Wooden Low Whistles?

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Chino
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Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by Chino »

Hi blowers,

I'd be interested to buy a wooden Low Whistle, (Low D, C, B or Bb).

I'm not very aware of the excellent wooden low whistle makers:I know Michael Grinter makes beautiful wooden low whistles, but he doesn't make any Low D anymore, only Low F.

Solen Lesouef or Yvon Le Coant make wooden low whistles, but I don't like their design very much, too "baroque-recorder" like to my taste. :D

So, unless someone want to sell his Michael Grinter's Low D ( :P ), what are the other makers to consider?
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by pancelticpiper »

There was a thread not long ago

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=104183
Richard Cook
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Goldie Low D whistle
emmdee
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by emmdee »

Jon Swayne certainly makes nice whistles, but I've not seen one bigger than Low F. I think the 'Michael Grinter doesn't make Low Ds anymore' line is possibly a myth. He has a recently updated website and you could email him to ask. The Garvie D is rather pricey IMO, and when I last spoke to Nigel Richards he was talking about stopping making them. Again, email him for more info.

A nice wooden Low whistle can be a great thing (I have a Grinter D) but you have to balance the niceness and the relative 'oooh' factor with the fact that they're fragile and you can't just lug them round sessions willy-nilly like you can with a blooming big Goldie. If you get a Goldie, Burke, or MK you don't have to worry about some eejit sitting on it or dropping it.

Or buy a flute... :)

m.d.
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by BigDavy »

Hi emmdee

Next time our paths cross you can try my Swayne low D. I think you will like it.

Bleazey low D whistles appear to be a small hole Rudall flute body with a recorder style head, at least that is what my Bleazey looks like.
A young friend of mine has a Bleazey flute, we swapped bodies and with his head joint on my body it played as a keyless flute and his body with my whistle head played as a whistle. I assume he uses the same reamers for both.

David
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Chino
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by Chino »

pancelticpiper wrote:There was a thread not long ago

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=104183
Thanks, I'll have a look. :)
emmdee wrote:Jon Swayne certainly makes nice whistles, but I've not seen one bigger than Low F. I think the 'Michael Grinter doesn't make Low Ds anymore' line is possibly a myth. He has a recently updated website and you could email him to ask. The Garvie D is rather pricey IMO, and when I last spoke to Nigel Richards he was talking about stopping making them. Again, email him for more info.

A nice wooden Low whistle can be a great thing (I have a Grinter D) but you have to balance the niceness and the relative 'oooh' factor with the fact that they're fragile and you can't just lug them round sessions willy-nilly like you can with a blooming big Goldie. If you get a Goldie, Burke, or MK you don't have to worry about some eejit sitting on it or dropping it.

Or buy a flute... :)

m.d.
Hi Emdee,

Well, a whistle is a flute no? :D

I'll see Jon Swayne and Garvie whistles, thanks for these infos.

It's not a myth for my assertion that MG doesn't make any Low D: he told me recently that he isn’t offering Low D whistles at the moment because he is having issues with timber supplies in that size and so has pulled them off the list for now.

Btw, I don't play in session but I've got some Goldie's Overton I love (and I had a lot of other top whistles as well in the past) but I'd like to have a wooden Low whistle in my arsenal (Grinter, O'Riordan or other top makers) and the caring (oiling etc) is not a problem! :D

And what do you think about your Grinter low D? Is it a great whistle?
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

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nicx66
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by nicx66 »

While Sweetheart whistles (Ralph Sweet) are no longer in business, his brother Walt may still make a wooden low D, though it would likely be a custom order, as they require a lot of labour and have a small market. They also have a conical bore.
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by ytliek »

nicx66 wrote:While Sweetheart whistles (Ralph Sweet) are no longer in business, his brother Walt may still make a wooden low D, though it would likely be a custom order, as they require a lot of labour and have a small market. They also have a conical bore.
Joseph Morneault, a long time employee of Ralph Sweet has now taken over the business I believe.
http://musiquemorneaux.com/about/
http://musiquemorneaux.com/low-whistles/

I have no low whistle experience with this business.
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by aphillips »

I received two of Peter Aschenbrenner's whistles last July - Low D and Low F - both in mopane. They sound incredible and the craftsmanship is impeccable! Definitely check his instruments out.

http://www.pa-music.com/en/instrument-m ... les/detail
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by The Lurking Fear »

Walt Sweet doesn't make wooden whistles.Just the delrin high and low Ds

P.S.-He's Ralph's son,not brother.
emmdee
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by emmdee »

I like my Grinter very much, but it's pretty useless in a session setting as it's not that loud. And it's fragile! I haven't really taken it to sessions unless I knew there'd be a lot of singing. Fred Morrison (the piper) had a Grinter Low D which I know for a fact he hated as he said the intonation was bad. Handmade instruments - each one is different...

Davy, I look forward to running into you and your Swayne Low D soon. I phoned Jon Swayne once and found the experience a tad unusual in that he didn't exactly go out of his way to try to sell me one - I got the impression he'd rather be shot at dawn than speak to me! Maybe I got him on a bad day... but I do like his whistles a lot. I have a friend in Germany who has a really nice boxwood Low F. I'm sure if you get Mr Swayne out the right side of the bed you'd be well set.

m.d.
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by BigDavy »

Hi emmdee

You can try the Bleazey as well, I think I got it after the last time we met.

David
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Re: Wooden Low Whistles?

Post by brianholton »

brianholton wrote:I'd recommend the Garvie low D: http://www.garviebagpipes.co.uk/info/wh ... istle.html
Nigel has closed the Garvie order list for the moment, but is making arrangements for his low D whistle to be made in Galicia.
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