Commercial announcement: something a tad new...(with picture

Whistle
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Hi all-- I am happy to announce that I will now take orders for whistles in Black Delrin plastic. These are made to the same specs as my usual wooden D whistles and play just like their wooden siblings. They can be ordered with the same choice of brass or stainless fittings. Pricing is the same too as these, unlike the white all Delrin whistle I showed here a while back, require creating a bore and all of the same labor as the wooden whistles.
These new whistles look very much like Blackwood, but don’t require oiling or other care associated with wooden whistles (although I would still suggest not subjecting them to extremes of heat and cold). I can also get pure white Delrin is someone wants it, but I personally think a white whistle with metal fittings would be pretty homely.

I still MUCH prefer the look and feel of beautiful wood, but hope this will be a useful alternative for whistlers who are worried about wood’s durability.
I also have a variety of nice wood pieces bored and “rested” and waiting to be turned into finished whistles on fairly short notice.

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If it’s not outside the limitations of commercial postings, could you let us all know what kind of “nice wood pieces bored and “rested” and waiting to be turned into finished whistles on fairly short notice.” that you have available?

Any photos of the black Delrin whistles available?

Thanks!

-Brett

:party:

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A second on the “what woods” question.
Waiting with bated (or is it baited) breath… which can make it difficult to play.

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Although I think it would be ok (would not bother me anyway),I would PM or Email him for that information.

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I’ll be happy to compile a list of the goodies on hand, and e-mail it to anyone who e-mails me asking for it. I will also try to post a pic of the Delrin whistle later tonight.

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I am fortunate enough to live close to Paul. Last night I invited him to visit our weekly slow session and he did show, much to my enjoyment.

I not only like Paul’s whistles, but he is a gentleman and an excellent whistle player.

I was hoping to get a look at his newest acquistion, the Copeland Low D. He did indeed bring it and allowed me to try it.

But…he brought along his new Delrin whistle and allowed me the honor of being one of the first to try this puppy out. I didn’t want to give it back!

Please keep in mind that I have not been playing whistle long and am by no means close to being qualified to review any whistle in depth.

I have owned a Burke, several Sindts, Susato, Dixon and many of the cheap whistles. My newest being a Busman Bloodwood.

My first impression of the Delrin were that it feels slightly heavier than my bloodwood. It is absolutely gorgeous in appearance. The whistle he had was black Delrin with stainless steel fittings. It was wonderful just to look at it.

When I played it, it behaved very much like my bloodwood with two exceptions. It was not as loud, but certainly loud enough for session playing. It also had a rounder, smoother voice than my bloodwood. It did not require as much push to achieve the upper notes of the second register.

Paul tells me that with some tweeking, my bloodwood can be made to do the same.

To be honest, had the Delrin been available when I was choosing my Busman, I would have gone with the Delrin for one reason. It’s plastic. I have a deep rooted fear that I’m going to do something to my wooden whistle and just like that be out my investment.

It looks every bit as beautiful, plays just as good if not better and will probably last forever.

I noticed a couple posts from people in the last two days looking for a whistle that meets certain standards. You may be looking at that perfect whistle folks.

I know I’m going to have one, hopefully someday soon.

Mike

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Man is this tempting.

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It may be their shiny, glazed cast plastics which give synthetic instruments their bad name. They look synthetic, complete wit the casting seam. I even suspect it’s the main reason why some accuse Susatos to “sound like recorders”: they’re just made of the same fossile nuoc-mam as school recorders. If they were made of ceramic, you’d find some to say they “sound like ocarinas” (oh Karina, Karina…)

So being our on-board expert on rec***, Paul didn’t fall in the trap and goes Delrin: lathed not cast, matte not glazed. Man-made material but man-machined, not machine-made. <---- sort this one out :wink:

Of all plastics, Delrin is certainly one to be called “noble” for whistle purposes, maybe too because its density comes close to tropical hardwoods.
Acoustically, the Delrin/bakelite combo used only by Burke may be on par, but it certainly doesn’t look as good, or crush-proof when thin-walled. Now bakelite clarinets do their job, and sound too.
There’s a runner-up with laminated wood–another composite when you think of it, just as those “Hollowood” tubings.
And other stocks to investigate, like Makrolon (a glass or carbon fibers charged polycarbonate, making it machinable). Or true long-fiber composites–carbon, boron (wow, I’d like that) which would come even closer to timber.

Now, don’t forget African Blackwood and why it’s been favored for so long by woodwind makers. Here we’re talking for instance of most clarinets with all their ferrules, slides and all these nasty little screws to fasten the keys. Blackwood wasn’t chosen for acoustic reasons–there are many woods both more resonant and lighter. Neither for looks: a weird wood it is, with no grain to really marvel about.
However it’s mechanically superb, and while not exactly as stable as a synthetic composite it comes close.

Just to quote makers which have been around for a while I haven’t heard of a cracked blackwood Weasel or Abell, same as I haven’t heard of a split cocobolo Grinter though boy! do these have slim walls.

So I guess Paul is right with this new stock, but it should not make people paranoid about woods generally :slight_smile: