- Joined
- May 26, 2008
- Messages
- 202
- Reaction score
- 0
After a couple of newbie posts about North American carvers, I've been continuing my education in the world of new pipes by extensive Internet reading and looking at pipes from many makers/carvers. And, I have been spending every Saturday afternoon talking for hours with Premal Chedda at Smokers' Haven. I'm fortunate to have a B & M locally which has for sale many artisan carvers (many more than are listed on their web site) so I can see, handle, and discuss the pipes and their differences. Plus, I've been poring over past issues of Pipes & Tobaccos, which has been helpful along with the NASPC newsletters.
The point of this effort has been to start to form a focus to my collecting. Because there are so many wonderful pipes out there to buy I wanted a focus to my purchases so they add up to something that makes sense to me. Consequently, my small collectiion has been growing incrementally (I'm not sure my wife would agree with that statement, though). The focus so far:
Special pre-1980 GBDs like the Horry Jamieson bent acorn. Reason: I started with GBDs in college and my 30+ year old ones are still great smokers. It's partly sentimentality, too.
Premal Chedda. Reason: I think he's working very hard to create line of pipes that can compete with the best. His materials are very good and the pipes are not rushed. Premal hasn't found his signature style yet; he's produced a variety of shapes but has been trending lately toward more classic smaller shapes. Right now he's in a blast period. It's a true pleasure to go down to the shop weekly and see what has been worked on or produced in the last week. His pricing is very competitive and the pipes smoke very well. He's local and I can see the production in the shop; I will continue to collect his pipes.
Claudio Cavicchi. Reason: I know I originally wrote that I was going to stick to North American carvers but the article in P & T on Cavicchi really got my attention. The bottom line is that I like the shapes, the way the pipes look, the way the pipes smoke, and the price. What's not to like? My focus in collecting is in the extremes--that's the 1Cs for value and the 5Cs for beauty. Of course, the right shape in the middle range is not ruled out.
Rad Davis. Reason: Somewhat similar to Chedda, he's apparently still on his way up. I like his more tradtional shapes and blasts. He's priced pretty well.
Michael Parks. Reason: Quality of construction and cool smoking briar. I'm not fond of his wilder, more freehand shapes but I like his traditional shapes. The problem is he's not easy to collect. SH has a small selection (and more after the Columbus show, I hope) and I plan to buy something directly from him on Saturday.
Jody Davis. Reason: Well, I don't actually have a J. Davis yet but I will when I pick up one that Premal is holding for me on Saturday. His quality appears to be excellent and I like everything he makes. Everything. The photos of his pipes in the 2006 P & T article knocks me out. I've been getting his email alerts and have been too slow (or busy, actually) to pull the trigger fast enough--but everything I see of his I really like. I found an old thread somewhere that had zulucollector's collection of J. Davis pipes; now that's something to aspire to.
These are just some random thoughts of mine as I try to bring order to my collecting. How about the approaches of other members of BoB to your collections?
The point of this effort has been to start to form a focus to my collecting. Because there are so many wonderful pipes out there to buy I wanted a focus to my purchases so they add up to something that makes sense to me. Consequently, my small collectiion has been growing incrementally (I'm not sure my wife would agree with that statement, though). The focus so far:
Special pre-1980 GBDs like the Horry Jamieson bent acorn. Reason: I started with GBDs in college and my 30+ year old ones are still great smokers. It's partly sentimentality, too.
Premal Chedda. Reason: I think he's working very hard to create line of pipes that can compete with the best. His materials are very good and the pipes are not rushed. Premal hasn't found his signature style yet; he's produced a variety of shapes but has been trending lately toward more classic smaller shapes. Right now he's in a blast period. It's a true pleasure to go down to the shop weekly and see what has been worked on or produced in the last week. His pricing is very competitive and the pipes smoke very well. He's local and I can see the production in the shop; I will continue to collect his pipes.
Claudio Cavicchi. Reason: I know I originally wrote that I was going to stick to North American carvers but the article in P & T on Cavicchi really got my attention. The bottom line is that I like the shapes, the way the pipes look, the way the pipes smoke, and the price. What's not to like? My focus in collecting is in the extremes--that's the 1Cs for value and the 5Cs for beauty. Of course, the right shape in the middle range is not ruled out.
Rad Davis. Reason: Somewhat similar to Chedda, he's apparently still on his way up. I like his more tradtional shapes and blasts. He's priced pretty well.
Michael Parks. Reason: Quality of construction and cool smoking briar. I'm not fond of his wilder, more freehand shapes but I like his traditional shapes. The problem is he's not easy to collect. SH has a small selection (and more after the Columbus show, I hope) and I plan to buy something directly from him on Saturday.
Jody Davis. Reason: Well, I don't actually have a J. Davis yet but I will when I pick up one that Premal is holding for me on Saturday. His quality appears to be excellent and I like everything he makes. Everything. The photos of his pipes in the 2006 P & T article knocks me out. I've been getting his email alerts and have been too slow (or busy, actually) to pull the trigger fast enough--but everything I see of his I really like. I found an old thread somewhere that had zulucollector's collection of J. Davis pipes; now that's something to aspire to.
These are just some random thoughts of mine as I try to bring order to my collecting. How about the approaches of other members of BoB to your collections?