WTB: Interesting Hi D whistle <$100 for teen beginner (US)

[krl66]

I have a Parks Walkabout C/D set in black that would fit the bill for a travelling durable whistle I could trade or sell if you felt it would be useful. Its a great whistle, I just have another that suits me better so I don't really play it.

[MatthewVanitas]

Thanks for the great suggestions so far! Thus far the Killarney does appear to be one of the best options.

Albas look great and have a good rep, but my impression is they're a bit more of a player's whistle than a beginners.

The Gal Hitch one does look lovely, so sleek and silver. I'll have to go read up on those re how beginner-friendly they are. I saw that Gal had posted last year about having carbon fiber whistles (presumably pricier) but don't see those on the site now.

The Hermit Hill wooden ones are bonny things, though I am avoiding wood just so the instrument won't suffer if it sits on a shelf for years and then gets picked up again, or getting cracked if carried around in a hard sleeve in a backpack. I see he has a delrin instrument too, but a little pricier at $125.

One thing I'd been considering was the delrin Sweetheart whistle, the synth version of his wood ones. I have a delrin Sweetheart fife and it works great. But it appears he no longer makes that model. Is the W.D. Sweet "Black Pearl" model the same item, now made by some relative of Ralphs, or is the model/name just coincidence? Though again at $150 the Pearl is a little pricier than I want to go, unless it's just an amazing player in addition to being cool.


Not to be shallow on looks or anything, just since this is a gift (and indirectly one to her folks for helping me out), I wanted to get one that connotes seriousness and quality even to a non-player. Both so I won't look too cheap in the gift, and so she'll be delighted with it and take it seriously. Like giving someone a koa Kamaka as their first ukulele instead of a plywood Mahalo. To a small degree I feel like avoiding the delrin ones since on some level they may register as "just plastic toy" to a non-familiar person, except maybe one of the delrins with pretty engraved ferules or whatnot, though those tend to be over $100.


At the moment I'm leaning towards the Killarney as being quality-looking, very reasonable price, and having gotten great reviews since it came out, including for being easy-blowing and good for beginners. I have some slight lean to an Impepe, since my cousin's earliest childhood memories are from living in Capetown. But again at the risk of being shallow, the Impepe's cool logo and provenance are just a sticker, whereas if they were engraved it'd look way classier. Don't get me wrong, for axes for me I'll take whatever functions best; my main whistle now (living in Bogota and working throughout Latin America) is a breakdown Parks white PVC whistle from Florida. But for a gift I want this to look timeless and high-end, get some ooh-ahs from the recipient/parents/peers.

My first whistle ever (unmarked Soodlum-esque?) I got from this cousin's father, my uncle, when I was maybe 5 years old, and it sat in my toybox for years until I was a teenager. One day picked it up and realized I could play my jigs and reels on it, and I've been playing whistle ever since for twenty years. Maybe that won't happen with this cousin, but I'll give it a shot!


Side note on cases: what's the word for those ratcheting rectangular long plastic boxes which some people use as whistle cases? I think they're originally intended for big drill bits or other tool parts. Those seem to work pretty well as basic protection for hauling around with other things. Myself, for past overseas travel I bought a piece of PVC pipe just bigger than my Generation, an inch longer at each end, and would drop the whistle in and "cork" the ends with some wadded-up plastic bags. Pretty solid whistle case for under $1. Would either the ratchet-box or a PVC pipe be the preferred knockaround "case" for her to carry it in her backpack with books to jam with friends after school, take to summer-camp, etc?

[krl66]

MatthewVanitas, I can't receive a PM yet on the forum apparently. Link to Parks Walkabout is below and feel free to email me if its intriguing.

http://www.parkswhistles.com/BlackEveryWhistles.html

[MTGuru]

MatthewVanitas, I can't receive a PM yet on the forum apparently.

With 3+ posts, you now have PM access. Cheers - Mod

[Lars Larry Mór Mott]

Ian's Impempe whistles are great, being a bit shallow myself i ordered mine without the sticker. I know what it is anyway, and the key is engraved/stamped on them

[MatthewVanitas]

Someone mentioned the Mark Hoover 2pc phenolic resin whistles. Has there been any pictures of them posted? There's none on his site. They seem a potential (and affordable) alternative to the Sweetheart derlin whistle.

Though Killarney still topping the list...

[Jayhawk]

I know those tool type of rectangular tubes you're talking about, and those do work well as would a PVC of CPVC tube. My killarney either lives in my flute case or in my backback in a pencil/pen slot built into the backpack. I've never messed with a discrete whistle case - they all get tossed in the backpack or flute case and I don't worry about them (although it should be noted I don't have a wooden whistle or anything I worry too much about breaking - they're all either too tough or too cheap to be concerned about).

Eric

[MatthewVanitas]

I know those tool type of rectangular tubes you're talking about, and those do work well as would a PVC of CPVC tube.

Any idea what the actual term for those is, such that I could type it into eBay and buy a sleeve for a buck or two for my cousin?

I did once crack a head on a Generation, and back in my teens a girlfriend managed to crush a Sweetone within days of my giving it to her for St. Nicholas Day, when she tossed a conical metal whistle into a backpack full of textbooks. I'm also occasionally in countries where I can't simply buy another $8 Generation if I break one, so I'm more careful than usual. Though I did see one single store in Bogota where they were selling some kind of tinwhistle or flagolet I'd never seen before, will have to go back and check then.


Found one other option I'm mulling, that looks classy and has some good reviews. Syn Whistles out of Australia. Any thoughts?

[MadmanWithaWhistle]

Matthew, I find that the best beginner whistle is a Bb Jerry Freeman tweaked generation. I have a nickel one I fancy a little more than the brass, but YMMV. They're pleasant on the ears and easy to practice on. I've only found a few D whistles I like, and really the only way to tell is to play one. If she could visit a music shop and pick one she likes, that would be best. But no one I know doesn't like a Jerry Freeman Bb for starters.

Currently, my favorite D whistle is made by Carbony (over your posted price range), but I also have a Killarney, which seems to be out of tune with itself at A440. When the head is pushed all the way in, it's a totally different whistle but also quite sharp of concert A.

[Sirchronique]

But no one I know doesn't like a Jerry Freeman Bb for starters..

Jerry makes great whistles and his bluebird D and blackbird Eb are two of my favourite whistles I own... However, I personally think that the freeman tweaked Bb isn't any "better" than a regular generation Bb. It's a good whistle, and definitely cleaner up top (be it for better or worse) , but I think it loses a lot of that fullness in the entire lower octave, and sounds pretty bland in the low notes.

Generation's Bb is the only generation I play regularly, and I found none of mine to require any tweaking to sound good. Maybe I'm a little biased, as it was one of my first whistles and I'm accustomed to it, though.

[BigDavy]

Hi Matthew

Syn whistles are robust and play nicely, and having a set with interchangeable head as shown in your post can be useful if you accompany a singer, for example. (I have the comprehensive set with A to E bodies). So buying a Syn or Syn set would be a good choice in my opinion.

David

[Jayhawk]

Sorry...no idea what those tubes are called. I've always gotten one when buying the larger and longer drill bits. She probably doesn't want a drill bit, though.

[ChrisLaughlin]

As someone who has played a LOT of top quality whistles, I agree that a Killarney Whistle in D would be a fantastic choice. I just get a D and an Eb and they are both absolutely superb, though they are obvious and blatant copies of John Sindt's whistles (which are, unfortunately, nearly unobtainable these days).

[Steve Bliven]

Side note on cases: what's the word for those ratcheting rectangular long plastic boxes which some people use as whistle cases? I think they're originally intended for big drill bits or other tool parts. Those seem to work pretty well as basic protection for hauling around with other things. ...Would either the ratchet-box or a PVC pipe be the preferred knockaround "case" for her to carry it in her backpack with books to jam with friends after school, take to summer-camp, etc?

You mean these things? (Scroll down a bit for Tube E which looks like it would hold a D whistle if expanded)

Best wishes.

Steve

[Sirchronique]

As someone who has played a LOT of top quality whistles, I agree that a Killarney Whistle in D would be a fantastic choice. I just get a D and an Eb and they are both absolutely superb, though they are obvious and blatant copies of John Sindt's whistles (which are, unfortunately, nearly unobtainable these days).

They might be intended to be copies, but I found them to be very different from one another in a number of ways, although the same general idea.