Jack Dunbar began his early days of bagpipe making in Glasgow while apprenticing with Peter Henderson Limited. After immigrating to Canada, Jack began work offering bagpipe repairs and restoration. The quality of his craftsmanship became widely known and soon he was producing practice chanters, pipe chanters and full sets of pipes. Jack Dunbar was instrumental in introducing plastic to the piping world.

As an alternative to African Blackwood, J. Dunbar Maker Ltd provides imitation Blackwood pipes which are more durable than Blackwood and resist cracking due to heat, cold or humidity. The bores can be washed with no chance of cracking warping or twisting. This makes the material hygienic and more durable. In addition, Dunbar pipes offer the unique feature of hempless seals, thus avoiding the need for hemping the drone tuning pins.