Copeland on eBay

[Old Dog]

I see that somebody has a set of four Copeland silver whistles up for sale. They come in a nice fitted wood case. Opening bid is $5300.00, buy it now for about $6500.00. They look nice, but I couldn't afford even $600.00, which is about what I think they're worth, anyway.

[benhall.1]

Do you have a link?


Ah. Got it :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-STERLING-SILV ... SwnHZYTFFD

[whistle1000]

Wow...for a mere $1,725 US, one could own such a set! I'll have to pass...to each their own but after having owned a couple of Copeland's, I'll have to say that they are extremely over-rated....mind you, I did like the Low D but I was more than happy to sell both ( high D) of mine!! I think these currently offered for sale are grossly over-priced...they are not the holy grail that people assume them to be...now that is only my opinion and others deffo vary....I highly doubt he will get his price for these and he's better off selling them seperately...Both of mine, I sent back to Michael to re-voice as they were well out of tune with themselves...I was young and bought into the hype....rookie mistake...when I ran into John Sindt, some years after buying my Copelands, I bought one of each of the keys he made and have never looked back...paid $65 for my D and $10 for the extra Eb tube....the C and A with extra Bb were not that much more...the Copelands were selling somewhere around $400 at the time...delighted with my choice...the seller is entitled to ask what he/she wants and it is a market where people will sell for what people are willing to pay but in this case, I think that all the hype about Copelands is just that...seems to me that Copeland whistles are the only whistles that people think are so valuable and hyped that they can be sold for much more than what they paid for them...I'd play a tweaked Generation over a Copeland anyday!!

[Steve Bliven]

I would add to the above that Copelands, like most whistles, can vary one from another, I've played, and heard played, some Copelands that I'd call exquisite. And some others not so much. I can't imagine spending that amount on any whistle anywhere near that price (given my finances) but particularly couldn't imagine spending that amount without playing the instruments first.

Them's my thoughts.

Best wishes.

Steve

[whistle1000]

Only 4 hrs. left in the sale...I imagine that there are a few people just waitng for the last minute...one bid at$5,300 US....which I'd imagine is the seller...an incredible amount of money for a bit of silver and buying "blind" as there is no way to know how they even play...never thought a whistle player would ever need a $1,300 E whistle....maybe it's a collector hoping to flip them in a few years...whoever it is, I hope that they play well at the very least...If I were the seller, I would not hesitate to let them go for $5,300...I still find the buy it now price for $6,900 to be incredibly high...well, I find $5,300 incredibly high for that matter...to each their own.

[ytliek]

I cannot stop laughing long enough. Shills down my spine. I wonder just how shark infested these waters are?

I'm playing my Sindt D brass until the sale ends.

[whistle1000]

Sold for $5,300 US...only one bidder....If it is anyone here at C&F...I'd be very curious how they play and even more curious as to why?

[nicx66]

to each their own but after having owned a couple of Copeland's, I'll have to say that they are extremely over-rated....mind you, I did like the Low D but I was more than happy to sell both ( high D) of mine!! I think these currently offered for sale are grossly over-priced...they are not the holy grail that people assume them to be...

While certainly over-priced, I would not say they are OVER-RATED. In fact, I would argue that making a whistle that is both conical bore and seamless is quite ingenious and his workmanship and execution exquisite. As far as I know, he is the only maker who does this (tapered bore & seamless). While Susato makes a (very good) tapered bore whistle, the outer diameter is cylindric, making for uneven wall thickness, which is most apparent on the tone holes. To me, the absurd prices that people pay for these whistles is more a reflection of supply/demand economics and has little to do with the makers talents. The one Copeland whistle I had the pleasure of playing sounded fantastic to me. Had I paid $900 for it, maybe I too would expect miracles!

[An Draighean]

To me, the absurd prices that people pay for these whistles is more a reflection of supply/demand economics and has little to do with the makers talents. The one Copeland whistle I had the pleasure of playing sounded fantastic to me. Had I paid $900 for it, maybe I too would expect miracles!

I'm a believer in free markets, and tend to agree - but at anything like those prices, I will not be part of the demand. For me it's simply a matter of decreasing marginal utility (amount of improvement vs. increased cost). While I'm willing to believe that there are exceptional whistles and makers out there, I'm not willing to believe that a $900 whistle is 450X better than my Generations, which I bought new for about £1.25 (approx. $2) each, albeit many years ago, and which still serve me well.

Being a piper also, I have nothing against spending outrageous sums for a great instrument - but with pipes, there are real differences between the bottom end, the middle, and the top makers (in my opinion). Maybe there are in Whistles too, and I'm just not sophisticated enough or a good enough player to tell the difference.

Having said all that, I am on the waiting list for C and D whistles from John Sindt at about $100/piece, but even if he never gets to me, I'll still be happy with my cheapo Generations.

[Peter Duggan]

Why are we talking about $900 whistles? $5,300 for four whistles is $1,325 a whistle. That's £1069.50 or €1268.79 each. It's ludicrous!

[Mr.Gumby]

I am waiting for the first to come along and say 'it's cheaper than a cello/oboe/piano/new car'

[Tunborough]

I am waiting for the first to come along and say 'it's cheaper than a cello/oboe/piano/new car'

And gets better gas mileage, too.

[an seanduine]

I like my Copeland high 'D'. I hope these whistle have found a good home,at any price.

Bob

[pancelticpiper]

We have to keep in mind that if someone is a professional musician they can write off a portion of the price as a business expense.

I do that regularly: I declare my music income, and write off expenses.

[tstermitz]

Ludicrous is the Tesla going from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds.

Musical instrument prices are partly craftsmanship, but in the end mostly supply & demand. That is fine, aside from a certain amount of "flavor-of-the-month", hype and promotion, and what instrument happens to be used by a popular musician - this year.