AvienMael wrote:Two corrections are in order at this point in the thread:
The Chieftain V3 has been offered with an optional brass body for several months now. I am not sure that the Kerry Pro is offered with a brass body at all, although I have little doubt that a buyer could request one. Phil does put these Kerry Pros up for sale on his site, along with letting everyone on the mailing list know that they are available, when they are available. To lessen any confusion; the Kerry Pro is based on the original Overton design, but it plays differently than a Goldie. The Chieftain is much like the Alba Vibe in design, but it too, plays differently from the Alba it resembles.
The Optima is tunable - at least the prototype in the video is, so I'm not sure why anyone would state that it isn't.
You're right, I forgot that Phil posts the emails he sends to his emailing list in the "News" section of his website, so I suppose he does offer them for sale via his website that way. What I should have said in hind sight is that the Kerry Pros did not appear in the "shop" section of his site for order. As you can see from the photo in the post above, Phil has made some Kerry Pros with brass bodies as I stated, and the shop lists both the Chieftain V3's and the NR's with extra brass bodies as well.
And I think the confusion on wether or not the optima was tunable may have been due to the photo (not the video) that shows the optima without a tuning slide.
Last edited by medit8b1 on Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.
medit8b1 wrote:
And I think the confusion on whether or not the optima was tunable may have been due to the photo (not the video) that shows the optima without a tuning slide.
It appears from the video that it will be tunable.
medit8b1 wrote:Funky video, but it would have been nice to actually hear the whistle for more than three or four notes.
I was going to say something to that effect. The video isn't very useful in getting a real notion of how this whistle will sound. I think it played through about 3/4 before we heard even a note on the whistle. I was tempted to post something sarcastic about how the new whistle sounds like a piano.
Crossing streams for a second...
Something that I think was overlooked in my original post...
Phil Hardy wrote:The Kerry Optima will be available in all keys this year starting with tenor D Eb & E.
That's good news to me because it means another choice in some of the less available keys ...unless by "all keys" he means "all the keys we currently sell."
Jim
I wish I were a Lord Mayor, a Marquis or an Earl
And blow me if I wouldn't marry old Brown's girl
Blow me if I wouldn't marry old Brown's girl
As far as I know, Phil has always tried to accomodate requests from buyers for different keys. It may involve some waiting, but that isn't much different from any whistle maker if you think about it.
Nice pic, Feadoggie. I don't usually poke around the pictures on Phil's site much... I rather like the look of that whistle...
I too, will likely be trying one of these new Optimas when they are released...
This email from Phil at Kerry Whistles arrived today: "Hi guys, I have 28 Kerry Low D plastic headed whistles to clear to make way fro the Kerry Optima.
They are reduced to £35 inc postage worldwide.
Grab one while stocks last.
phil."
Jim
I wish I were a Lord Mayor, a Marquis or an Earl
And blow me if I wouldn't marry old Brown's girl
Blow me if I wouldn't marry old Brown's girl
AvienMael wrote:Yep, for all those people who have been on the fence about taking up the low D, here's your chance to get a decent one, delivered, for under 60 bucks.
Folks should know that those Kerry low D plastic heads take A LOT of air and have the lowest amount of back pressure I've come across. That said, the whistle does have a nice tone ...but bring your best pair of lungs.
Jim
I wish I were a Lord Mayor, a Marquis or an Earl
And blow me if I wouldn't marry old Brown's girl
Blow me if I wouldn't marry old Brown's girl
JTC111 wrote:Folks should know that those Kerry low D plastic heads take A LOT of air and have the lowest amount of back pressure I've come across. That said, the whistle does have a nice tone ...but bring your best pair of lungs.
Surprised at that comment JTC I had one for a few weeks and if anything I found it TOO EASY to blow and had a job keeping it in the lower register at first. Once I got accustomed to it I found it a good whistle with a very pleasing tone as you said, a little on the quiet side for my purpose though (I play outdoors a lot)
JTC111 wrote:Folks should know that those Kerry low D plastic heads take A LOT of air and have the lowest amount of back pressure I've come across. That said, the whistle does have a nice tone ...but bring your best pair of lungs.
Surprised at that comment JTC I had one for a few weeks and if anything I found it TOO EASY to blow and had a job keeping it in the lower register at first. Once I got accustomed to it I found it a good whistle with a very pleasing tone as you said, a little on the quiet side for my purpose though (I play outdoors a lot)
I'm not sure what you mean by "TOO EASY to blow." It sounds like you're agreeing with me. Unless you're saying that whistle doesn't take a lot of air? If so, I think you're the first person that I've heard make that claim and that whistle has been discussed a bit around here. A few people have even timed how long they can hold a note on that whistle compared to other low D whistles they own and found that with the Kerry the time was quite a bit less.
But opinions are never 100% (if they were, they'd be facts, right?), and if you like the whistle, that's great for you. Out of curiosity, what other low D whistles are you comparing it to?
Jim
I wish I were a Lord Mayor, a Marquis or an Earl
And blow me if I wouldn't marry old Brown's girl
Blow me if I wouldn't marry old Brown's girl
JTC111 wrote:I'm not sure what you mean by "TOO EASY to blow." It sounds like you're agreeing with me. Unless you're saying that whistle doesn't take a lot of air? If so, I think you're the first person that I've heard make that claim and that whistle has been discussed a bit around here. A few people have even timed how long they can hold a note on that whistle compared to other low D whistles they own and found that with the Kerry the time was quite a bit less.
But opinions are never 100% (if they were, they'd be facts, right?), and if you like the whistle, that's great for you. Out of curiosity, what other low D whistles are you comparing it to?
Apologies my error, I was thinking more of the 'ease' of voicing the notes rather than duration etc
(even though you clearly state 'lowest amount of back pressure I've come across')
I had a kerry low d a few years ago and it took too much air for me. I found it very difficult to play. I have an Obrien right now and it take I would think normal breath. Not a bad instrument at all. I will probably sell it and buy a Kerry Chieftain V3. I like the breathy tone. Does anyone know the air requirements on the Chieftain V3? The optima sounds like it will be a nice whistle, but the clip Phil has on his site does not really demo the whistle tone range at all. More piano music than anything else. I may have to see what his face book page has on it for this instrument.