LA-based DuncElectric works with McCallum Bagpipes on innovative Electrified Chanter Stock

David Duncan of Los Angeles knows all about the challenges of amplifying the Highland pipes in a concert with other instruments, so he developed the Electrified Chanter Stock, the first pipe chanter stock with an integrated piezoelectric pickup, an output jack, and a volume knob designed to create a “clean” audio signal directly from any pipe chanter.

McCallum Bagpipes of Kilmarnock, Scotland, makes the custom stock for the Electrified Chanter Stock, and Duncan’s company, DuncElectric, assembles the final product by hand in Los Angeles.

The 1/4-inch TS output jack allows the player to plug directly into effects pedals, amplifiers, or digital processing units to create a unique sound, or simply amplify the true sound of the Highland pipes.

Previously, pipers playing on stage to a larger audience or with a group of other musicians would rely on an external microphone, often resulting in “unclean” audio subject to the player’s movements, incompatibility with output devices, varying volumes of chanter notes, or even bumping into things.

Unlike most new products for the Highland pipes or pipe band drums, Duncan has patented his device to legally prevent others from copying his innovation.

“To my knowledge, this product is the first of its kind,” David Duncan said. “I’ve patented it and I’m working in close collaboration with McCallum Bagpipes. I have a few established musicians already using my product, including Aaron Shaw of the Wicked Tinkers, U.S.-based bagpiper Jesse Offgang, and Pereg Ar Bagol, a piper in the Celtic metal band, Skiltron.”

He said he’s working on a similar product for other bagpipes, including Medieval and Irish uilleann pipes and the Spanish/Basque/Asturian/Portuguese gaita.

A piper originally from Tucson, Arizona, Duncan attended the College of Wooster in Ohio on a piping scholarship. He was a member of Grade I2North Coast and played for a season with the Grade 1 78th Fraser Highlanders under Bill Livingstone, before joining the then Grade 1 Toronto Police, before moving to Los Angeles to play with the LA Scots. Since 2015, he has moved from competition to “performance, innovation, and composition,” touring the United States with his group, the Freestylers of Piping, and recording three albums. He now focuses on jazz for the Highland pipes.

Duncan “soft-launched” the product earlier this year in the US only. The Electrified Chanter Stock will start shipping in quantity worldwide in January 2026 for USD $419.