Why WHOA is a good thing

[Thomaston]

I learned an important lesson tonight. No matter how content you are with one particular whistle, always have a back-up. It was just within the last couple of days that I sold off all my whistles except for my favorite, a beautiful whistle by Paul Busman. But, just my luck, at some point during the last 24 hours my cat decided that he liked the smell and taste of the almond oil I used on it. So I get to the session tonight to discover that my one and only whistle has been chewed on badly. The tuning slide area of the lower section of the whistle had little tooth marks all in it. Even worse, the brass slide in the inner bore had been dented in so badly I couldn't put the pieces back together. So the session was a bust.
I tried pliers on the dents with no luck, and finally got a rounded metal file and worked on it until I could put it back together. It's still tighter than it was, but at least it works again. I also sanded and oiled the section with the teeth marks, so you'd have to look close to know anything was wrong with it.
But, a lesson has been learned. Always have a back-up. Even though I JUST sold a D/C Mellow Dog set, I'm about to buy another set, or at least the D. It really sucks to be without your primary instrument.
And if I ever get another Busman, it'll be in delrin.

[hoopy mike]

But, a lesson has been learned...

Ouch.
Lesson #2 - never trust a cat.

[benhall.1]

Yeah, are you sure your cat just liked the almond oil? Cats are mean. Cats hate whistles.

[weedie]

Iv'e always been fond of that hat that Davy Crocket used to wear ...
What about showing the said feline a photo or two ... could turn pussy off Whistles alltogether

[Feadoggie]

Interesting cat attack, Thomaston. The cats in my house hate the whistle. From what wood is your Busman made? I have noticed that our cats are attracted to a variety of exotic woods as chew toys even without almond oil if the timber is an aromatic variety. Mine go after bodhran tippers and other objects I've turned from rosewoods and the like. We had an anxious time over keeping them away from some tree ornaments I turned this past Christmas. My wooden whistles don't usually get left lying about.

You might want to contact Paul Busman about rehabilitating your favorite whistle.

I wouldn't think that having a second whistle as a back-up is really WhOA. It sounds more like common sense to me.

Feadoggie

[sbruyette]

Your cat wants you to play the flute. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[JTC111]

I wouldn't think that having a second whistle as a back-up is really WhOA. It sounds more like common sense to me.

Yes, in case another CATastrophe strikes!

[DrPhill]

I wouldn't think that having a second whistle as a back-up is really WhOA. It sounds more like common sense to me.

But what if something were to happen to your backup too?

[Pipe Bender]

Reason #2: WhOA helps the economy

[Steve Bliven]

... I wouldn't think that having a second whistle as a back-up is really WhOA. It sounds more like common sense to me.

There's a whole grey area between WhOA and common sense. Which may result in some very interesting purchasing decisions...

Best wishes.

Steve

[ecohawk]

Always wondered why it's called "common sense". That would imply common agreement on a particular topic. I don't believe that there is any common agreement on C&F about WHOA. First, one would need to define WHOA. At what point is it called WHOA and not a backup situation? Then there is the issue of some tunes/songs sounding better on one whistle versus another. That sounds very practical to me. So let's see...I own 31 D whistles so if I have eight different types of tune each requiring an individual whistle and one backup for each, with one backup in case something happens to the backup as well, plus one for each just in case the environment requires a different setup, that makes 32 whistles. Does that mean that I'm one short? Is that WHOA or common sense?

Oh and my cat has a love/hate relationship with whistles. He hates anything higher than A but seems to enjoy those at A or lower. Often sits on my lap when I play the lower ones. However, I won't leave a wooden whistle or a plastic mouthpiece whistle anywhere near either the cat or the dog. It's the dog I don't trust. He even tried to chew my aluminum Overton A once.

[Thomaston]

It is an exotic wood. Called yaje (pronounced yah-hee) from South America.
I thought about sending it back to Paul to see what he could do, but frankly I don't think there's much he could do that I haven't already done. I just played it a bit, and it sounds as good as it always did.

[ducks]

Always wondered why it's called "common sense". That would imply common agreement on a particular topic.

I've always thought it meant ordinary (as opposed to high-level) rather than held in common...