October opening

Whistle
1

Here is my August ad.



On Tuesday I’ll run my September ad.


In October I’ll take orders.


If you want September whistles, be at the GJ fair or Ron Rowe’s tomorrow!


Anyway, I guess it’s time to make some kind of commitment to whistledom.

OK, I am committed to whistles–the making of them, and the rather amateurish playing of them.

I am NOT committed to making whistles commercially. I make them for fun and a small profit that makes whistlemaking an appealing hobby.

I am committed to making whistles I am satisfied with and sharing them with folks, with the understanding they be satisfied, too. I will repair, replace or refund till there remains no reason to be dissatisfied.

I am NOT committed to a waiting list. At least not one of more than twenty names. My plan is to sell no more than twenty whistles each month. I have concluded that in order to do that, a new list must be started the first of each month. I will treat phone requests the same as email requests (in the order I receive them). I will answer each request, but number 21 or higher will have to try again next month. I doubt there will be that many, but just in case…

The exception to this rule relates to the whistles I provide for charity and church whistlers. Every tenth whistle and as many as I want to make in addition to these are given for free at my discretion. This adds another dimension to the pleasure of making whistles. I consider it a ministry.

There are also the free whistles offered to anyone who visits my shop.

My quest for the “perfect” whistle goes on! And anything tubular still looks like a potential whistle to me. R&D and sharing ideas do involve a lot of my time. I go on, playing poorly, and always impressed by the sounds coming from the rest of you.

Oh, and quiet whistles are my signature sound, but not my limitation.

You see more words gathered here in one place than ever I’ve been guilty of on C&F before. And hardly any alliteration or rhyme.

I can say it in a line: I love this community!

Mack

2

Mack,

You crack me up! Good to see (hear) you in good spirits. Here’s a funny story I bet you can relate to:

Last week I was cleaning out a closet and stumbled across 2 pair of old crutches - one for each knee surgery I’ve had. As I walked down to the dumpster to chuck them (the foam padding was disintegrating and the important plastic parts were all cracked and falling apart - not really in a donateable state), I thought: “Wait a minute, these are made from aluminum tubing…” Needless to say, I didn’t chuck them - there’s whistles in there somewhere :laughing:

Best wishes for a continued speedy recovery,

Loren

[ This Message was edited by: Loren on 2002-08-31 18:00 ]

3

I got your webpage without any difficulty when I clicked on the link under your posts…beautiful whistles! But I can’t find your page when I run Google search.

I’m thinking a quiet whistle would be nice to have someday! Perhaps I won’t be so concerned that my husband might suddenly snap and throttle me while I’m praciticing? LOL

There is something delightful about seeing the blood drain from his face when I walk through the house playing Irish Washerwoman on my Susato, though…

I’m just kidding!

:wink:

Kim


\

“Whistling women and crowing hens never come to no good end”

[ This Message was edited by: Kim in Tulsa on 2002-08-31 18:12 ]

4

o.k. Mack look for my order ( a non-tunable brass Bb) @ 12:01 a.m. October 1st.
Seriously! :slight_smile:

5

Welcome back, Mack!!
The world needs more of your whistles, and I have a feeling that I will need one someday when I save up a little more.
God Bless You!!

6

Thanks for the post and the advance information, Mack. Your mindset comes across clearly in the message.

7

Outstanding, Mack!

I’ve often wondered how many whistle makers start by tinkering around trying to make themselves a whistle. Then once somebody else hears it, they ask if they can have one. This happens a few times and the whistle maker entertains the idea of selling to the public. More and more whistles, more and more orders. Pretty soon the whistle maker is stressing over the length of the waiting list, dissatisfied customers and their day job. Before you know it, the whistlesmith is wishing he had never made that first whistle. I wonder if this ever happens?

Anyway, I’m glad that you have a plan to insure that it remains a hobby that is as satisfying to you as it is to your customers. Just make sure to stick to it…even if I’m #21 :slight_smile:

By the way, I’m having wonderful fun with my newly aquired used G. It has proven to be a more reliable weather predictor than the local news. I’m convinced that it can tell me whether the barometer is going up or down. All this and it sounds soooo beautiful to!!

Take care,
Eric

8

No new news on opening day, except that I’ve had some folks try to place orders ahead of time. I’m not mad at all, but flattered. However flattery will get you nowhere!

If a vote reveals that this is not an Ad I may try to still get one in for September!

Mack

9

Tomorrow’s my big day. Review the first post for policy and click on the little house on the periphery for prices.

10

On 2002-09-30 23:59, Mack.Hoover wrote:
…little house on the periphery…

Hey Mack,

Wasn’t that where Michael Landon lived?!?! :smiley:

B~

11

Well, reckon how bad the “midnight rush” was to send an email? I know some were trying to do that, anyway.

12

Hey, welcome back, Mack! The site looks nice and I’m sure will work well as you continue to add to it.

Hope you’ll consider adding those Whitecap whistles of yours to the catalog someday. The more I play it, the more it edges out all my other whistles (and any I’ve ever tried) as my favorite soprano D. Great sound and I’m sure others would like it, too :slight_smile:

Regardless, it looks like you’re definitely going about this the right way to keep your focus and hopefully avoid burnout. You’re a wonderful person and a great asset to the whistling community. Good luck on your re-opening!

God Bless.

13

Really good idea! Makes a lot of sense.

However, for those of us NOT in America (and some 18 hours AHEAD of America) if I were to place an order at 1 Oct Midnight you would recieve it early the day before…
How does one get around that?

(damnit, only been playing for three weeks, gotta stop wanting whistles!)
Stella

14

Thanks Paul. Pricing a whistle that so resembles a Generation is hard; besides anyone who would hand craft a Generation clone has to have something wrong upstairs.

Brian, speaking of peripherial issues–how’re my specs coming?

Stella, New Zealanders get special treatment. I have a whistler friend there–Warren Fisher. Warren where are you, at sea on your boat?

So far it’s been a good and productive day, and the list isn’t complete.

Mack

15

I got on the list today for a tunable sop D traditional bore brass. And I’m wondering the traditional bore sounds the same as the narrow bore, in terms of sweetness. I know the trad. bore will be louder but I was wondering about the tone. Thanks

Jack Murphy

[ This Message was edited by: MurphyStout on 2002-10-01 22:45 ]

16

<–wishes she weren’t always broke. :laughing: Hrm, there’s always christmas. practices puppy eyes for use on parents

Glad you’re doing well, Mack, and back to your whistles! Everybody missed you, as I’m sure you’ve noticed already!


17

On 2002-09-01 00:24, vaporlock wrote:

I’ve often wondered how many whistle makers start by tinkering around trying to make themselves a whistle.

Well, Eric, I’m no whistle-smith, but I have made a couple of whistles with brass tubing. EJ Jones (of Clandestine) soemetimes comes to the Houston session, and he has on two occasions tried to cajole me into giving him my whistle, or showing him how I made it. I’ve been too embarrassed by the whistle’s obvious “hammer-crafted” look (also known as the "made by a drunken monkey with a mallet look) to do either. If I had the skill/knowledge/tools to make a decent looking whistle, I may have already been sucked into this viscious circle you describe. Thank goodness for ineptitude! :wink:

Greg

18

Goll, I sure am drooling over the thought of buying a Hoover, and have been ever since I heard Beth’s in July. (And no Martin, I’m not talking about a vacuum! :smiley:) But alas, my husband can’t be convinced that I need to buy a more expensive whistle…any tips on hypnotism, folks?

MCM Transatlantic Whistle Detective Agency - no case too small.
Branches in London and Salt Lake City

[ This Message was edited by: Cees on 2002-10-02 23:27 ]