My Rose D arrived in the post today. What a thing of beauty it is too. The craftsmanship is breathtaking!
I’m only an intermediate whistler so I probably have no business owning a whistle like this, but my girlfriend, who hated the sound of my Alba, Gen and Clarke, says she really like its sweet tone. And for the first time EVER she asked me to play something for her.
Yep, this Fred Rose creation is not only beautiful, but it also seems to have a magical property all of its own!
Dude, forget the new whistle. You need a new girlfriend.
that was a JOKE.
My kids hate whistling. I will entertain all offers of trading children. Call me at 555-…
Good deal on the GF liking the sound. My wife has whistles that I play that she prefers as well. My Bleazey mopani Low D is one. The other day she asked me to play my BIG BOY, an Overton Low C that I just got.
The other night I was playing right after my son went to bed. My wife came in and closed the door. A couple of minutes later she came back and opened it and explained that Nathan told her my playing was not disturbing him! 
So, John, no trades here!!! 
Fred’s whistles are just lovely in every way. And my wife definitely prefers the sound of the Rose to any other D. In fact she liked it so much she let me get one of his flutes.
Not only does she love the sound of the flute, but so does our baby - who’s still in the womb. Whenever I play it the baby dances. Or at least, when I start playing the kid kicks into action, and this is interpreted by the Oracle (mom) as being a happy dance. It reminds me of that line from Peter Pan, “Fairies don’t say, ‘We feel happy’, what they say is: ‘We feel dancey’.”
Anyway, any craftsman whose instruments evoke that kind of reaction (from SO’s &/or unborn) must be doing something seriously right.
Is Mr Rose using anything more subtle than that rather lurid gold finish these days? Very nice work, tacky finish - in my opinion of course 
. Silver would be good.
Trisha
I’ll second that opinion Trisha…plain brass would look better (or silver).
-Brett
Well, I for one adore the way these whistles look!
They are gorgeous and sweet, and simply top of the line in every way.
Play like a dream come true.
I’d never sell mine.
Mary
Lurid? Hm. Gotta go w/ Mary on this one. I don’t find the appearance ‘lurid’ at all, I find it quite beautiful. I appreciate that I live in a town where the natives believe purple, green & yellow go together but I’m doubting this has compromised my judgement to the point where black + gold = lurid. But perhaps it has. I’ll admit that for a whistle that plays this well and sounds this sweet I’d be a proud owner even if it was colored purple, green & yellow
However, I wouldn’t be surprised if a more ‘subtle’ finish was available if requested. I believe I’ve heard of him making the whistles from other wood beside blackwood, if that’s any indication. Although I did not request anything different than his standard whistle, I found him professional, friendly, responsive and in all ways a pleasure to work with.
I think the correct word is “glam”
I’ll second Trisha.
Also, seems the gold plating tends to wear off.
I’d prefer solid silver, which could be no more costly…
Hey Gerry,
Can you tell us how to contact Fred?
Try this
http://www.geocities.com/dwisely/fredrose.html
It could be outdated. Or not!
Dale also says:
g
I contacted Fred just a couple of weeks ago via email, at: fredrose.whistles " at " ntlworld.com