Neighbor to know: Dave Atherton

Doug MacRae is a professional bagpiper who always has preferred the handmade instruments of yesteryear.

It's all about the quality of sound they produce, he says.

But even he must admit the custom-made set of pipes he purchased from Naperville's Dave Atherton matches anything he's ever heard.

"It's a rich sound," he says, "and a much deeper sound."

All of which is music to Atherton's ears. He moved to Naperville last year with an international reputation in the little-known art of making bagpipes and continues to build upon it.

It's not an easy thing to master. He spent 12 years as an apprentice at C.E. Kron & Co. in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., often working seven days a week to hone his craft.

"I had no intention of staying there that long," Atherton says. "As it turned out, I really liked what I was doing and was really good at it."

When he decided to strike out on his own last year, he moved with his wife, Niki, to the Midwest where she grew up.

With clients from around the globe, it really doesn't matter where Atherton sets up shop -- serious bagpipe players will find him.

He says he considers his products the Steinway pianos of the bagpipe world.

"There are very few people like myself left," Atherton says. "Everything now has turned to mass production. The way I do it is no different than it was done 100 years ago."

Modeled after the Great Highland bagpipes made by the old masters, Atherton's pipes are handcrafted using lathes. He favors fashioning the pipes from African blackwood from Tanzania and ages it for years before it is used. Blackwood is resistant to moisture and cracking and holds up well in any climate.

"This wood is basically like steel," he says.

Bagpipes include the blowpipe, the chanter on which the melody is played, and three drones that each continually plays a single note.

Atherton's bagpipes are ornamented with ivory that can come from the tusks of animals or the nuts of ivory palms grown in the South Pacific.

More expensive pipes also may contain engraved silver or inlaid gold.

The bags are made of cowhide, sheepskin or a material called Gore-Tex.

"The materials come from the four corners of the world," he says.

Once the wood is ready to use, a bagpipe takes two or three weeks to put together, Atherton says. He makes 30 to 40 sets a year, and has a waiting list of six to nine months.

Prices for the instruments range from $2,400 to $13,000.

Ray Morrison of Tinley Park bought the first set of bagpipes Atherton sold after moving to Illinois. A 30-year bagpiper, Morrison says he had heard of Atherton's previous work with Kron & Co.

After Morrison received his pipes, his brother was impressed enough to order a pair himself.

"Dave is an exceedingly meticulous craftsman," Morrison says. "They're beautiful. The tone of these pipes are as good as any I've heard. His pipes cannot be matched by anything being made today."

Atherton also restores vintage bagpipes. MacRae -- a Texan bagpiper who plays in the United States, Scotland and Canada -- says he first came in contact with Atherton when he sent his 120-year-old bagpipes to Kron & Co. to be refurbished.

But since receiving his new pipes, he has set his old bagpipes aside.

"It's a more rich sound, more vibrant sound than what we've been playing in the past," MacRae says.

Interest in bagpipes has been growing, especially in North America, Atherton says.

"It has that lonesome sound to it. It speaks to you," he says. "It's extremely unique."

Atherton plays bagpipes himself and, as a professional musician, has made several CDs playing instrumental guitar. But his bagpipe making doesn't leave much time to pursue his musical career.

"I'm always making bagpipes," he says. "I still work seven days a week."

Atherton may be contacted at www.dmatherton.com.