Chiff and Fipple Forums

I have a curious nature and needed a good laugh, so I looked at Amazon's tin whistle listings last night. Alongside sardine-can survival kits, overpriced third-party offerings, and several listings of the infamous and universally panned Chinese eltsihw was a McBride's whistle. The listing states:

McBride’s is the professional grade instrument brand of Walton’s Irish music. Walton’s makes entry level McBride’s is for working musicians.

I wasn't aware that Walton's offered a "professional-grade" whistle, especially not at such a fire-sale price. Based solely off the picture, I see a Little Black D with a different label. Does anyone have any experience with a McBride's whistle? Not that I'm considering the purchase of one; it's just to satisfy my curiousity (I've already gotten the good laugh).

There's no McBride among Walton's selection of whistles.

I have never seen one or heard about them. But according to Amazon they've been around for two years.

'Professional' is a widely abused term, essentially meaningless. If it does the job, it's 'professional'.

Mr.Gumby wrote:'Professional' is a widely abused term, essentially meaningless.

I'm not sure that "professional" is abused as flagrantly as "rare," "mint," or "literally." However, I agree that it is an essentially meaningless term, in this case amounting to marketing hyperbole and possibly hubris. That is why I surrounded it with quotation marks.

Thanks also for the link; I should have thought to check that myself! Walton's showed McBride's products, and whistles, but not McBride's whistles. Some of the whistle offerings were interesting and unexpected.

After looking at the whistle in the OP, this came up as a recommendation: Naomi whistle

Are every man and his dog making these things now? Factories in China must be doing overtime.

It isn't particularly cheap either.

Mr.Gumby wrote:Are every man and his dog making these things now? Factories in China must be doing overtime.

It isn't particularly cheap either.

It can't be shipped to the States. Oh, well...I just purchased a Clarke and (perhaps against my better judgment) two Generations for less that that. At least they got the head on the correct end!

Mr.Gumby wrote:After looking at the whistle in the OP, this came up as a recommendation: Naomi whistle

Are every man and his dog making these things now? Factories in China must be doing overtime.

It isn't particularly cheap either.

It is interesting that the listing refers to the whistle as both a C and a D. Though the description does say it is in D. Since I am in the States it doesn't seem that I can report this conflicting info in a listing. This doesn't penalize the seller, but does give them a chance to correct it. Amazon doesn't edit or monitor these sites. It just seems to trust the lister until they get enough reports.