I just received one of Paul’s whistles, and I can’t rave enough. Aesthetically, it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s made from bocote, a wood with a very tight yet contrasting grain. The brass fittings are really well turned and a different design than others out there. The tuning slide works very smoothly.
The sound is wonderful. It’s most similar to my Burke wide-bore brass, but I would say somewhere between the Burke and a Weasel, with a little Sweetheart thrown in. Pretty clear without too much sweetness. I can’t wait to get it broken in completely, both to see how the sound develops and to be able to play it more.
For those of you who missed the original announcement, brewerpaul is handmaking whistles in exotic woods. A picture of several can be viewed at: http://hometown.aol.com/brewerpaul/whistle.html
On 2002-05-23 09:34, LeeMarsh wrote:
Chas,
How’s the volume on the whistle? Loud enough to carry in as session in a noisy pub? Is the volume relatively even across octaves?
It’s reasonably loud – comparable to the Burke, but a little mellower, so the lower octave probably won’t cut through as well. The higher notes get pretty shrill, but they’re nowhere near the paint peeling of a Weasel nor the huge volume increase of a Sweetheart. They’re also very forgiving to changes in breath pressure, so there’s a pretty good range of volume available.
I completely agree with Charlie. I got a Bocote also (the one pictured second from the right on Paul’s webpage). By any standards the whistle is good. For the price, and considering Paul is a newbie whistlemaker it’s outstanding. Low register has a little chiff, the upper is very clean. Nice and responsive. Fairly even volume.
The whistle also scores on looks. It can be best described as elegant. Longish head section and slim bore. The outside diameter is 16mm compared to the 19mm on a Rose. Wall thickness is also less so it feels light but still solidly made. I love the Bocote grain pattern (black against a yellowish brown). Holes are comfortably spaced with the bottom two a little larger than I would have expected. Hole edges are slightly rounded but still make a good seal.
I’m still breaking it in but its already on my favourite list alongside Copeland and Rose. If this whistle is typical of Paul’s craftsmanship, and he can maintain this standard, then it’s time for him to switch from toe nails to full time whistlesmithing.
One minor grouch - no whistle pouch! But then it looks to good cover up.
On 2002-05-24 00:38, Walden wrote:
I wonder if he can make them in olive wood. I love the look of olivewood.
I’d love to use Olivewood, but am having a hard time finding the size I need (1X1X12 "). It’s really beautiful stuff. I have made several pens out of Olivewood, and they came out very nicely.
I forgot about this thread before I posted my mini-review. Looks like we’re all pretty much in agreement though; I was curious about that as a check on my own tastes.
