There are several whistles I have that I never play. None that I consider intolerable or that sort of thing and several that I regard as tweaking projects rather than whistles. But some are fine whistles that I just never play. And I am playing fewer and fewer whistles.
So I am thinking about doing what people here tend to call “culling the herd,” selling off whistles you don’t play. I’d like to do that because there are some purchases I’d like to make. But I find that it’s hard: letting go of whistles.
The big question is why are you playing fewer and fewer whistles? Is it because you have lost interest in the whistle or because you have narrowed it to a few select whistles that provide complete whistle happiness? If the last is true we want to know what you are keeping.
I am playing more and more whistle and less and less whistles, if you get my drift. Well I am still making up my mind about letting a few things go (and not that I have much of a collection to begin with), but here is what I am definitely keeping: Generations, Sindts, Overtons, and my brilliant new Humphrey’s of course. In fact, because of the Humphrey I am tempted to sell one of my Sindogs (Sindt D with Feadog shaft). I’d be keeping Sindog D, a Sindt Eb, a Sindt C, and Overton D, D, C, A, low D. Then there are several (*cough) cheapos, mostly Generations, with a few Feadogs, Oaks, Waltons in various stages of tweak or untweak.
I’m having a hell of a time letting go of whistles
I no longer play. Sort of like the old boomerang
I had when I was a kid. Nearly killed myself
trying to throw it away.
Another thing that makes it difficult to debulk is that whistles just aren’t selling lately. I listed a bunch two months in a row, sold fewer than half, so now will be using them for a fundraiser.
I actually have not had tooo much of a time selling whistles. Once Renee says they have to go, they go. No, really, we decide together which whistles we like the sound of together, as individual whistles and as duet whistles with her flute.
I actually have not had too much trouble selling and/or trading. The only one I have left to sell is my Lon Dubh. $300 or trade?
The only whistle I have REALLY gotten attached to is my Overton Low D. That whistle has made it through comparisons with at least 10 other low d whistles. I likes is lots. I also get the evil eye if I even think about selling the Bleazey Low D.
I’m really interested in that..shame I don’t have the bucks or anything interesting to trade for it..unless you’d consider a 20-something year old no-longer-made feadan fair trade…
I think thinning the herd is a good thing. I’ve given away some of my best whistles this way, just stuff that i didn’t play, but deserved to be played.
Which reminds me, i think you have my address already, if not, PM me!
It stands to reason that if you have 20 or 30+ whistles you are going to neglect some of them. My excuse for having so many is that I like to have at least one pure and one raspier whistle in each key and that I need whistles in just about every key since I play in non-folk contexts which could call for just about anything. That excuse simply doesn’t wash when I have both Overton and Copeland or both Overton and Grinter in the same key. I simply couldn’t choose which to keep and which to sell. I have my Copeland and Overton low Gs out side by side right at the moment and I play one after the other and enjoy both.
The situation is slightly ridiculous because I still don’t have whistles in certain keys. If I could sell a few, I’d be able to finance purchases in the missing keys.
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No, really, we decide together which whistles we like the sound of together, as individual whistles and as duet whistles with her flute.