Lofgren vs Impempe, other high-quality whistles

[jehicks87]

Hello all!

I can't seem to find much information about Lofgren whistles, such as prices, how they compare directly to other high-quality whistles, etc.

I know Mr. Lofgren is a member here on the forums, but I am new here and having a difficult time navigating the site.

Also, does anybody have experience with Ian Lambe whistles? Lots of questions, getting back to whistling after being away for years and years and years (I played a bit when I was a kid.)

Thanks for the help in advance!

V/R
Jacob Hicks

[spelling in thread title corrected - Mod]

[Lars Larry Mór Mott]

Hi!
I own several Löfgren whistles, and to me they are among the best i have tried. The craftsmanship is undisputably right up among the heavy names/brands, whether you like the way they play is another, pretty subjective matter.
Again though, workmanship and intonation-wise they are second to none, and in my case i compare with my other high end whistles like Overton, Impempe, Goldie, Burke, Sindt, McManus etc.

[jehicks87]

And the prices? He should cut you a check (or a whistle) for all the plugging you do for him on these forums! lol

[Lars Larry Mór Mott]

And the prices? He should cut you a check (or a whistle) for all the plugging you do for him on these forums! lol

I am waiting for the man himself to chime in with current prices. As for the promotor fees, they are classified
Seriously though, i would never speak highly of something i really don't feel deserve it.

[yellowhistler]

Hi jehicks87!
I've sent you an email but it could be good to post the current price list here too, thanks for the heads up Lars! And your cheque is in the mail

Aluminium alloy high whistles in Eb, D and C - 1000 SEK (Swedish Krona)
Brass with blackwood fipple high whistles in Eb, D and C - 1500 SEK
Aluminium alloy low whistles in Bb, A, G, F, E, Eb, D and C - 1500 SEK

All whistles are tunable and come with a fabric case.

/Marc

[p51baby]

Can't say for the first whistle, but the Ian Lambes have a beautiful tone (the cosmic drainpipe sound that are associated with low whistles). They are what I would consider an easy blower (easy to shift between the octaves) but will get drowned out in a session of more than 6 people, but for solo play they are wonderful.

Cheers

[LisaD]

I'll second the comments Lars made about Löfgren whistles. I have an alloy D, C, A and G and they're all wonderful. It's unusual to find a maker who excels at multiple keys. Personal preference is a factor, as always, but these suit me perfectly.

[Peter Duggan]

It's unusual to find a maker who excels at multiple keys.

Strange comment when I'd have said it was the norm among the quality makers who offer them! To which I'd have to add that Hans Bracker's whistles (which I have at 11 pitches) do for me what Marc Löfgren's do for Lars and Burkes, Goldies etc. for others here...

[LisaD]

Strange comment when I'd have said it was the norm among the quality makers who offer them!

Hmmm ... yes, true. That was my subjective preference speaking. A more accurate way to say it: I like all the keys I've tried equally, which hasn't been true (for me) with any other maker. (I've tried Hans Bracker whistles as well ... another great maker.)

[JoFo]

I have a couple of Lambe whistles.
They have a warm mellow sound and a very sweet 2nd octave.

They are very easy blowing and will need some breath control to keep them from jumping into the 2nd octave. Unless you tweak them very slightly (which I have done).

I find my favourite Lambe whistle is just as loud or louder than a my Goldie/Overton and my Bernard Overton.
But it has much less back pressure.

[Lars Larry Mór Mott]

Unless you tweak them very slightly (which I have done).

I am curious what you did to remedy that. I find it annoying (and more often than not the bell note gets pretty weak too) I find most Goldies to have too much back pressure, but i can live with that rather than whistles that feel like you're blowing a drainpipe where one breath is gone in two bars of the tune

[Sirchronique]

I'll third the recommendation for the Lofgren whistles. I have an alloy and a brass/blackwood high D whistle, as well as an alto G. They are all great, but the low G is especially good. For some reason it's difficult for me to find a whistle in that key that I like, but the Lofgren alto G is amongst my favourite whistles.

I have a Lambe low D. It's nice, but as mentioned, it requires one to be very very gentle with the breath. As far as low D's that I've tried (which includes goldies, burkes, reviol, lambe, susato, Dixon, MK, Chieftain, and Reyburn) I found the Reviol to suit my preferences the most. Everyone will have a different opinion, though, based upon several factors.