Union Carbony soprano D whistle
Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 12:06 pm
Long time lurker here....I noticed some interest in the Union Carbony whistles some time back. I ordered a soprano D on Amazon a few months back and here's my review and experience with the company.
The whistle is unbelievably light, if you're used to a metal whistle it almost seems like it's not there-I liked that. The whistle I got from Amazon was also really easy to play and especially in the 2d octave. The lower octave was a little chiffy in the DEF notes, not so much above that. It was also really LOUD. If you're looking for a session whistle, this might be the one for you.
However, the natural rubber mouthpiece had a sulfur smell that was quite unpleasant and actually left a taste on my mouth that I didn't like. I contacted the owner of Union Carbony, Rob Gandara (sp?) and he told me to wash the mouthpiece a few times in warm soapy water, which I did. The smell gradually faded, but I just didn't like the mouthpiece. Rob then offered to make me a new mouthpiece out of plastic, which he did; he let me keep the first whistle while I waited for the second one with the new mouthpiece.
The second one was better than the first, with a redesigned mouthpiece that played even better than the first. Here's the review of the second whistle:
-Again, LOUD. Someone on another site said that the Union Carbony low whistles were too soft; that's not the case here! If you want to make a lot of noise, this is your whistle. This isn't a practice whistle unless you've got really tough eardrums!
-Easy to play; slips really effortlessly into the second octave, but no trouble hitting the bell note like some whistles easy to play in the second octave.
-Fast; this may be the fastest whistle I've played, the response is quick and there's no sqeaking or squealing, ever.
-No condensation, even though part of the whistle head is metal.
-Tunable
-Tone; the tone is a little difficult to describe. It's really clear and pure. This may be my only complaint with this whistle, if you like chiff, you won't like it; if you like pure, you will.
I emailed Rob, who, by the way, is exceptionally easy to work with and helpful, and asked him if he had ever thought of using other materials besides carbon-fiber for the whistle's tube. I like conical whistles but with the Copeland's gone there are no really quality ones available. The whistle head on the Carbony whistles is really beautifully made, and I think he would have a winner if he made some whistle tubes out of brass or aluminum; I'm not sure how many people want to spring for his prices for carbon-fiber, but maybe I'm wrong. I also think a thicker carbon-fiber tube would sound "woodier" and might be popular also. I sometimes slip a Sweetone tube into the Carbony head when I want to play around the house. Finally, since the whistle is so easy to play and so light I told him I thought a softer-toned "practice" whistle might be popular.
In summary, great whistle, good company to work with. I don't play mine around the house because it's so loud, but I'm keeping it for times when I want a loud whistle. The company makes a whole range of whistles and I'd like to try the low whistles sometime, if they're as easy to play as the high D I have, they would be fun and your hands wouldn't get as tired as they do with a big low D.
Don't order the whistles on Amazon, they're the old model, order directly from the company. If you have questions, email Rob, he answers right away.
This is my first post, and I've never responded to questions before, so give me some time to figure it out! And I can't post sound samples, sorry...
The whistle is unbelievably light, if you're used to a metal whistle it almost seems like it's not there-I liked that. The whistle I got from Amazon was also really easy to play and especially in the 2d octave. The lower octave was a little chiffy in the DEF notes, not so much above that. It was also really LOUD. If you're looking for a session whistle, this might be the one for you.
However, the natural rubber mouthpiece had a sulfur smell that was quite unpleasant and actually left a taste on my mouth that I didn't like. I contacted the owner of Union Carbony, Rob Gandara (sp?) and he told me to wash the mouthpiece a few times in warm soapy water, which I did. The smell gradually faded, but I just didn't like the mouthpiece. Rob then offered to make me a new mouthpiece out of plastic, which he did; he let me keep the first whistle while I waited for the second one with the new mouthpiece.
The second one was better than the first, with a redesigned mouthpiece that played even better than the first. Here's the review of the second whistle:
-Again, LOUD. Someone on another site said that the Union Carbony low whistles were too soft; that's not the case here! If you want to make a lot of noise, this is your whistle. This isn't a practice whistle unless you've got really tough eardrums!
-Easy to play; slips really effortlessly into the second octave, but no trouble hitting the bell note like some whistles easy to play in the second octave.
-Fast; this may be the fastest whistle I've played, the response is quick and there's no sqeaking or squealing, ever.
-No condensation, even though part of the whistle head is metal.
-Tunable
-Tone; the tone is a little difficult to describe. It's really clear and pure. This may be my only complaint with this whistle, if you like chiff, you won't like it; if you like pure, you will.
I emailed Rob, who, by the way, is exceptionally easy to work with and helpful, and asked him if he had ever thought of using other materials besides carbon-fiber for the whistle's tube. I like conical whistles but with the Copeland's gone there are no really quality ones available. The whistle head on the Carbony whistles is really beautifully made, and I think he would have a winner if he made some whistle tubes out of brass or aluminum; I'm not sure how many people want to spring for his prices for carbon-fiber, but maybe I'm wrong. I also think a thicker carbon-fiber tube would sound "woodier" and might be popular also. I sometimes slip a Sweetone tube into the Carbony head when I want to play around the house. Finally, since the whistle is so easy to play and so light I told him I thought a softer-toned "practice" whistle might be popular.
In summary, great whistle, good company to work with. I don't play mine around the house because it's so loud, but I'm keeping it for times when I want a loud whistle. The company makes a whole range of whistles and I'd like to try the low whistles sometime, if they're as easy to play as the high D I have, they would be fun and your hands wouldn't get as tired as they do with a big low D.
Don't order the whistles on Amazon, they're the old model, order directly from the company. If you have questions, email Rob, he answers right away.
This is my first post, and I've never responded to questions before, so give me some time to figure it out! And I can't post sound samples, sorry...