In 1971-72, Willie Sinclair approached Tom McAllister Sr. about creating a new bagpipe chanter reed for the Sinclair chanter. Tom Sr., Tom Jr., Bill and JK McAllister set up shop in Tom Sr.'s garage, rolling out the Mini every morning and rolling it back in at the end of the day. They spent two years, twenty-four hours seven days a week developing a reed that would become known for its stability, consistency and a strength that had everyone blowing their guts out. The machines they used to create the reeds were made from some old diesel engine parts that the boys built themselves.
The McAllisters were heavily involved in the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band, with Tom Sr., being the Pipe Major for numerous years. The band was later taken over by JK and then Tom Jr. who, with DS Alex Duthart, brought the band to the forefront of the pipe band world. To achieve the sound they wanted and to maximize on the McAllister reed quality, the McAllister boys developed their own chanter, the Warmack.
After several successful years of doing business in Shotts, the McAllisters decided to sell the reed making business. James W. picked up on the rumblings, travelled to Motherwell, Scotland to meet the boys and discussed the details of taking over the well established and well respected reedmaking business. Since James W. had been a loyal customer after first being introduced to the product by Ken Eller in the early 70s and after giving both James W. and James P. the third degree, the boys had faith in the hand-over and it was sealed with a hearty handshake.
James W. and James P. spent January 1998 in Shotts, learning the bagpipe reed business, spending every single day for a month with Tom Jr., Bill and JK. Both James' got every method, technique, and detail of every aspect of the business first hand. The secret of the McAllister reeds was handed over to the Troys with rigorous training, discipline and with the encouragement that the next generation of McAllisters reedmakers would produce the clean, sweet sound the reed was best known for.
The McAllister bagpipe chanter reeds are manufactured from cane which, as a vegetable, varies in many aspects: density, hardness, softness, etc. In order to accommodate these variants, the reed was developed to have resonance, brightness, balanced pitch, and most importantly, durability. The outcome was that each reed was, and still is, individually sculpted to adjust to the cane variants. Visit the care page to learn some tips from James W. and James P. Troy.
The machines that were made by the McAllisters are still used today by the Troys, with minor variations. The main structure of the reed business and the precision with which the McAllisters made the actual product remains unchanged. James W. and James P. have expanded into bagpipe repairs and are an important resource for the piping community. Go to the JWT Reedmakers blog to read more!