I just received my Killarney Brass D whistle and I wanted to share my thoughts. I have to say I'm impressed with it! Though I am not an expert whistle player, to me, it seems responsive up and down the octaves and fairly loud. My father heard it and said it sounded pure. The tuning seems very good depending on the amount of air I put through it. F# in the second octave and C# in the first octave can be finicky. I have an Abell and a Burke whistle and I have to say the Killarney impresses me. It is also a looker!

Would anyone like to share their experiences? How do you clean yours?

My favourite whistle for sessions, pretty well in tune and loud enough to be heard plus a good rounded tone.

To clean I dip the head into warm water and take it off the body then put it back in the warm water (to soak for a bit) with a small amount of washing up liquid. I use a bit of old credit card cut into a strip to fit the windway and push out anything clogging it.

For the other end some kitchen roll and twist it up to the end. That usually de-gunks it. Do this a couple of times.

For the pipe I soak that too and work (twist) kitchen roll into it.

To finish I put some cork grease on the join so it is easier to tune.

Good luck with yours.

Wow! I must be a filthy beast. I never clean my whistles. I would if I were selling one. But they just don't get dirty.

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I do like a pint so maybe that makes it dirty plus a good few hours in sessions.

Have you tried this ?



Best wishes.

Steve

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Here's my impressions of my two Killarneys

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=107792

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Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle

I enjoy my Killarney's and would recommend them for bang for the buck. But they do seem to have a tad harder push than my Sindts between octaves. . Since you seem to have a bit of an advanced case of WAOD (or is it WOAD?) i recommend you get yourself on John Sindt's list. It is not as long as it used to be, and he, like the rest of us, is advancing in years. So I have no idea how long he will want to continue to make whistles.

The Killarneys are Sindt knock offs. And they do a decent job. But my Sindts play with a fluidity and ease I don't find in my Killarneys.

But I have happily played my Killarneys in sessions and heard them played well by many. So I don't intend to knock them here.


A year or so ago I saw an ad for a Chinese made Killarney look alike, a knockoff of a knockoff . And just this week I have seen postings on the Chiff and Fipple Facebook page of an Ireland based company selling whistles that look like Killaneys with the caveat they are "finished in Ireland." So I wonder if someone is buying some of the Chinese made whistles and fine tuning them.

The notes you mention as being off may be unique to your instrument. These are manufactured and I am not sure how much attention is paid to fine tuning them. I am sure they try, but at that price point I am not sure they can spend a great deal of time on each whistle. If you think you got a whistle that is far out of line talk to them. I am sure they would want to make it right.

As for whistle tuning. I have found the tuning of a whistle (and flute) is not fixed like on a concertina or piano. It varies while playing and most of us consciously or unconsciously are working our instrument to play in tune. Some are easier than others.

Thank you for the information. How does one get on John Sindt's waiting list?

I just sent an email to John Sindt to inquire about purchase price and wait time for a traditional High D whistle (the most common key for Irish music).

Two questions..

sindtwhistle@aol.com

Is this the right email address for him?

His most sought after High D's are made of brass, correct?

I don't think it is. It's the one that comes up when you ask a search engine but I believe the whistle should be plural, insert an 's' in the appropriate place.

FWIW, I tried using this a few weeks ago for an impulse order of a C and never got a reply, which is probably for the best.

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email is sindtwhistles@aol.com , working as of December.

According to another C&F member.

Hmmm, shown without the 's' in an old thread, here, though. So confusing:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=83993&hilit=john+sindt+email

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I just sent another email to sindtwhistles@aol.com and it bounced back to me and said address not found.

However when I sent one without the "s" it went right through and never bounced back.

Seems that Killarneys vary.

When I got my first Killarney D (2014) I tested it against my Sindt D and the Killarney had an even easier/lighter 2nd octave than the Sindt.

Plus the octave tuning of the Killarney was bang-on, while the Sindt had a slightly flat 2nd octave (like Generations tend to have).

However the Sindt had a bit more sophisticated tone- rounder, smoother, darker- while the Killarney's tone was a bit thinner and brighter. That Killarney also has a subtle metallic buzz in the 2nd octave. (I can only hear the buzz when I'm playing alone.)

I sold the Sindt and still play the Killarney.

My second Killarney (2018) has a stiffer, flatter 2nd octave and also has a dirtier tone overall. Still a nice whistle, I just wish the 2nd octave was a hair sharper.

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Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle

I heard back from John today. I told him to go ahead and put me down on his list for a standard traditional D brass whistle (the one people most often get). I tried to make clear I wanted the regular D not the low D.

His said he could fit me in next month and total cost would be $170 ($160 + $10 for shipping).

There is a Sindt low D?

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