The company was founded in 1976 in Somerset, England by Les Cowell. Les worked for the legendary woodwind and later pipemaking firm of Henry Starck from 1946-1955, and later for the renowned woodwind firm of Boosey and Hawkes, so there is little doubt about his training and experience as a master craftsman.

Despite making first-class pipes and chanters literally from day one, the firm has continued to evolve and improve its instruments. Unlike some less established companies, Naill can season its blackwood for a minimum of two years, ensuring that bores remain true and mounts do not come loose due to wood shrinkage. While the firm has adopted some of the automated lathe and computerized CNC machining techniques now favoured by many companies, it continues to depend on hand-turning for any aspect of pipemaking that affects the tone of the instrument. Wood turners have an intimate feel for the unpredictable nature of blackwood and the details of crafting wood that good musical instruments depend on.

All pieces of the bagpipe are made in the Naill shop. The impeccable and elegant Naill silver engraving is undertaken by the firm's stable of freelance silver artists located throughout southern England.

The firm has always sought input from champion pipers and used this input to improve its pipes, and the result is a bagpipe that is almost unequalled for tone and manufacturing quality.

Most Naill pipes can be delivered in less than six weeks, engraved silver pipes in less than 10 weeks.
 

McGillivray Piping offers a number of options with Naill pipes. Each set comes with a Ross bag and watertrap, McGillivray Piping Deluxe reinforced bag cover fitted to bag size, silk cords and Ryan Canning drone reeds.

For each of the following substitutions you choose, add from the listed price of the pipes:

• Ross Canister system installed on Ross bag: add Cdn $95
  
• Moose Valve/Watertrap (recommended with Ross Canister system): add Cdn $45
• Blackwood Naill Chanter (instead of poly where offered): add Cdn $270
• Blackwood McCallum solo chanter (instead of poly where offered): add Cdn $200
   

All pipes are provided with a non-gloss, hand-rubbed oil finish.
 

Nickel slides, ferrules and ring caps, along with imitation ivory projecting mounts give this instrument a high-end, finished look. It comes with a Naill polypenco chanter, Canning synthetic drone reeds and a chanter reed set up to your playing strength. For aged imitation ivory add Cdn $95.
CDN $2275

DN2E: for hand-engraved nickel in Runic or Reposse, add CDN $525.
 

Hand-engraved nickel in Runic.

No metal gives off or maintains a sheen like Sterling silver, and the Naill beaded, plain silver sets are among the most attractive in the business. This set has imitation ivory projecting mounts and ring caps, and plain, beaded Sterling silver ferrules and slides. Minimal combing in the silver adds distinction to the ferrules and slides. The silver is hallmarked. It comes with a Naill polypenco chanter, Canning synthetic drone reeds and a chanter reed set up to your playing strength. For aged imitation ivory add Cdn $140.
Cdn $2525

No metal gives off or maintains a sheen like Sterling silver, and the Naill beaded, plain silver sets are among the most attractive in the business. This set has imitation ivory projecting mounts, and plain, beaded Sterling silver ferrules and ring caps and silver slides and mouthpiece tube. Minimal combing in the silver adds distinction to the ferrules and slides. The silver is hallmarked. It comes with a Naill blackwood chanter with a cilver band, Canning synthetic drone reeds and a chanter reed set up to your playing strength. A light polishing with a silver cloth once a month will keep this set shining like new in perpetuity. For aged imitation ivory add Cdn $140.
Cdn $2895

This set of half silvers has Victorian Engraving Plus, and aged imitation ivory projecting mounts. Add Cdn $140 for aged imitation ivory.

This set of half-silvers is definitely a bagpipe to covet; engraved Sterling silver ferrules, slides, ring caps and mouthpiece tube, and imitation ivory projecting mounts. Engraving options are Thistle, Runic, Acanthus or Dragon. Click here to see all silver patterns. This set comes with a Naill blackwood chanter with an engraved silver band, synthetic drone reeds and a chanter reed set up to your playing strength. For silver patterns, click here. For aged imitation ivory add Cdn $140. For Victorian Engraving Plus, add Cdn $550.
Cdn $4750