Chiff and Fipple Forums

I got the whistles(one head, two bodies) today and I am delighted. First off, I was expecting a high G body and was surprised that it was a LOW G(maybe I misread something)...but great all the same. I really like the construction...thick and sturdy. I noticed the large holes on the D with the wide bore and I like how the seams for the fipple plug are smooth with no noticable lines. I like the curved windway and blade and it took about 45 mins of playing before I had to shake out the moisture. The D has good backpressure and takes some leaning into to play....took some getting used to. The tone is very strong(it resonated through my fingers) and has some nice chiff/breathiness. It is also very LOUD...which I love! As long as the air flow is maintained it's pretty responsive even though it takes a good push for the high end. This high D is a powerful instrument!

Switching the head to the low G body I was surprised to discover a much different animal. The tone is much more mellow with an almost woody quality. Breathy and sweet...yet able to be haunting and mysterious. The air requirement is significantly lower and it maintains a very good balance in sound between octaves. Very responsive but you can't lean into it too much. My one tiny downside was that I had to use 4 fingers to play a Cnat but, I think crossfingering can vary from whistle to whistle and it's not too hard to get used to.

Great instruments!!!!!

Let me see if I have this right. The mouthpiece is for both a high D and a low G? If so, I am surprised at the wide range.

My understanding from when Chuck originally announced the tour for the new models (in this thread) was that the new G body is just a mezzo, not a low G, which is why it's interchangable with the same head used on the D.

He's got plans for doing low whistles in the not-too-distant future though....

I'm not entirely sure what "mezzo" implies but, the G whistle body that came with the D body and interchangeable head is certainly not a high G. It's bigger than my Thin Weasel A and smaller than my Overton lowD.

Flogging Jason wrote:I'm not entirely sure what "mezzo" implies but, the G whistle body that came with the D body and interchangeable head is certainly not a high G. It's bigger than my Thin Weasel A and smaller than my Overton lowD.

I hope I am using the right term here. I am thinking soprano, mezzo, and alto, where an example of an alto whistle would be a low D. I am making soprano instruments in E, Eb, D, C, and Bb. The mezzo instruments will be Bb, A, G, F, and the alto instruments will be in G, F, E, Eb, and D. Maybe C. I made a high D for the mezzo fipple because I think it may be useful for some people because it is L*O*U*D. It is also very wind resistant for outdoor use. It sounds like maybe I should make a soprano line with the bigger fipple as well. Any comments?

Mezzo G, low G same thing. I'm looking forward to trying these whistles, do you have the tour order written out somewhere Chuck?

King Friday wrote:Mezzo G, low G same thing. I'm looking forward to trying these whistles, do you have the tour order written out somewhere Chuck?

Yes I do. Send me your email address and I will forward it to you. My email is chuck@whistlemaker.com.