Hey Grab... I spent 8,000 bucks for a set of pipes, had too, that is how much Uilleann pipes cost... as a result, I am in debt... these guys may be as well... Look, busking is a job, and you invest in it, just because we are on the street, don't hold us to a different standard. When you judge us, judge us by our music not our equiptment, when you look at someone like Bruse Springstien getting what he gets for a "at a proper gig" in my book that is not more ligitimate and what's more, I'm sure the boys from Peru need the money more than Springstien, no matter how much their gear is. Carried out to thhe next level of abstraction, I should put on torn dirty clothes and rub mud in my face to get a buck playing the pipes on the street and to hell with the years of perfecting my art. The streets are OUR concert halls.
All the best, Grab, Cheers, Larry