Talbert Pipes- Four new Ligne Bretagnes

[Trever Talbert]

Good evening, everyone!  I write with news that I've just posted four new Ligne Bretagnes to the site:

http://www.talbertpipes.pair.com/bretagne.shtml

Not a big update, I realize, but those of you who follow my Facebook and Twitter business accounts will know what I've been working on lately - Yep, it is Halloween pipe season!  :D  And this year's first Halloween pipe is going to be something very special indeed, if all goes well.  For all the years I've made these, I've always simply stamped them Talbert Briar and added on a customized "H" (because to be honest, whether a pipe is a Halloween pipe or not is usually very obvious).  This year I've finally got the wherewithal to do two things I've been wanting to do for *years*… First, I'm having a special custom stamp made for this and all future Talbert Halloween pipes.  There's a sample of it up on our Facebook and Twitter pages - It's going to look good.  It will also serve to reinforce something I've wanted to do for a long time, which is to set the Halloween pipes apart and above the Talbert Briar line.  I've told a few people in the past that if I had my druthers, I'd make nothing but a dozen $3,000 Halloween pipes each year… Well, this is a first small step in that direction.  

In many ways, I'm re-adopting my original thinking for the first ones I made, way back when - I will make them when I can, I'll make them as I come up with designs that I think are worthy, and they will cost whatever they cost.  If they don't sell at prices I consider fair for the invested labor, that will be the end of that experiment … but, we'll see. For too long I have felt constrained to try and make simplified, cost-conscious Halloween pipes that were terribly non-compensatory for the labor involved, while all around me other pipe makers were charging $1,000 for simple Danish eggs.  This time I'm going to invest every bit of time and energy I can into making some truly dramatic pieces, and we'll just have to wait and see if they sell - Curious folk can have a look at the first of this "new breed" in the 'Making Of" photos I've been posting to my Twitter account over the past 10 days.  

To answer the questions I know I will get:
*  No, I don't know when it will be ready, nor how many I will make.  Depends on time.  "Ready when it is ready" is my motto with these.
*  No, I'm not taking any reservations or pre-sells or anything like that, because I don't want anyone pre-claiming these things and then possibly not liking the result when the pipe(s) are finally finished.  They will be for sale when they go up on the site.
*  I don't know what price range the new Halloween pipes will cover, but they will be up there.  I've got ten days invested in this one and haven't even started the stem nor the fine detailing yet.
*  Yes, they're going to be very twisted.  I'm avoiding pumpkins and skulls and such for a more nightmarish, surreal, Giger-esque styling.  I want them to be disturbing, not hokey.

I'm having an absolutely *wonderful* time with this first pipe of the "new" Halloweens - Wish me luck!  From here on out, all Talbert Halloweens will be marked with the new stamping, and they also might well be appearing throughout the year, too…  After all, it's always Halloween season in the Talbert workshop!
Happy Smoking,
Trever Talbert
www.talbertpipes.com