Who makes 'em?
(Monty Python Mode on)
Why them that makes the wooden whistles of course!
Ya?
I’ll have to start checking. I’ve got some renewed (is that a word?) interest.
Stick a Clarke head on a dijeridu (duct tape works well for this), hack out a few holes, … voila! Wooden low-(low-low)-D 
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
Swayne, Grinter, Bleazy…who am I forgetting? Probably a few, but hey, it’s early yet.
Grinter is your best bet. Swayne’s Low D’s are supposed to be fabulous - if you have 5 or 10 years to wait for one.
Loren
But, Seriously, Folks …
The method used for making a PVC low-D should work equally well on one of them wooden tubes folks’ve been on about here. You can buy the tubes for not a whole lot of money, so it’s possible to experiment. Maybe one of the folks who already do wood whistles, like Paul Busman, might be willing to take on such a project. Frankly, it intrigues me, but at the mo, I’m up to my arse in brarse (and copper, and chromoly), with little time to even scratch it! 
Hey, Paul! Quit piddlin’ around with them little splinters and grab onto a BIG hunka wood fer this guy!
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
On 2002-11-12 08:49, Loren wrote:
Swayne, Grinter, Bleazy…who am I forgetting? Probably a few, but hey, it’s early yet.Grinter is your best bet. Swayne’s Low D’s are supposed to be fabulous - if you have 5 or 10 years to wait for one.
Loren
Oh, sure, Loren - come right on in with some real information, why don’cha?! Just for that, I’m thinking of starting a new thread WWWWTTTT (Wunnerful Whippy Wooden Whistle Terrific Tech Talk Thread), and loosing it on the world! (echoes of evil laughter, receding…)
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
Loren, there is a private message for you.
BW
Loren, I didn’t see any low D whistles on Grinters website, but a keyless Grinter flute in blackwood is over $1,000. The Bleazey Low D is about $440 plus freight… more of what I had in mind.
Serpent… are you placing an order for that plywood tubing today?
Tony, there was a thread on Bleazey low whistles a short time ago. Check it out.
Cheers,
Jens
On 2002-11-12 09:16, Tony wrote:
Loren, I didn’t see any low D whistles on Grinters website, but a keyless Grinter flute in blackwood is over $1,000. The Bleazey Low D is about $440 plus freight… more of what I had in mind.
Grinter still doesn’t have anything on whistles on his website. I’ve emailed him twice asking the price of a low-D, but haven’t heard back. The high-D is US$240, so the low-D is probably in the ballpark of the Bleazey.
For a guy who seems to make whistles as a break from flute- and recorder-making, Michael really does a wonderful job. I have had a high-D for a few weeks now, and it’s absolutely remarkable.
Jens, thanks for the reminder. I did a search and there is much previous discussion.
On 2002-11-12 09:16, Tony wrote:
Loren, I didn’t see any low D whistles on Grinters website, but a keyless Grinter flute in blackwood is over $1,000. The Bleazey Low D is about $440 plus freight… more of what I had in mind.
Serpent… are you placing an order for that plywood tubing today?
Tony, much though I’m intrigued at the idea, it’s not in the cards for me for quite some time. My wood lathe still has a partially-turned billet of mulberry hanging in outer space, where I’d begun making a wooden high-D, just for giggles. The shop is presently dedicated to brass and shavings from same, while I get the BS whistle (Now, that’s funny! I think I like that! ) production up to speed. Tellya what - send me several hundred dollars now, and if I don’t forget, I’ll send you a wooden (low Eb, was it…?) in two or three years. There will also be a small planning charge, plus warehousing on the lumber (annual), but eventually, you may well get your (wood? Bakelite? Lexan?) low C# or whatever.
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
“Ta an sneachta go frasach fa bheal na n-aitheann’”
-“An Maighdean Mhara”-
(edit to correct funy speling)
[ This Message was edited by: serpent on 2002-11-12 10:17 ]
Michael hasn’t updated his site in years. Why? Because he doesn’t have to. Michael is so busy right now, and his flutes are in such high demand, with Crawford, McGoldrick, Barou, Veillon and Finnegan playing them, that I think he website is just not very high on his list of priorities.
Is that a good thing for we common folk? No, almost assuredly not, but in comparison, Patrick Olwell doesn’t even have a website, nor a public e-mail adress, for exactly the same reason… he just does not need any more business.
As for Michael’s whistles… they are quite expensive and I think the wait is at least 6 months, depending what he’s doing. The wait for his flutes, last time I talked to him, was about 18 months, though I’d add a few months to that for good measure.
Personally, I love both his flutes and whistles (I own a flute but no whistles), but I think the wood on the whistles is too thin (not from a sonic standpoint, but it’s just too delicate).
Best,
Chris
You can add Peter Merbeth of Brittany to the list; he charges Euro450+ and an 18-month wait.
I did a big research on this a few months ago and settled on Grinter as the one (he has many of the big names as clients, so a lot agree). I took delivery of a cocobolo low D 2-3 months ago and it is simply the best-sounding low D I’ve ever played. The tragedy is that current financial pressure may force a sale - I’m hoping not to sell too many whistles, but the Grinter would probably be the first as it’s the newest.
Incidentally, you’ll never find whistles on the Grinter website because he doesn’t want to be known as a whistle maker, but rather as a flute maker. However, he is aware of his burgeoning reputation and will take orders (6-9 month wait) for his whistles.
Incidentally, you’ll never find whistles on the Grinter website because he doesn’t want to be known as a whistle maker, but rather as a flute maker. However, he is aware of his burgeoning reputation and will take orders (6-9 month wait) for his whistles.
(Whoops! Double entry)
[ This Message was edited by: nickt on 2002-11-12 10:31 ]
I was seriously impressed with the Jon Swayne Low D I tried, but I have been waiting for him to make me one for 3 years.
Jessie
What would happen if you took a clarinet and stuck a whistle head on it?
Mike
Hey Jessie,
I was wondering if could explain the general characteristics of the Swayne Low D in terms of backpressure , volume and sound quality. I’ve always been curious about these whistles and the closest I’ve come to one was at Gaelic Roots. This piper had a low D in his pipe case and I went over to look at it, (gawk?) and I asked him if that was Swayne. His reply was “uh huh.” And then he promptly closed his case. How rwude! Or maybe he just noticed that manic gleam in my eyes! Bwhahahahah! 