Does anyone have any experience with Thin Weasel Low Whistles? I’m curious about the A, Low G, and Low F. How do they compare to other high quality whistles? I’ve had a soprano d for several years now and I like it more and more all the time.
Is it best to order directly from Mr. Schultz? Any idea what the wait might be? Any other sources for Thin Weasel whistles?
I have Glenn’s Low F, only Low F I have so I can’t compare. Seemed to me like very good value.
Its not high-volume like the rest of my waterweasel/thinweasel collection in higher bellnotes, but rather quiet and gentle. I’ve used it in church choir. very smooth, not much chiffy sound to my aging ear.
Sure, order directly from Glenn, why wouldn’t you. You get to talk to the maker hisself, and he is always interesting to talk to.I’ve posted his phone and email previously, but at the risk of repeating… thnwzl@aol.com 1-248-872-3854
I last spoke to him about 2 weeks ago, at which time Glenn said he was about finished his special project of 8 or 9 Limited Edition non-keyed D “Irish” Flutes in exotic woods.
[ This Message was edited by: bob baksi on 2002-04-17 12:52 ]
Most of my experience is with the Water Weasels, but the wooden G I’ve tried was very similar to my PVC G, so I think it probably carries over.
The PVC G requires fairly large fingers, is easy to play, sounds mellow and sweet, and is a lot of fun. The wooden Gs I’ve tried were like that, only moreso. Very, very nice instruments. And unlike the PVC, they are in three pieces, so they are fairly compact when disassembled.
The PVC F requires huge fingers; it’s physically harder to play than any low D I’ve ever tried. Other than that, it sounds like the PVC G. I’ve never seen a wooden F, I imagine it is a bit easier to play than the PVC.
The PVC A is an awe-inspiring whistle. It is a blast to play and sounds great, like the PVC D, but with a lot more presence and a great mellow tone. One of my very favorite instruments. I’ve never seen a wooden A, and I imagine it is actually quite a bit different than the PVC model – the tube is likely much thinner.
Hope this helps.
Why is the F harder to play that the D?
(note: lowest I’ve played is A)
in response to avanutria’s question,
I have several low D’s, even an O’Briain Low C, so I can compare my Schultz Low F to those.
My experience is not the same as Colomon.I believe the Schultz Low F is easier to play than my Low D’s or Low C. As I am now recollecting from workplace and don’t have the whistles in front of me to measure,the finger spacing is less wide apart on the Schultz Low F than my Copeland or O’Briain or Chieftain Low whistles, therefore “easier” in that sense. The whistle itself is shorter than, but about the same width as, my Low Ds. The holes themselves may not be smaller, but I certainly don’t recall the Low F being “harder” to play in any sense. My Low F doesn’t need as much wind as the others. But being 6’3", my finger size has never been an issue to consider (except I can’t get them all on a high G, which I consider to be a gain for humanity).
I just checked, and the hole spacing range for each hand is identical between my Water Weasel low F and my O’Riordan low D, and the holes themselves are larger on the Weasel.
The hands are further spread apart on the O’Riordan, which makes it more fatiguing to play – my right wrist invariably gets sore. But the Weasel is definitely harder to play.
It’s still a very nice instrument, but playing it takes some work, and potential purchasers should definitely be aware of that.
I have the entire complement of Water Weasels, and a Thin Weasel D (and a C on order). My experience with the PVC vs. wood D is similar to Colomon’s. On the surface the wooden whistle is remarkably similar to the PVC, but the subtleties are remarkable. Now that summer’s here, it doesn’t seem to be clogging anymore, and I would say without a doubt it’s the most remarkable whistle I’ve played.
As for the low whistles, they’re in two families: the Bb and A are 5/8 (I think) grey pipe, and the G and F are 3/4 white. As opposed to Colomon, I would say that the G is the real jewell of the WW family – it all comes down to personal taste, though. The F and G are not for everybody – as has been pointed out, the holes are VERY large. I don’t find the stretch a problem: I have boxy hands, my fingers aren’t very long, but they’re broad. If you have long, skinny fingers, you may be able to reach all the holes but not seal them.
The Bb and A whistles are both wonderful – the Bb almost plays and sounds like a low whistle, so it may not be to everybody’s taste also. I know it took me awhile to appreciate its character.
All of these whistles have the Weasel sound. They have plenty of chiff without any breathiness – sort of the opposite of the Shaws (which I like too). The breath requirements are moderate, but they still have pretty good back pressure. I find the sound pretty balanced between the octaves in all of them.
Charlie
On 2002-04-17 19:11, chas wrote:
I have the entire complement of Water Weasels, and a Thin Weasel D (and a C on order).
I’m jealous – the Thin Weasel C was the best Schultz whistle I ever got to try. If I didn’t have a mortgage to pay…
As opposed to Colomon, I would say that the G is the real jewell of the WW family – it all comes down to personal taste, though.
Yup. Actually, I think the Bb is my absolute favorite, with the A close behind. The G is a really nice whistle, and some days it’s all I’ll play, but it doesn’t really stand out for me that much over his other whistles – they’re all really nice, except maybe the cranky old low F. (And even that’s nice.)
Today, for instance, I played the Eb a lot. 