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COMMENT:
The pipe you see here has earned its permanent place in the history of the DG pipe brand. The story behind all is is long, but I'll try to be brief. The making of this pipe did not take days, or weeks, or even months. As a matter of fact, the idea was born way over a year and a half ago. Gabriele and I discussed the idea of "attempting" to amke a pipe in a unique and difficult shape, in a very large size, with incredibly good grain, with no flaws in the wood or execution, etc.; in other words, a pipe that will present Gabriele with the biggest challenge of his life as a pipe maker. The idea actually meant that it would be a dream for any pipe makers, regardless of their talent or experience. To tell you the truth, and at that time, I challenged Gabriele even though I knew the possibilities of failure were substantial. I did it anyway because I knew that regardless of the outcome, he would have grained some invaluable experience and would have acquired some new and crucial skills. Over that year, and once Gabriele had located the right piece of briar and spent his savings on it, we met several times. What I'm trying to say is that I was fortunate enough to see the birth of this pipe, literally, from a piece of wood to the finished product. About a couple of times towards the end, Gabriele brought me the pipe and then went back to the workshop to make the final product better. The project was completed at the beginning of this year, but we decided to enjoy the pipe as long as we could and offer it as late in the year 2008 as possible. And here we are. Note that pipe is numbered "01" of "2008"
Considering all the aspects of this challenge, the labor-intensive process of realizing the pipe and above all, the stunningly successful results, a new and exclusive grade was needed to permanently mark the uniqueness of the pipe. Gabriele has always used the "snail" as his logo, which he continues to stamp solely on the mouthpiece. It was not unexpected of him to want to create a special "snail" stamp to use this time on the wood itself.
I won't really comment on the pipe itself, but I believe the pictures should manage to give an accurate idea of its beauty and uniqueness. I would just like to give you a few extra measurements to help you better grasp the size of the pipe: (1) The bowl height is about 62mm (2.44"), (2) The bowl rim measures 33mm (1.30"), 51mm (2"), and 55mm (2.17"), (3) The shank measures about 62mm(2.44") [it's hard separate the shank from the bowl], (4) The mouthpiece is about 58mm (2.28") long, and (5) The overall length of the pipe with the mouthpiece is about 207mm (8.15").
I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Gabriele for this incredible achievement. It's been great fun and a great honor to be part of this adventure.
PS: This pipe comes with a specially made, genuine leather sleeve of an appropriate length. It is supplied with two different handmade DG tampers, of two different materials and colors, each complimenting a different part of the pipe, at no extra cost. |
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