I sent a sound clip of my NR Chieftain Low E to Mr. Phil Hardy to demonstrate a problem I was having with it, particularly in the upper register. I had given it what I felt was a thorough cleaning but that did not rectify the problem. It sounded as if I was blowing more air than sound.
He acknowledged that he heard what I was talking about and requested I sent it in for evaluation.
So some 2 weeks ago, I sent it in. Since he is overseas I expected him to receive it after, what, some 7 days?
He sent me an email about a week ago, said he had checked it, removed some “smarf” (sp?), and was returning it to me.
I received the whistle today.
It now sounds absolutely magnificent with the Trade-mark™ Kerry Whistle quality I have come to expect from each of his products. It is now one of those whistles that I cant put down. I plan to spend the rest of the evening enjoying the music that comes from it (whether my audience of 2 cats and 2 dogs will feel the same is another matter)
Only once before had I felt a need to send a whistle in to be checked, and I got less than satisfactory results from the maker.
It is extremely satisfying to feel comfortable playing any of Phil Hardy’s Kerry Whistles and equally as important to know that the Phil responds to concerns quickly and professionally.
Thanks again, Phil, you are great to do business with!
(I wonder if he ran it thru the dishwasher AKA kdmartinky??)
Stewy Phil may have run it through the dishwasher…LOL I do agree that Phil is one of the best makers when it comes to customer services and backing his product.
I’ll second that Phil is one of the very best makers to deal with, not that I have any bad experience from any other maker, but Phil is simply a wonderful man to deal with.
It seems to me that nearly any maker can be praised for his craftsmanship or service and any instrument recommended by a third party without someone making a snarky comment unless the maker is Phil Hardy.
There is a extended brouhaha on another thread where Phil recommended a clip on his website of an outstanding performance on a Susato. The thread was even entitled “Buy a SUSATO…” and he got attacked for self-promotion. I do not understand why this should be.
It is you and perhaps a handful of others who find it necessary to imagine things whenever Phil Hardy is concerned.
You left a very important line out of my quote to take it enough out of context to support your contention:
“Only once before had I felt a need to send a whistle in to be checked, and I got less than satisfactory results from the maker.”
One well-respected whistle-craftsman took 2 weeks to tell me there was nothing he could do. Phil turned it over in a day. Minor problem, granted, but the fact that it didnt take him 2 weeks (and me having to call for status) is worth noting.
I am also write for a hobby and I put the Smoot style in it to catch attention. Obviously I succeed.
I enjoy Kerry Whistles. I also enjoy Busman Whistles. I also enjoy Freeman tweaked whistles. In the past I have written positively about my dealings with each of the latter two. You can look it up.
And I have written favorably about other whistles that I felt deserved notice, although they were not right for me. You can look that up too.
And if you search the forum for other posters reviews of other whistle craftsmen, you will find that commenting favorably is not uncommon in the slightest.
And I dont see them getting the type of response you infer.
“Swarf” would have been a logical thing for him to say. Swarf is the name for machining debris, typically the bits or curls of waste metal that accumulate around a metal lathe or mill.
Stewy, you should drip a little soapy solution through the mouthpiece each time you are finished playing. Or something.
I will note the good service you received.
I do agree that Phil is one of the best makers when it comes to customer services and backing his product.
I am an Overton kinda guy. 