Can anyone identify this low whistle posted on eBay? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151668521949?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT It doesn’t look like a Chieftain to me. Maybe it’s a Kerry Pro. Any thoughts please?
Dunno. Looks kind of like this Chieftain Low D: http://pipersgrip.50webs.com/NR.html. Kind of hard to compare, though: can’t see the profile of the Chieftain and can’t see the windway of the Ebay whistle… Can’t compare tube materials or thickness either. The only thing I can say is the little punched “D” looks close enough!
The contours look like the Overton/Kerry Pro, but with those dents, it looks like it’s too thin walled to be either. So, it could be a knock-off.
Kerry Pros were either marked Pro (early), or Kerry Pro (later). I wouldn’t take the gamble myself because it appears too thin walled, and it also has a high polish, which is not normal for the named brands.
Thanks, Barry. I tend to agree with you thinking about it. I certainly don’t think it’s a Chieftain because of the flat sides of the fipple. I think I’ll let this whistle go.
Yes it’s a bit odd, isn’t it?
About the high polish, it’s possible that the owner (or a previous owner) did that himself.
I guess it’s perfectly possible, but I’m not left with any confidence about it.
That’s my issue with the “used” market as you don’t know who has fiddled with the instrument to suit a particular individual’s playing. eThingy site is dangerous unless you know who the seller is or know the instrument for sure, and instruments ought to be clearly marked with some sort of custom branding (hidden watermark) that can verify the maker.
Any hobbyist can shove a tube in. Buy instrument original from the maker and keep them busy!
Fair point but not all of us can afford new instruments. And buying a used whistle can have its advantages. According to a well-known whistle-maker I know, there is such a thing as “playing in” a whistle (at least those with a metal fipple) to the extent that the windway becomes smoother in time with use, affecting the whistle’s tone and playability.
Understood, however, many people are searching for a great deal $ (cheaper than original) from eThingy, yet, want the best of whistles (collectibles). I get the played in bit while I have seen plenty of chewed up, dented, and cracked uncared for instruments. In the long run is that really cheaper than an original instrument?
And, I have purchased used whistles in the past. Carefully.
It’s a risk you take, I guess. I’ve been generally lucky with my purchases on eBay.
Or to correct problems built into the instrument which would be obvious no matter who was playing it.
I bought a used Low Whistle with which the bell note was quite flat of all the notes which emitted from the finger-holes. It just was- nobody could play the whistle in tune without absurd blowing acrobatics, or by putting tape half-covering every finger hole.
So I chopped some off the bottom, and the whole thing played perfectly in tune, whether I or anyone else on earth was playing it. (I know how to blow a steady breath.)
When I sold that whistle the buyer was getting a well-tuned great-playing whistle, usable for professional purposes, which was more than I had received.
That’s great when you know what you’re doing.
But I wouldn’t have purchased that problematic whistle to begin with. With sound samples or actually trying out the whistle beforehand would’ve identified any issues with the whistle. Or I would’ve insisted on a return policy before the purchase. I don’t need any fixer uppers.
I do realize that there isn’t any “perfect” whistle. And purchasing whistles from eThingy has its own inherent problems.