Another review of the new GFM whistles

mcurry · Post by **mcurry** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 6:32 pm

I was lucky enough to get to try out two of Chuck Tilbury's new whistles over the weekend as part of the current GFM whistle tour. The whistles came as a set of one head and two bodies (soprano D and mezzo G) which were interchangeable.

The first thing I noticed was the workmanship. Though we'd been warned that these were prototypes, and therefore perhaps not as well finished as the final product would be, I thought they looked fantastic. The head had the curved windway used in previous GFM whistles, the head was easily removed from the bodies but sat securely when played, and the holes in the bodies were smoothly cut with no sharp edges. If the production versions are going to be even better than these, they'll be fine whistles indeed. When assembled, both whistles were sturdy and thick-walled, and therefore on the heavy side.

As far as the sound goes, I was quite impressed with the mezzo G version of the whistle. It doesn't take a lot of air to get a wonderful full tone in the first octave, and pushing into the second octave wasn't overly difficult. There was some breathiness in the second octave that was more or less absent from the first. Some of the notes tended toward being a wee bit on the sharp side (particularly the C), but it wasn't anything that couldn't be brought back into line with breath control. I really liked this whistle a lot.

I was less fond of the soprano D version of the whistle. It's got some big holes for a D, which I suppose is due to the large diameter of the body, and the spacing was such that my 3rd and 4th fingers touched slightly. In contrast to the mezzo G, this version of the whistle required a lot of air to get a good tone and was very loud. In fact, it was really too loud for my tastes, though I could certainly see a use for it in noisy sessions or maybe outdoor settings. Both the first and second octaves had a lot of breathiness, but the whistle was quite responsive (as long as you kept up the strong airflow it needed) and nicely in tune. So, a nice whistle that just didn't hit my personal preferences. I've had a chance to try one of the regular GFM soprano Ds, and I think that was a better match for me.

Anyway, I appreciate Chuck giving me the chance to try these fine whistles out, and I hope people will give the new GFM line a shot once they're widely available.

doogieman · Post by **doogieman** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:33 pm

Can anyone compare this GFM with a SYN?

preacher · Post by **preacher** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:16 pm

Doogie- I have a Syn and I'm on the tour. When It's my turn I will do a comparison. The Syn is not overly loud as this GFM is described but I like loud so I am looking forward to trying it out.

whistlin'fool · Post by **whistlin'fool** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:17 pm

Hey I have a SYN D and i can say (I'm a tour manager and have already played with the whistles), the two are completely different. The syn doesn't require much air to get a nice tone out of it, the GFM D on the other hand does. The GFM is also about 2-3 times louder (especially in the second octave). The syn has a pure-er tone to it, slightly reedy, but not too breathy, whereas the GFM is really breathy. I have to say that I find the syn to be a little bit more complex in it's tone compared to that of the GFM, but overall the GFM was just too breathy for my taste. Hope this helps, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Oreo · Post by **Oreo** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:21 pm

While waiting for Preacher's comments, here are mine:

In comparing GFM to the Syn whistles, it would be much better to compare the standard model GFM, not the tour model. The standard GFM and the Syn whistles are made of virtually the same stuff, of aluminum tubing, with the same wall thickness. But the tone on the Syn whistles is pure and with a lot of backpressure. The GFM has a very uniform breathiness, a bold sound with soft edges, and much less backpressure. The GFM is never shrill, even though it is louder. The Syn whistles are easier to play, because not as much breath is needed to play a phrase. Both kinds of tone have their place. I find the GFM whistles to be impecably in tune, whereas I have had to tweak my Syn whistles to be satisfied with them.

The new, tour GFM whistles are really different animals. I think the mezzo G is terrific. It is kind of what you would expect as a mezzo G to match the standard GFM. The tour soprano D, made with the same diameter tubing as the mezzo G, (comparing with ALL other soprano Ds) is like holding a bazooka. Very impressive for special purposes; not what you want for everyday gigs.

Oreo

Learning Piper · Post by **Learning Piper** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:06 pm

Oreo wrote: The new, tour GFM whistles are really different animals. I think the mezzo G is terrific. It is kind of what you would expect as a mezzo G to match the standard GFM. The tour soprano D, made with the same diameter tubing as the mezzo G, (comparing with ALL other soprano Ds) is like holding a bazooka. Very impressive for special purposes; not what you want for everyday gigs.

Oreo

Very well said. Your other comments about the standard GFM makes think I may have to see about getting one. (And the waiting list goes on and on, and on, and on...)

ctilbury · Post by **ctilbury** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:23 pm

Learning Piper wrote:
Oreo wrote: The new, tour GFM whistles are really different animals. I think the mezzo G is terrific. It is kind of what you would expect as a mezzo G to match the standard GFM. The tour soprano D, made with the same diameter tubing as the mezzo G, (comparing with ALL other soprano Ds) is like holding a bazooka. Very impressive for special purposes; not what you want for everyday gigs.Oreo
Very well said. Your other comments about the standard GFM makes think I may have to see about getting one. (And the waiting list goes on and on, and on, and on...)

There is no waiting list. I can send one today, if you want me to. I have E,D,C,and Bb in stock. <<grin>> If you want a mezzo, then it would be a week or two, but no longer. I usually try to keep some stock but it has been tough lately.

preacher · Post by **preacher** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 2:18 pm

My impresions about comparison of these GFM whistles with Syn is in another thread but basically agree with those here -these are completely different from the Syns I have.