Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

The Ultimate On-Line Whistle Community. If you find one more ultimater, let us know.
Post Reply
User avatar
Gary90
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:35 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I don't know what you wan't to know. Other than I am not a spammer who is has to write a minimum of 100 characters.
Location: Belfast

Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Gary90 »

Hi guys,
I'm wondering if there are any high D Shearwater owners here, i am going to put an order in to have one made.
Theres not many videos on youtube with good sound quality.

I love the look of an aluminium whistle but I'm wondering how the high D's sound from this particular maker.

*for the record lol* i checked the search function with no luck of any reviews or convo from someone who either owns or has played one in the key im after. Just talk of other keys from the maker, but good reviews at that.
belayatron
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:07 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Been learning the tin whistle for just under 2 years (as of Jan 2020) and wanting to learn more! Currently own about 11 High D whistles, 2 Low Ds, 2 Flutes and favourite tune is probably off to California with a general love of Irish Hornpipes.

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by belayatron »

Whistle sounds are so personal, so am going to comment but think you should still get one and see if you like it.

I have a shearwater low d and low f (which I love) and a highD which is ok but not my favourite.
It has quite an unusual sound, very quiet and very chiffy, a little like a wooden block Clark original, but without the air requirements of the Clark.

I do carry it in a bag quite regularly as, due to its quietness, it’s a good practice whistle, but I can’t get the same expression out of it as others due to its chiffy/airy sound.
User avatar
Sedi
Posts: 993
Joined: Sun May 01, 2016 6:54 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Practice, practice, practice. You're never too old to learn.
Keep on fluting.
---u---o-o-o--o-o-o--
-----------------------

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Sedi »

I like mine quite a bit. It's the narrow bore version. Mine is not very "chiffy" or breathy. It's very stable and reliable. And I even played it without amplification in a small concert hall together with two amplified singers and an accordion. It stood up to the task very well.
User avatar
Gary90
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:35 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I don't know what you wan't to know. Other than I am not a spammer who is has to write a minimum of 100 characters.
Location: Belfast

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Gary90 »

belayatron wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 12:31 am Whistle sounds are so personal, so am going to comment but think you should still get one and see if you like it.

I have a shearwater low d and low f (which I love) and a highD which is ok but not my favourite.
It has quite an unusual sound, very quiet and very chiffy, a little like a wooden block Clark original, but without the air requirements of the Clark.

I do carry it in a bag quite regularly as, due to its quietness, it’s a good practice whistle, but I can’t get the same expression out of it as others due to its chiffy/airy sound.
Do you have the wide bore version or the narrow?
belayatron
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:07 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Been learning the tin whistle for just under 2 years (as of Jan 2020) and wanting to learn more! Currently own about 11 High D whistles, 2 Low Ds, 2 Flutes and favourite tune is probably off to California with a general love of Irish Hornpipes.

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by belayatron »

Hi,

I have the narrow bore version too.
Whistles do vary sometimes and the sound is very personal, so personally I’d still go ahead and buy one and you may love it.
It’s not in anyway a bad whistle, just not my favourite but it could be yours (and the other user above really likes it).
User avatar
Gary90
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:35 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I don't know what you wan't to know. Other than I am not a spammer who is has to write a minimum of 100 characters.
Location: Belfast

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Gary90 »

Sedi wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 2:18 am I like mine quite a bit. It's the narrow bore version. Mine is not very "chiffy" or breathy. It's very stable and reliable. And I even played it without amplification in a small concert hall together with two amplified singers and an accordion. It stood up to the task very well.
From both replys i can tell that these whistles can vary slighty but this is expected with hand made whistles isn't it?

I think i will still go ahead with my order, but now im wondering do i want narrow or wide bore?

I wont be playing any sessions anytime soon and wont be needing big sound so im guessing narrow would be my best bet?
User avatar
Sedi
Posts: 993
Joined: Sun May 01, 2016 6:54 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Practice, practice, practice. You're never too old to learn.
Keep on fluting.
---u---o-o-o--o-o-o--
-----------------------

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Sedi »

I think the narrow bore is loud enough.
Here's a video I made with it quite a while ago. Lots of wrong notes in that tune, I think :lol:.
https://youtu.be/kgfQ-ZCUHe8

Nathaniel also made a video about them (in fact I think he made more than one) - he's a member here and his videos are a great resource for whistle review.
https://youtu.be/reEBskcJPNw
User avatar
Gary90
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:35 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I don't know what you wan't to know. Other than I am not a spammer who is has to write a minimum of 100 characters.
Location: Belfast

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Gary90 »

Sedi wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 4:26 am I think the narrow bore is loud enough.
Here's a video I made with it quite a while ago. Lots of wrong notes in that tune, I think :lol:.
https://youtu.be/kgfQ-ZCUHe8

Nathaniel also made a video about them (in fact I think he made more than one) - he's a member here and his videos are a great resource for whistle review.
https://youtu.be/reEBskcJPNw
I didn't know this was you lol, iv watched some of your videos before. Good sound off that
User avatar
Sedi
Posts: 993
Joined: Sun May 01, 2016 6:54 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Practice, practice, practice. You're never too old to learn.
Keep on fluting.
---u---o-o-o--o-o-o--
-----------------------

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Sedi »

Gary90 wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:54 amI didn't know this was you lol, iv watched some of your videos before. Good sound off that
Thanks :). Yes, I tried to stay a bit under the radar online. So I chose a different name for the YT channel than for basically all the forums I visit (mainly this one here and a few watch collector forums, another hobby of mine). It was kind of a big step to even show my face in the videos :D.
User avatar
Gary90
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:35 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I don't know what you wan't to know. Other than I am not a spammer who is has to write a minimum of 100 characters.
Location: Belfast

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Gary90 »

Sedi wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:05 am
Gary90 wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:54 amI didn't know this was you lol, iv watched some of your videos before. Good sound off that
Thanks :). Yes, I tried to stay a bit under the radar online. So I chose a different name for the YT channel than for basically all the forums I visit (mainly this one here and a few watch collector forums, another hobby of mine). It was kind of a big step to even show my face in the videos :D.
Well fair play to you atleast you did. I don't really link accounts either.
I played the whistle in primary school 20 years ago, we were taught the recorder and the tin whistle. I couldn't wait to let people hear my playing when i was a kid, an audience never bothered me.
Fast-forward to now, iv picked the whistle up again and can learn songs and play and play them all day on my own, but the minute i go to play infront of someone i will mess up lol.
User avatar
Sedi
Posts: 993
Joined: Sun May 01, 2016 6:54 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Practice, practice, practice. You're never too old to learn.
Keep on fluting.
---u---o-o-o--o-o-o--
-----------------------

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Sedi »

Gary90 wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 12:14 pm but the minute i go to play infront of someone i will mess up lol.
Same here. Most of the videos on my channel took probably more than 10 tries. As soon as I hit that record button it all goes to shambles :D.
User avatar
AngelicBeaver
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:29 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I've been playing whistles since 2010. I love how varied whistles are in their design, construction, tone, and handling. Though I've largely settled on what I enjoy playing, I'm still a sucker for an interesting new design.
Location: San Antonio, Texas

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by AngelicBeaver »

For the record, I believe that my Shearwater was the wide bore version. I liked it well enough. It's mellow, with a full, airy sound, and it's got a bit of snap to it. I've heard several people sing their praises, and one guy for whom a Shearwater was his One Perfect Whistle, so for the price, I'd order one and see how you get on with it.

OPINION SECTION
(and note that I only have experience with the wide bore aluminum soprano D, aluminum A, G, F, and low D, so no experience with the brass, plastic, or narrow bore offerings):

I think my main issue with Shearwaters in general is that the tone is a bit round for my taste. Some whistles have a focused 'bite' to them, or they're so pure and refined that you can feel the resonance, but the Shearwater's tone (to me) kind of sits in a middle ground where it's solid, but not really pushed/refined to the finest extremes that whistles are capable of, if that makes sense. I think it makes them more forgiving to play, and therefore very suitable for people who are starting out. You can also cover your keys relatively inexpensively, and John offers customization options you can't get off the shelf with a Dixon, for example (alternate hole patterns, special heads for low breath requirements). But in my case, I just have a lot of whistles, and many that suit my tastes more than the Shearwaters, so I've sold most of them on. For someone still refining their preferences, I'd recommend them as a starting point.

I heard a video of his brass model, and it was intriguing, but John is a bit particular about people demoing his whistles, so I promised him I wouldn't include his whistles in any future videos.
Nathaniel James Dowell
User avatar
Gary90
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:35 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I don't know what you wan't to know. Other than I am not a spammer who is has to write a minimum of 100 characters.
Location: Belfast

Re: Any High D Shearwater whistle owners?

Post by Gary90 »

AngelicBeaver wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 12:30 pm For the record, I believe that my Shearwater was the wide bore version. I liked it well enough. It's mellow, with a full, airy sound, and it's got a bit of snap to it. I've heard several people sing their praises, and one guy for whom a Shearwater was his One Perfect Whistle, so for the price, I'd order one and see how you get on with it.

OPINION SECTION
(and note that I only have experience with the wide bore aluminum soprano D, aluminum A, G, F, and low D, so no experience with the brass, plastic, or narrow bore offerings):

I think my main issue with Shearwaters in general is that the tone is a bit round for my taste. Some whistles have a focused 'bite' to them, or they're so pure and refined that you can feel the resonance, but the Shearwater's tone (to me) kind of sits in a middle ground where it's solid, but not really pushed/refined to the finest extremes that whistles are capable of, if that makes sense. I think it makes them more forgiving to play, and therefore very suitable for people who are starting out. You can also cover your keys relatively inexpensively, and John offers customization options you can't get off the shelf with a Dixon, for example (alternate hole patterns, special heads for low breath requirements). But in my case, I just have a lot of whistles, and many that suit my tastes more than the Shearwaters, so I've sold most of them on. For someone still refining their preferences, I'd recommend them as a starting point.

I heard a video of his brass model, and it was intriguing, but John is a bit particular about people demoing his whistles, so I promised him I wouldn't include his whistles in any future videos.
Thanks Nathaniel, I do understand what your saying in maybe its not your ideal whistle but could be someone else's ideal whistle.

I haven't read any bad reports about them, i will be putting an order in next week for a standard bore aluminium.

I do not own any aluminium whistles at the minute but i love the look of aluminium whistles, i know its not about aesthetics but its a bonus when you like the look of your whistle also lol.
Post Reply