Brad Angus has been playing bagpipes since he was 
12 years old, making reeds and maintaining sets 
for players in his native Pennsylvania, while also 
playing the Highland, Northumbrian, and Flemish 
pipes, as well as the flute.  He learned woodworking 
in school, afterwards working as a violin and woodwind 
repairman in various shops.  Upon settling down in 
Portland, Oregon, he purchased a metal lathe and 
began fufilling a long time dream of making pipes 
for a living.  At this time he had a strong interest 
in the older style flat pipes, and his first 3 sets 
were all pitched in C; he also was turning out the 
more popular concert pitch sets.  From the start 
he was encouraged by myself and San Francisco 
area pipers Ted Anderson and Mark Walstrom 
to try employing the techniques of the famous 
flat set makers of the 19th century, such as 
rolling ferrules from sheet metal and building 
hollow mainstocks.  A pivotal experience was 
when Brad and I attended the New York tionol 
in October 1998. Jimmy O'Brien-Moran was the 
guest piper, and Brad closely examined Jimmy's 
antique Colgan and Reid pipes, as well as newer 
sets built by Geoff Wooff, noticing all the subtle 
details in these pipes which the newer makers 
either ignored or weren't aware of.  
Armed with this new found knowledge, and an 
ever increasing collection of highly accurate 
measurements and good closeup photos of beautiful 
old sets in museums and private hands around 
the world, he has blossomed into one of the 
finest pipemakers in the world, making sets in 
the style of the famous makers of the past:  
Kenna, Coyne, Egan, Harrington, Colgan, Reid.

Kevin L. Rietmann