Has anyone tried all three of these whistles?
They’re all about the same in price $125-130.
I like the looks of the Chieftain Gold, but have heard wonderful stuff about the Silkstone.
I know Overtons generally receive good reviews, but I’m worried they may need too much pressure on the highest few notes for my liking. Are Chieftains like this too?
Thanks for any comments.
-Brett
I’m not sure about the Overton or Chieftain soprano whistles, but the Silkstone does require a lot of wind in the highest few notes. It has good tone, if you mind the tuning slide, but if you’re looking for a whistle that is more balanced across the octaves I recommend a tapered bore, such as the Copeland. They’re worth the wait.
Phlebas
On 2001-11-28 21:06, Bretton wrote:
I know Overtons generally receive good reviews, but I’m worried they may need too much pressure on the highest few notes for my liking. Are Chieftains like this too?
I have an Overton D and have tried a Chieftan D. Both whistles require a huge air pressure in the second octave. The few times I have tried playing my Overton when playing with others, they visibly wince whenever I reach the upper end of the second octave. In short, if you don’t like whistles with high air pressure requirements, I wouldn’t go for either Overton or Chieftan…
Cheers,
Jens
I have an Overton and a Silkstone alloy, and I’d be hard pressed to say which of the two I like best… they’re both great whistles.
The Overton has more “attitude” and is a lot less sensitive to breath pressure, making it well suited for faster tunes with lots of octave jumps.
The Silkstone has a very pure tone and requires less beath pressure, but I find that I usually only pick mine up when I’m going to play an air.
Brett,
I’ve got a couple of Goldie Overton D’s, a Bernard Overton D and a Chieftain C, all take quite a bit of breath pressue in the second octave, except the Bernard Overton Soprano D. I find that whistle to require only medium breath presssure.
It should be noted that if you order directly from Colin, he can usually make a whistle to your liking, easy blowing etc., however it will still be an Overton so it’ll never play like a generation.
Haven’t tried a silkstone, wish I had one actually - they sound great from what I’ve heard (word of mouth and Mick’s playing with one on clips and snips).
Loren
Totally, in no uncertain terms, a Silkstone Alloy d is easier to play than an Overton or Chieftain. It also has a more pure tone.
I disagree completely with Phlebas about intonation being better on a conical instrument. Furthermore, in my experience, I have found conical bore whistles to have a more flutey, less pure tone.
Go with the Silkstone Alloy d.
Jessie
Actually, I said that tapered bore whistles are often more “balanced”, and by that I meant that the breath requirements for the upper octave are not much more than the lower, which is what he is looking for. Sorry for the confusion…
Phlebas
Jessie is right: the Silkstone is fairly easy to play. It is spot-on in tune and looks really cool. It has a bright, clear tone with little chiff. The curved windway never clogs (as the Overton or Chieftain certainly do). I only know Overton low whistles, but it is safe to say that the Silkstone sounds “sweet” and “optimistic” whereas the others tend to have a more “aggressive” sound (dunno what I mean by this…)
Christian
I see now what you meant, Phlebas…it was the bit about the tuning side that threw me off. I happen to disagree with your idea that conical bore whistles are more balanced between octaves…I think modern Copeland whistles have a bigger balance issue than many straight bore whistles. That’s ok…difference of opinion is cool.
Jessie
I’ve never played a Chieftain or an Overton high D…But I do have a Silkstone Alloy high D. Its a really good whistle. Well worth the money.
Brent
Haven’t tried Chieftain gold. Love Overton’s generally, but in soprano D, would recommend heartily either Silkstone alloy or Burke Al-pro aluminum.
I’ve gotta say that I’m very happy with my Overton D. It’s currently my ‘go to’ whistle. In fact my brother, who is only just beginning to play, went through my entire whistle collection (actually pretty extensive - though nothing compared with Loren, I’m sure) and stopped and went “Wow” on the Overton. I didn’t even prompt him.
It is true that the upper notes need some punch, but you’ll get better breath support with time, and in the mean time appreciate the full bodied sound that the Overton provides.
Erik