Scott Thile 2015 OP2 Sandblasted Bulldog Estate Briar Pipe, American Estates

Description

Having started out all the way back in 2006, Scott Thile is today recognized as one of America’s premier artisan pipe makers. A musician and piano technician by trade, Thile’s early development was influenced by figures such as Todd Johnson, Bruce Weaver, and Adam Davidson, and he was fortunate enough to spend time with Johnson and Weaver during those early years. His pipes, in his own words, typically lean toward “The Danish neo-classics as interpreted by the North American greats.” But his contributions to the world of pipes go far beyond the smoking instruments of his own making. Thile is also the founder of Pipedia, arguably the most important resource on the Web for pipe knowledge, which earned him the prestigious title of Doctor of Pipes from the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club.

For someone who founded a website like Pipedia, translating the nomenclature on one of Scott Thile’s pipes is surprisingly difficult. However, once you are able to translate it, it is, in fact, very intuitive. Thile’s pipes are largely divided into three groups: Étude, Opus, and Freehand. The latter speaks for itself; designated by the letters “FH,” it refers to pipes that are more freeform relative to Thile’s other works, crafted using the Scandinavian “shape first, drill second” method. Étude and Opus, designated “ET” and “OP” respectively, require a little more explaining. The terms, as one might expect from Thile’s background, come from music. An étude is typically a shorter composition, through which a musician or composer either explores an idea or practices a technique; an opus, on the other hand, is a composition that is more fully fleshed out and “mature.” In the context of Thile’s pipes, his Études are more like design experiments, while his Opuses are renditions of shapes that are already firmly in his wheelhouse. One such shape is the bulldog, designated by Thile as “OP2,” or “Opus 2.” They are, without a doubt, some of the most popular pipes that Thile makes, being simultaneously fluid and muscular, with one foot in the Danish tradition and the other in the American one—arguably including its pre- and post-Scandinavian aesthetics. This one features a nice, crisp, slight contrast sandblast and is paired perfectly with a red and black brindled, hand-cut cumberland mouthpiece.

The condition is very good. Some minor inner rim darkening and finish fading.

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.45″ / 36.83mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g