pancelticpiper wrote:
I wonder how they play. I've played fantastic Copelands and horrid Copelands.
I bought the nickel copeland D. It arrived last week.
Its the 3rd high D Copeland that I've owned. I previously owned one made of brass and one of nickel. The brass one was a bit of a beast in terms of the breath pressure required to make it perform properly in the second octave, but it was a good whistle once you got used to the requirements and had great harmonics. The nickel one was sweeter and easier to play, and was more pure sounding. I loved them both (but ended up having to sell them for various reasons).
This new one is somewhere between the two. Not quite as sweet and easy as my first nickel copeland. Not quite as brash as my brass one. It's easily the best* whistle I now own. But, like every Copeland I've ever owned, it needs the duponol treatment--it clogs extremely fast without it.
Either the previous owner or the Irish Flute Store folks had polished it with a chemical polish. It was a bit 'oily' feeling, and I recognized the smell. The head joint was stuck as a result, but with a little care and some jar openers, I got it apart, wiped everything down judiciously, and it's working great. I know that some folks around here have strong opinions about the prices of high-end whistles, but I consider it worth what I paid for it, and hopefully won't ever have to give this one up.
*in terms of what I want out of a whistle, naturally.