Duncan MacRae was not a piper however he used his considerable skills and imagination to create an enduring bagpipe. He first appears as a bagpipe maker in the Glasgow business directory in 1909. He was an innovator and introduced "hempless" tuning slides, a threaded stock to secure the bag to the stocks, tunable bells, and a chanter grip that was perhaps copied by Starck. The style of his bagpipe was typical of Glasgow makers and MacRae bagpipes are difficult to distinguish from Henderson pipes.
This is a great picture, to the left, showing MacRae's hempless tuning slides. By tapping on the top of the slide, the fluted sides expanded, creating a surface that held the tenor top in place.
See PM Willie Gray's full silver MacRae bagpipe here. You'll notice that it has threaded stocks and wooden bolts instead of the typical ty-in. This is an innovation that never quite caught on. It also has a threaded bass top, as it pictured above.
This is a set that surfaced in Ottawa. Cocuswood and Ivory, last played in 1912. The owner original owner purchased them in 1900 before immigrating to Canada. They are currently owned by his granddaughter who wanted them played at her funeral.
Just an awesome wood-mount set currently residing in New Zealand.
Duncan MacRae