Chiff and Fipple Forums

MadmanWithaWhistle wrote: When I attend (in the states) Irish music retreats, festivals, and the like, the hoarding of instruments I see is unbelievable.

I accept it as a fact of life that there are people with money who become instrument hoarders. Sometimes these people are poor players and it's a shame that many fine instruments are kept out of the hands of good players.

But there are hoarders who are fine players! And their instrument collection is likewise out of the hands of others.

I was performing at an Irish festival and a guy came up after our set and started telling me about his whistle collection. From what he said he seemed to be up on every current maker and owned multiple whistles from all of them. And in my hand I had my entire D whistle collection, a 30 year old Feadog. (Which, in all likelyhood, could outplay anything in his collection.) I don't know if that guy played at all, actually.

In the Highland pipe world there's a very fine player, a piper in one of the world's top bands (SLOT), who must have a hundred sets, many of them covered with engraved silver, some bespoke, each set worth thousands. With the Highland pipes it takes some care and effort to keep two or three sets going well. I don't know how he has the time to maintain that many (if indeed they're all in playing condition).

Mr.Gumby wrote: There's no benefit in having a dirty, dented instrument.

About dirt yes. About dents there's a very good player here, David Brewer, who plays perhaps the best Low D whistle I've ever tried, a 1980s Copeland which was dropped on the edge of the mouthpiece and dented.

David said he feared the worst when it was dropped and dented, but pleasantly surprised to discover that the tone was improved by the accident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28s59xli7xo

When I first started.......I bought loads of cheap whistles looking for one that played well.....then I discovered it was me that needed to improve......since then, I have bought a few better quality ones, but nothing 'expensive', a few are even pre used........& they all seem to play better now, after some practicing.

About dirt yes. About dents...

I had (and still have) a Generation C that got its end caught between the pipes case and its lid. For some reason Micho Russell took a shine to it and always tried to borrow it off me. He used it also when we played together on occasion an d for a few concerts. And dirt.. that one got particularly manky, I think I said here once there was enough grime in it to clone Miicho from and bring him back. I have thoroughly washed it since. Not sure the dent improved it but I don't think it did much harm either but in general terms I don't think it's 'all the better' to have a dented instrument, even if there's always an exception. For the sake of this discussion though, that C whistle is a lot easier to play than the Killarney C I foolishly ordered without trying first.

Mr.Gumby wrote:The point Richard is making, and one I would make myself, is that the 'traditional' whistle, Generation, Feadog, Oak, is markedly more agile, flexible, less air-consuming than virtually all of the modern 'designer' whisltes. Even while the Killarney and Sindt come close, they still want that little bit more effort (it depends a bit on the key and possibly the individual whistle). Ultimately they offer a greater ease of playing.

You need to try a Carbony then. They are my favourite among the more expensive whistles I have played so far. I love how the traditional whistles play (after all, I exclusively played a Gen C for 30 years - but I didn't practice much back in the day and also didn't play ITM) but I don't like the lottery involved. Till I found a modern Generation that played well I had to buy quite a bunch of them.
The Carbonys play much like the tradtitional whistles except that they have impeccable tuning across the octave, a spot-on cross-fingered C nat and are simply the best whistles I played so far (still -- that magic of a good red-top Generation -- yummie...). Another brand of whistles that plays very much like a traditional whistle (including the breathy sound) are TWZ (but there are some mixed opinions online -- I have three of their whistles and they all play great).
I never tried any wooden whistles btw -- I prefer the low maintenance of plastic/metal.
On a sidenote -- I am not a fan of the Killarney. Mine lacks dynamics (you simply blast into them, that's probably why they are often recommended for beginners who lack breath control) and the first octave, especially the bell note is weaker than on any of my cheapos (Oak, Gen, Feadóg, Waltons, etc). Maybe I just got a "Monday whistle" but it really doesn't sound very nice. My vintage Generation (and even some of the newer ones) far outperforms my Killarney. But I haven't given up on them yet. I am thinking about getting a 2nd one to see if it performs better than the one I have. Yes, I am a hoarder but I try to improve my playing along with buying new whistles . I don't think a maker will complain if he has a waiting list -- whistle making will not make people filthy rich and if the lists are so long -- more people should make whistles. There should be a whistle out there for everyone. So far I haven't heard people complain "I wanna learn the whistle but I can't buy one, some stupid collectors keep buying them all". In fact, I only heard about the long waiting list of John Sindt -- but some people didn't have to wait at all to get one. Others waited for years.

I really don't need another whistle. I don't think anything is going to make me sound better at this point.

So far I haven't heard people complain "I wanna learn the whistle but I can't buy one, some stupid collectors keep buying them all". In fact, I only heard about the long waiting list of John Sindt -- but some people didn't have to wait at all to get one.

Well, that's a subject that's been discussed in the past and it has been mentioned. It is a source of frustration for makers of instruments who become the flavour of the month all of a sudden. Instruments suddenly fetch prices second hand that are multiples of their new price. It also attracts chancers who go on the waiting list only to shift the instrument immediately at a profit. That can put pressure on the maker to up the prices to a level they may consider beyond reasonable. Then there's the 'must have one' buyers or perhaps the 'must be seen to have one' buyers. That are never going to play the instrument much but at the same time demand quite a bit of attention from the maker. Makers tend to slip people onto the top of the waiting list who they know are produce great music on the instrument and make great use of it. Young, promising players have a good chance of being bumped up as well. It's simple job satisfaction, it makes up for some of the other customers.

Yep, I have seen people do that. Buy a Sindt and then immediately sell it for a profit.

Concerning the Carbony whistles - my point was not that you should buy one, only that there are expensive whistles that have all the characteristics that are loved about traditional whistles and improve upon them.

busterbill wrote:

MadmanWithaWhistle wrote:

Mr.Gumby wrote:I sometimes wonder how much the 'magpie' factor plays a role in this. People who want to be seen to play an instrument that is (very) expensive. And if it is, it must be good (the best surely)?

I am a mediocre player with a number of great instruments I have collected over the years. I used to be self conscious about my good fortune in finding them and affording them. I got over it. My natural shyness keeps me from flaunting them, but I do enjoy them immensely. And as a friend of mine once said, and I have likely quoted more than once on this site: "You can't take a trailer into heaven." Every day I get closer to the day they will be dispersed to the wider community.

I did not write that, busterbill. I do hope that was an accident and not an attempt at insulting me.

Sedi wrote:Concerning the Carbony whistles - my point was not that you should buy one, only that there are expensive whistles that have all the characteristics that are loved about traditional whistles and improve upon them.

I do quite like his most recent iteration of the high Ds, it's even better than the one I have. I think the reason Rob's whistles aren't more popular is that his early ones were released before they were ready. That early reputation, combined with a material most are unfamiliar with, may have put folks off. But he's an aeronautics engineer (I think); you work with the material you're most familiar with.

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I did not write that, busterbill, and using the reply function to insult me is poor form.[/quote]


I'm so sorry. I did not intend to offend. I am new to trying to put multiple quotes in. And I think this was the first time I tried to put multiple quotes into a response. I do ask your forgiveness for misquoting you.

Nothing I have ever said in this forum is intended to insult anyone else's opinion, just to add my own. If any have been offended I am sorry.

There are many differing opinions on most subjects in this world. I humbly add my own to a conversation with good humor, not in any effort to put another's opinion down, but in an effort to add another layer to a conversation.

Again, please forgive me if I have offended you.

busterbill wrote: I'm so sorry. I did not intend to offend. I am new to trying to put multiple quotes in. And I think this was the first time I tried to put multiple quotes into a response. I do ask your forgiveness for misquoting you.

Nothing I have ever said in this forum is intended to insult anyone else's opinion, just to add my own. If any have been offended I am sorry.

There are many differing opinions on most subjects in this world. I humbly add my own to a conversation with good humor, not in any effort to put another's opinion down, but in an effort to add another layer to a conversation.

Again, please forgive me if I have offended you.

No worries mate, voice inflection doesn't really carry over the internet, and it's not like you can ask for clarification right away! I get what you were trying to say.

Hi, I just received my new Abell Blackwood D and I am still getting used to it. Those of you who have one, what are the intonation tendencies of it? I found my second octave D to be sharper than the other notes and I had to pull out quite a bit to get it in tune or blow less air. The C Nat fork fingering is dead on in tune.

Does it need to be warmed up more because it is wood? It seemed to get better in tune as I played.

I'm just curious what everyone's experiences are with intonation with the Abell