Of Bellingham, Wa., Bruce made six sets Great Highland Bagpipe, one set of Uilleann pipes, practice chanters, and he made the tongues for the Champion Drone Reeds that Terry Lee sold. They were the first 'synthetic or hybrid reed made in North America. The picture on this page shows a black Ross reed, a white Champion reed, and a blue Smartdrone reed, all obviously cut from the same bolt of cloth. Bruce was also one of the first to make pipes from cocobolo.
Bruce Merrick
