Oak Classic Manufacturer?

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LenC
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Oak Classic Manufacturer?

Post by LenC »

Hi All, I am new to this forum and to tin whistles. I purchased an Oak Classic Pennywhistle in D and C from a local music store. (This was the only brand that they had.) So, I am curious about the Oak Classic and wonder who actually manufactures them.

I have noted WhistleMakers Directory (WMD) thread that lists "all" of the manufacturers and it lists the Oak /Acorn manufacturer as Music Sales Group in London. But the website listed does not make any mention of the Oak whistle.

Nothing in the packaging of the whistle gave any information about the manufacturer either. So, the big question is, who actually makes the Oak tin whistles?
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Re: Oak Classic Manufacturer?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

So, the big question is, who actually makes the Oak tin whistles?

They used to be made in the US, then production went to Ireland and I seem to remember Feadóg Teo made the mfor a while. The brand seems to have been sold since as last I have seen they have gone back to 'Made in the US' again.

The design has changed a fair bit since the Oaks of, say, twenty years or so ago, during the time of manufacture in Ireland the heads were very Feadóg like in their appearance and the last I saw in a shop (some months ago) still had that look. They may well have been old stock though.

Question remains: Does it really matter?

This is an old style one:

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Re: Oak Classic Manufacturer?

Post by busterbill »

Mr.Gumby wrote: Question remains: Does it really matter?



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HaHa... curiosity and cats and all that. I daresay a good number the posts on the forum are devoted to details. And trivia, I would posit, is not trivial. :D We do seem to like to know the wheres and the hows of our whistles. :D Thanks Mr. Gumby for sharing the history of the Oaks. It appears from the picture that particular old style Oak has seen quite some playing time.


And LenC, Welcome to the forum!
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Re: Oak Classic Manufacturer?

Post by vigaglum »

I have an Oak D purchased only a few months ago, and it has a very similar design to the above image.
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Re: Oak Classic Manufacturer?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

I have an Oak D purchased only a few months ago, and it has a very similar design to the above image.
I was looking at photos of the Oaks on offer online and noticed the similarity. Perhaps that's why they are now the 'Oak classic'. I have seen other ones in the past that had a distinctly different head on them, very reminiscent of the Feadóg design and I have seen those in the past six months (in Custy's in Ennis) but I say that with the caveat the last ones I saw may have been in C. I can imagine the C was redesigned as it wasn't particularly liked in its 'classic' form (I never had or played an Oak C).

The one in the photograph is from 1997/8.
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Re: Oak Classic Manufacturer?

Post by RoberTunes »

It's a little bizarre. I don't know the name of the manufacturer, but they are mentioned as being made in the USA, at least today, June 2020, online at Andy's Front Hall online store, among many places you could get them from. This situation has the taste of a "bought out stock". Maybe I'm wrong but I'd suspect the whistle's original maker is not associated with the whistle in any way now and the ownership of its design, tools and production have been bounced around a little on the marketplace.

It's typical of most whistle makers that they're clearly identified and heavily involved in design and manufacture of the whistles, proud to promote and explain their whistles and engage with the whistle playing world, and Oak seems to lack that list entirely, but they're good whistles! ♫♫♪♪ ♪♫♪♪♫
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Re: Oak Classic Manufacturer?

Post by Sedi »

They are good whistles. I bought mine maybe a year ago. I also got an "Acorn" which is the non-tunable (the Oak was tunable out of the box) budget version. It's also rather nice and sounds a little more "breathy" (probably because of the different bodies, the mouthpiece is the same). It has a thinner tube, similar to a Generation. The tube of the "Oak classic" is btw exactly the same as the tube of the Feadóg Pro. So I guess mine might have been made by Feadóg or at least they have the same supplier for the body of the whistle.
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Re: Oak Classic Manufacturer?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

The Whistleshop still lists them as made in Ireland, as they have done for years now. The packaging will tell you they're made in the US, probably the more reliable source.

They're on average as good/variable as other mass produced injection moulded whistles and a far as I can see, their makers are about as engaging as those of Generation, Clare, Feadóg and what have you. Which is fine.

During the eighties these were not available, or at least very rare, in Europe, some of the more travelled whistlers, or those with more contacts across the ocean, played them and the black head was coveted by many. This was a time whistles came in red or blue and anything else stood out as something unusual.

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