of Lochalsh in the Scottish West Highlands

 

Ross Calderwood the pipe maker has been playing Highland Bagpipes since the age of eight. He started playing smallpipes in 1994. Ross' interest in bagpipes goes far beyond
the superficial. He has a good in depth knowledge of the history and diversity of bagpipes. His smallpipe, borderpipe and reelpipe designs are based on the large archive of historical bagpipes that are kept in various museums in Scotland and England.

 

He makes small pipes, border pipes, reel pipes, historical Highland pipes and
one-off commissions.

 

Ross has a background in engineering and has transferred the meticulous standards and problem-solving of this discipline to making of bagpipes. For over ten years now he has been perfecting his products. The quality of his pipes has spread by word-of-mouth and he has sold numerous sets to local musicians, including two sets to the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music at Plockton, as well as to customers around the world.

 

His materials are mainly indigenous hardwoods, such as holly, laburnum, fruitwoods and yew. These timbers would have been traditionally used to make bagpipes in the Highlands providing first class tonal qualities as well as being of outstanding beauty. All pipes are finished using natural materials such as tagua nut (vegetable ivory), Buffalo horn, rams horn, light coloured woods such as sycamore and holly. He has several local timber suppliers which means when you purchase a set of pipes he can tell you exactly where the tree was felled that provided the timber for your pipes.

The bag is made of pre-treated hide which does not require seasoning. This provides a maintenance free bag that is 100% airtight.

 

The bellows are double skinned with the outer skin being leather and the inside vinyl; this makes the bellows completely air tight and eliminates the need for seasoning. For the plates, recycled timber such as oak, teak and mahogany are used as well as local timbers such as oak, ash, cherry, and alder.