Popular ES Session Chanter business under new ownership
Callum Douglas is the new owner of the popular ES Session Chanter business, taking over production and sales from Lindsay Ellis, who co-created the product with the late Ross Scrim, both accomplished tool makers who crafted the unique instrument from stainless steel and aluminum.
Callum Douglas is the pipe major of Grade 4 Coupar Angus and was a piper with Grade 1 Inveraray & District for several years. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is a Red Hot Chilli Pipers member.
The vision for the instrument started with the realization that the practice chanter had not evolved substantially from its original form. A chanter made from precision-engineered materials, which would also accommodate a variety of pitches, led to the concept of using two interchangeable stems, “using aluminum for its ease of machining, strength, and tonal qualities.”
“To put that into perspective, that tolerance is like dividing a human hair eight times.” — Callum Douglas
“Nothing is traditional apart from the blades on the reeds,” Douglas said about the ESS Session Chanter. “The reed seat is machined to plus or minus five-tenths of one-thousandth of an inch and has a 32-micron finish. To put that into perspective, that tolerance is like dividing a human hair eight times.”
Douglas adds that the result is “an incredibly airtight seal around the reed staple with the use of O rings. Raising and lowering the reed is simple, and hemp removal or addition is a thing of the past.”
Lincoln Hilton marketed a version of the chanter as part of his Modern Piping business. Hilton frequently uses the chanter in his popular and creative music videos.
The ESS Session Chanter, with a carrying case, retails for £235.
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