I have always thought that I don't own my instruments, most of em are over a hundred years old, I am just keeping them for who ever comes next. But I am reminded of a story I got from another piper, Mike McQuade, a reliable sourse for missinformation, so if anyone can confirm the story, please do...
Michael Commba O'Sullivan was an Uilleann piper who lived in three centuries. He was born in the 1790s and died in about 1915 or so, he lived long enough to be recorded on an edison wax cylindar. Well, at his death he begged a friend to make sure his pipes were burried with him. They were, but his friend was a piper, and as time passed, he could not bear the idea of those pipes down there with Michael, so after a few weeks, he dug him up and took the pipes back. According to McQuade, they are the flat set (C set) Liam O'Flynn plays on the Planxty album Well Below the Valley...
A warning about being burried with your instrument, so if you got to go with a set of pipes, make sure they are Tim Briton pipes, so no one will make the effort to dig them up... (no offence Tim... your a lovely nice guy, your pipes look nice, but your no Seth Gallagher!)
Larry