What's the story behind the Symphony Series?
Two years ago, 2000, Bruto introduced a "year" pipe and decided to give it this special name. The first one was a Calabash, the second was an Apple, and this is the third. Bruto intends to eventually offer at least 9 of them.
A Symphony pipe is set apart from any other DC pipe by the very elaborate GOLD band, designed especially for this series as well as the DC logo (and of course, the stamp "Symphony" and the year on the pipe). The objective is to present a pipe that is classic at heart and yet shows a unique artistic touch. As you may know, this year pipe is very close to Bruto's heart, and I personally believe that one of the most beautiful Billiard ever made is that made by Bruto. Finally, it is this year (2002) that Bruto turned 50 years of age and his company 25, and for this reason, Bruto does not intend to make more than 25 "Symphony 2002" pipes, as opposed to 50 the past two years. (He says it's hard to find the right briar and to make a pipe worthy of the name, without discarding piles and piles of good briar.)

The pipe featured here was the first to be offered in the entire cyber world. It is stamped "Symphony 2002" and "9/25" (yes, it is number 9). It comes in a special black leather sleeve, stamped "Symphony by Don Carlos", and a gorgeous presentation case.

What's the MEGA?
The MEGA is the name Bruto gives to his MAGNUM pipes. As the Don Carlos mainstream pipes are already quite large in size, these Mega pipes have to be really reallyHUGE. The pipe could be of any finish and grain quality. They are already simply stamped Mega, without no grade. Needless to say, these pipes are among the rarest that come out of the Don Carlos workshop. Over the years, I have seen giant pieces of briar in Bruto's workshop, being attended to and checked regularly till they're ready to be turned into pipes. The sad thing is most of those end up in the garbage, which is always heart-breaking and frustrating. The next most difficult thing is to make a MEGA that is smooth or semi-rusticated, and so the percentage of success here is even slimmer. That tells you why these pipes are mainly dreamed and spoken of but almost non-existent. There's so much patience, perseverance and hard work, and believe me, Bruto's work can never, ever receive fair financial compensation. I believe he keeps trying to produce these Magnum pipes, not for the money, but for his own personal satisfaction, the gratification of challenging a piece of briar and winning the challenge!

The one you see here was posted in December 2003. It weighs 142g (5oz); the tobacco chamber depth is 56mm; the wall thickness is up to 16mm.