I'm considering both of these in the key of D, but I'm wondering about a few particulars, for those of you who have experience with both.

Someone selling a medium/hard blowing Goldie said it had the best second octave of any whistle he'd played. Does the bottom end suffer for this? Is it comparable to the MK?

What are the drawbacks of a medium/hard blowing whistle? It takes less air, but needs more push to get to the second octave (though this just seems to be a practice thing, correct?). Is it also quieter?

What's the difference in volume between a Goldie and an MK?

And, if price were no object, which would you choose (and what color)?

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Nathaniel James Dowell

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You must be looking for unbiased opinions... on the flute forum.

Buy both. Keep the one you prefer. Sell the other.

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Ha. I did not mean to post this in the flute forum.

I might end up buying both... and I'd probably end up keeping both anyway. I am without my Chieftain for the near future (sent it to Phil Hardy for fixing) so I'm even more so lingering on the MK shopping cart page.

One of my favorite aspects of a low whistle is that frictiony, air-sliding sound that comes out on certain notes. The Chieftain has it on some of the lower notes, but I'm thinking this has to do with the backpressure and happens toward the harder blowing end of the scale, which is why I'm leaning toward the Goldie, but I'd love a pretty green MK whistle. Green is my favorite color.

Maybe I'll get a hat and sit out and play in public, and when I get 300 dollars, I'll buy the Goldie. Then, when I get another 300, I'll by the MK. Do you think they'll still be making them in 2030?

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Nathaniel James Dowell

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Well here goes...gulp !

I don't know what "best second octave" means. If he means that the notes can be easily reached then the bell note will suffer. If he means that the notes are simply very accurate, the bell note may not be affected at all. The MK is a very different whistle than any other. I'm not going to use words like "better" because it means that the person offering the opinion has found that it meets a personal need of theirs which may have no relevance at all to what you or I would desire. The MK and Goldie are much different sounding and playing instruments. The MK generally has the easiest to reach second octave of those you've mentioned in my experience with the unusual quality that the second octave really doesn't take much more breath than the first does. However, it also has quite a lot of "noise" in the overall tone, particularly the second octave, that may or may not be desirable to you. The MK generally does not have a particularly powerful bell note, usually not nearly as powerful as your basic Goldie, but it is full and plenty strong enough to meet most needs. Though I'm not fond of the term, the MK does not have that "cosmic drainpipe" which many, though not all, Goldie's do. The Goldie will generally have slightly more volume but that is subjective also since Goldie customizes his instruments so volume can vary. I doubt volume will be your deciding factor between these two.

Medium/hard blower refers to how much breath pressure it takes to play the whistle. More pressure generally means more volume but not necessarily. Practice does help but if you want a sweet and achievable high range, a hard blower is generally not your best choice. But then, there are so many variables to what constitutes a great high range or second octave, it's really difficult to make a recommendation and other whistles may be a better choice for this. I just sold a Lambe which has the most beautiful second (and more) octave that I've ever heard in a low whistle. My Reviol is really good for this too. But then you didn't ask about other whistles.

Color is possibly the most meaningless characteristic I can imagine in an instrument but if I have to answer I'd pick matte black for the MK. For the Goldie I'd choose silver aluminum . If price were no object, I'd get a Goldie and an MK but I'd also pick a few others (and have) since neither of these is perfect. But then nothing is that versatile so I have several low D's for specific situations and it is impossible to say that either a Goldie or MK is "best". If I could only have one, I'd pick a Goldie tunable medium blower and ask Colin to give me the strongest bell note he could while still making that second C achievable without too much strain. In fact, that's exactly what I did, along with another that has a bell note strong enough to churn butter and a high range that shakes the windows.

YMMV will definitely vary and I'm sure Pancelticpiper will be along soon to tell you how he loves his MK's. I don't blame him either since they are really excellent instruments.

Ok, that's enough for now. I need whisky.

ecohawk

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"Never get one of those cheap tin whistles. It leads to much harder drugs like pipes and flutes." - anon

I play Goldie whistles and also play an MK. If you can afford both then that's great as they are completely different instruments. They play very differently. The Goldie is my no.1 as it takes a bit less air (it's medium to hard blowing as opposed to the medium MK) and I find it easier to control in a noisy environment like a gig or session. You certainly don't have to worry about the bell note of a Goldie. I have 17 of them and there are no issues. If you get a Goldie your highly unlikely ever to pick up the chieftain again. On the other hand the MK is also a great whistle and the more I play it the more I like it, maybe if I'd been playing it as long as I've been playing Goldies it would be a fairer comparison. I would say the Goldie requires a bit more technique to get the best out of it while the MK is a bit easier to play. Either way, what ever you choose you'll be getting one of the two best whistles out there in my opinion. Get both if you can.

While you're comparing the two, can you tell me how similar (or not) the two are in weight? Looking for something not especially heavy for a small person.

If weight is a concern, then look at the Burke composite low D's in either the EZ or Pro versions. The EZ has less stretch between the bottom hand holes. The Pro version has a rotating bottom hole to help fit most hands. These are the lightest weight low D's I have ever played and they are good whistles IMO.

Feadoggie

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I've proven who I am so many times, the magnetic strips worn thin.

Bogman, I wonder if you would like to, or are able to, enlarge on what you said about "the Goldie requiring a bit more technique [than the MK] to get the best out of it?"

Now, i am not bogman, but my "problem" with the Goldies unusually (for whistles in general) high back pressure is that i blow too hard, especially in the second octave. IMO the Goldies take some getting used to as opposed to many other whistles. Once you adjust to them they are very rewarding though They're just not as "pick up and play" as some brands.

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the artist formerly known as Mr_Blackwood

Thank you, but I was specifically wondering about a difference in the two whistles already up for discussion. Not concerned with reach/fit, only weight.

Hi feadogirl

I don't have a Goldie to compare it to, but my MK is a little bit lighter in my hands than a Chieftain V3 (non tunable) and more ergonomic finger size/spacing for my skinny fingers.

David

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Payday, Piping, Percussion and Poetry- the 4 best Ps

I perceive no significant weight difference between my tunable Goldie low D and my Mk low D. I do not have a scale that will weigh anything that light but IMHO these are very light instruments to begin with. My non-tunable Goldie is lighter than the MK.

ecohawk

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"Never get one of those cheap tin whistles. It leads to much harder drugs like pipes and flutes." - anon

Mikethebook, sorry for the slow reply. What I mean by my comment is that opposed to other whistles the Goldie generally requires a bit of blowing technique to get the best out of it. Getting in warmed up very quickly, not slobbering into it and having an embouchure technique make a world of difference. It's takes some effort, but not a lot.

Angelic Beaver, I don't find any weight of stretch difference between MK and Goldie that would make any odds. If I were you I'd just choose whichever one you prefer the sound of at this stage.

I'm not sure who you're answering, but I got what I was after. Thanks!