Whistle Recomendations

[BSG-11288]

i have a question to throw out to the whistling world, i currently play a variety of whistles i've bought from Jerry Freeman, a few mellow dogs, a generations F whistle, and a Generations G whistle. (all tweaked) I love Freeman whistles, and i get to sit and talk with the man two nights a week, he sits at my college and works.

but... i was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions, specifically, i'm trying to find good brands of wood whistles to use for certain applications. i like the tonal quality of wooden whistles, but i have been unable as of yet to find any agreeable whistles for a reasonable price. i'm hoping to spend between 40 and 75 dollars roughly on one good D or C whistle.

anyone have any suggestions?

[Hotblack]

$40 - 75?? For a good wood whistle??

Sorry. From what I've seen and heard that doesn't compute. Wood whistles are, on the whole, expensive and the cheap ones are frankly, a bit rubbish.

Cue somebody else who proves me wrong.

[murchmb]

Tyrone Head is going to be (to my knowledge) the only quality maker in your price range. He has some non-tunable models for $65. I have no personal experience with his whistles, but he is a C&F member and there have been some discussions in the past regarding his whistles.

[brewerpaul]

Tyrone Head is going to be (to my knowledge) the only quality maker in your price range. He has some non-tunable models for $65. I have no personal experience with his whistles, but he is a C&F member and there have been some discussions in the past regarding his whistles.

I don't know how he does it for that price, but his whistles look pretty good.
The labor on a wooden whistle is tremendous, hence the cost. What you're buying is our (whistle makers, that is) time-- time not spent with family, other hobbies or just plain doing nothing on weekends or nights. It's truly a labor of love, more than a business.
If you get one of Tyrone's whistles, let us know how you like it.

[maki]

Tyrone Head is going to be (to my knowledge) the only quality maker in your price range. He has some non-tunable models for $65. I have no personal experience with his whistles, but he is a C&F member and there have been some discussions in the past regarding his whistles.

I don't know how he does it for that price, but his whistles look pretty good.
The labor on a wooden whistle is tremendous, hence the cost. What you're buying is our (whistle makers, that is) time-- time not spent with family, other hobbies or just plain doing nothing on weekends or nights. It's truly a labor of love, more than a business.
If you get one of Tyrone's whistles, let us know how you like it.

From his posts that I've read he is an older retired man who is more interested in art/craftsmanship than money.
How his whistles play I've no idea, but he does have a liberal return policy.
If you don't like them, send them back. Simple.

His products certainly look wonderful.
He also has wood 'travel whistles' that use brass fittings, these are non-tunable, for $45 this price includes shipping.
I'd sure love to see some respected whistle players review his products, could be they are the bargain of the century.
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[ecohawk]

Tommy Dion makes a really nice wood whistle that's pretty close to your price range. You can find him on this list and he sells on eBay occasionally. I own one in Maple with a Brass head and an old one in Dymonwood with a delrin head. They are both nice whistles with a much different sound than those nice Freeman's. Give Tommy a shout.

[AvienMael]

I would give a second vote for one of Tommy Dion's whistles, I used to own one in cocobolo and brass, and it was an outstanding whistle.

For those of you commenting on Tyrone's whistles... I own one. Buy one before you comment on it.

[ducks]

AM - would you comment on them? I looked at his site and the whistles look lovely. I'm not really interested in getting wood whistles (with the exception of those I really can't afford!) but would really like to hear about these!

[AvienMael]

AM - would you comment on them? I looked at his site and the whistles look lovely. I'm not really interested in getting wood whistles (with the exception of those I really can't afford!) but would really like to hear about these!

I've had to think really hard on this because I don't want to offend, mislead, or misrepresent...

Let me first say that I have played only this one whistle, so what I have to say is based entirely on that.

I bought a non-tunable whistle with a silver fipple cap for $65.00 + shipping.

I'll start with what folks might consider to be the bad: The finish work is not as nice in the hand as it appears in the picture. The joint between the silver cap and the wood body isn't very clean. The bore is slightly off-center from the bell end to the mouthpiece. The fipple plug is grey plastic - looks to be PVC, and was glued (but seems to have shifted slightly in transit, but I was able move it with a little effort to realign it with the rest of the relief cut on the beak when it arrived. I had no reason to believe it would move again, based on the good fit in the tube). The relief cut is a little shallow (IMO), leaving the mouthpiece a little thicker than what I am used to on other whistles, and isn't very smooth.

It shares a basic design similar the O'Brien and Tommy Dion whistles, and sounds very similar as well, although the upper octave is a bit more breathy, and the lower octave tends toward a softer, purer tone, and it can't be pushed like either of them. The bell note is not as strong as it could be - a bit softer than the rest of the scale. It has slight back pressure, and some chiff. It has a nice feel in the hands, and I like the spacing of the toneholes. It also has nice action. The ramp was well cut. The intonation is adequate - neither great, nor bad. It takes a little more breath control than either the O'Brien or the Dion - in fact, I think the OP probably would be satisfied with the whistle I recieved.

In all, I would stress that this is a very fair whistle for the price. However, people shouldn't let others who have no experience with these whistles influence their expectations. I think Tyrone is in a position to build himself a reputation as a good whistle maker, if he chooses to. He certainly has a good understanding of what he is doing, and with some refinements of his methods, techniques, and his overall finish, these whistles could be worth considerably more money than he is asking for them. As they are, I would recommend them for the price.

This is how the whistle was when I first received it. I have since removed the plastic fipple plug and replaced it with black delrin. I gave the new plug a little bevel and advanced it in the tube slightly (toward the ramp) and this has improved the difference in tone between the lower and upper octaves, making it more consistent. I pinned the plug in place with a 1/16" brass pin, and slimmed the mouthpiece more to to my liking to allow for better embouchre. At this point, it could probably stand a minor re-voicing of the tube, but I am going to hold off on that, because I rather like the way it plays - I always did - otherwise I wouldn't have bothered modifying it at all. And to be clear, what I have done with the whistle probably would not have worked if the basic "mechanics" of it hadn't been good to start with.

[ducks]

Thank you. And if it makes you feel better I can't imagine that would offend, mislead or represent. A handmade wood whistle with sterling fittings at that price seems quite incredible to me, and your review has in no way changed my feeling somewhere in the back of my mind that I'd like to get one, one day.