Think I want a calabash.

[tarheel1]

I have been looking lately at Calabash pipe. I am thinking I would like one, but not sure if I want a wooden or a gourd. Maybe something like this.

 

[tarheel1]

I am not a big fan of the pressed meerschaum liners in gourd pipes. Ser Jacopo and Ardor make some good calabash pipes, available at smokingpipes.com now.

But they are not really Calabashes.

 

[tarheel1]

I was saying the Ser Jocopo and Ardor are not true calabash. To be a true calabash you need an air chamber which serves to cool, dry, and mellow the smoke. The two in the picture are calabashes and yes there are a few briars that are true calabashes.

 

[jarit]

Well, I think the gourd calabash is the original, since the name comes from the gourd. Then there are pipes made of briar or other woods that have the same hollow construction as the gourd calabash. Third, there's the shape name "calabash", a pipe that doesn't have the hollow three part construction, but is merely a shape similar to the previous two.
Pics of my Strambach gourd calabash to explain the construction;

 

[Chasing Embers]

I have a pioneer gourd, and love how it smokes, just more upkeep than a briar. Really cool dry smoke from just about any blend though.

 

[jchaplick]

^ I also have a Pioneer Calabash, it has some of the most unique and enjoyable smoking characteristics of all of my pipes.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I'd suggest looking into the Briarworks briar calabash.
Models and Prices
Information About The Line
Todd Johnson and Pete Provost had some out when a group of us were hanging out at the pub in Palace Station the night before the West Coast Show. I plan on getting one once my finances are a bit more stable.

 

[fishnbanjo]

I have owned 2 Gourd Calabash pipes and they smoked extremely well. I have passed them along to two different friends who smoke pipes and wanted a Calabash, one is a bamboo fly rod maker and one lives in Germany. I have since replaced them with 2 different Calabash pipes, one by Maigurs Knets and the other by Trevor Talbert. The Knets has a briar gourd body, a briar bowl wrapped in Masur Birch, the Talbert has a Meerschaum body with a Morta bowl wrapped in Boxwood. Both are outstanding smokers and would not trade them for anything but if I could ever find a smaller gourd Calabash I'd snap it up in a minute.
This is the Knets:

This is the Talbert:

banjo

 

[desertpipe]

I have a smaller gourd calabash, having traded away a larger model. I found that I used the smaller one much more often then the larger. Briar calabashes are much easier to clean then gourd, but are also heavier.

 

[mso489]

jarit, thank you for the break-down photos of the Calabash. I've never owned one nor seen one taken apart

at a pipe shop, so this was really an interesting photo. I like the Calabash shape in briar pipes, although I

now understand why most of these are not Calabash pipes in the true sense. I am often enlightened when

I visit Forums. I like the discussion on various issues, but the focus on pipes and tobacco is an education.

 

[jarit]

@mso489, I'm glad it was helpful!

 

[okiescout]

Have not tried the new brier Calabash pipes. But I do own two gourd Calabash pipes. They are smaller pipes. I love them both. They are very cool to smoke and after I cleaned the ghosted ??? stuff out of the second one it smoked great great also.

Diversity makes the world go round.

Although I do not see any of them being a carry around pipe.

 

[griffonwing]

I have a quandary regarding my own gourd calabash.

As you can see, it looks as though it has a meerschaum lining. It did not come with an insert (flea market purchase). Is this normal? I don't smoke it because I can't get the old tobacco powder/taste out of the bottom of the gourd, nor the inside flakings of the gourd itself. So currently it is just a conversation piece.
(spelling edit)

 

[jarit]

That's quite odd, griffonwing.
The first photo looks like a typical (Pioneer?) calabash that has the meer insert/cup missing. The second photo shows what i think must be an aftermarket mod of some kind. The cork gasket is missing and a replacement meer insert has been installed flush with the gourd, sans the mushromoid overflow. That's my guess, anyway.
This firm sells replacement cups, but you'd need a new gasket, too.

 

[griffonwing]

If I could remove the lining without damaging the gourd, I would consider it, However, I am not sure what they used, and knowing my luck, I would rip the gourd.
I suppose I could simply grind away, slowly eating away the meer until all that is left of glue and gourd...