SSJones said
Sadly, I wouldn't be surprised if that was has occurred. If so, that is a sad end to a storied name and history. Moty's involvement in the brand has always been cloudy and caused me to lose favor with that brand altogether. A James Upshall was my first really good British pipe and I'll always keep several. Perhaps someone will swoop in and buy the brand and revive this name.
Hi Al,
When Ken told me that he had posted here I thought of you. Sadly, Barry's level of skill would be difficult if not impossible to replace. During Moti's tenure there were many carved Upshalls made but under Kennedy there were only smooths (other than a few test carves and sandblasts). The skill required to make a smooth, unblemished handmade pipe has, essentially, been lost. One of the most respected boutique craftsmen recently told me that his yield of smooths is less than 10%. Under Kennedy, Upshall made 100% smooth, about 55% branded James Upshall and the rest Tilsheads (true 2nd).
From it's inception in 1977 (I thought it was 1978) until 1989, Ken was the face and driving force behind Upshall as they became the largest selling handmade pipe in the world. During those years it was Ken who was know to the industry and not Barry who ran the factory, taught the staff and had expertise in all phases of production. In 1985, Ken dedicated himself so completely to Upshall that he rarely left the factory, except to make some sales calls, and he often slept there. That year, I too slept in the factory a few times.
In ALL pipe making, the Cutter is the most important and skilled position. For machine made pipes this is done at the saw mill that delivers their customers shaped ebauchons. Hand makers use larger, higher quality and unshaped blocks of plateaux briar and no one had better briar than Upshall in the 1980s. A skilled Cutter crafts a custom ebauchon based on optimal shape, grain and to avoid flaws. It's the Cutter who defines what the following craftsmen must do. By 1985, Ken was Cutting much of the Upshall production and his ability to 'see' in 3 dimensions (he Cut on a open table saw and on any bias required) had people in the industry, and other pipe makers, marveling at his skill.
On eBay I often see pipes that I've sold and this pipe caught my attention the other day. If I can't post pictures please use the link.
By 1985, Ken's craft was so evolved that Upshall was making more graceful, better balanced and superior grained pipes than they had in their past or even that Charatan (generally) had made. This eBay pipe caused an argument between Ken and myself (~1985).
Ken graded it a "B", despite a superior straight grain, because the production was so strong. I argued that he was setting the bar too high and that it was at least a "G" (one grade higher). Obviously, Ken won the argument
.
Upshalls best pipes were made between 1985-1987, not coincidentally when Ken was doing so much Cutting. In 1986, after a hard downturn in the value of the dollar we were forced to raise the price of the "P" from $125 to $175 but under Ken's leadership and Cutting the Upshall quality was so strong that sales increased.
The eBay listing (properly) lauds Barry but doesn't mention Ken who Cut it.
James Upshall B from 1985
