Comparing a Goldie low D and a MKPro low D
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 7:30 am
I'm writing this review for primarily three reasons. A: Sort out my own head. 2: Hopefully help someone else on the same quest. 3: Get insight from others with the same dilemma. I know it's been written about many times on the forum, but I know that the Goldie models are being developed by Colin non stop, and I'm guessing the same for Misha.
A few things before I get started on my points: : I haven't used any tuners, decibel devices etc. It's just me, my ears, my piano, and my experiences playing the whistles at rehearsals and giggs. I know that hard facts might be interesting to some, but for me the life experiences of volume and tuning is more impoortant than numbers. I'm a professional musician, and all though I might not be the best whistler, I use the whistle in professional contexts, such as recording studios. I've had the MK a couple of months longer than the Goldie, but know them both pretty well. Obviously, this review is based æn my personal experiences, and subjective opinions.
And lastly before we begin: I love both whistles, so this is not a "which one is worst"-review. I have high regards for the work, dedication and craftmanship of both Colin Goldie and Misha Somerville.. Ok, let's dive in!
Physical appearance.
I'm born blind, so how the instrument feel is super important to me. What they look like is not very important. My Goldie is silver, and the MK is black. Already from first touch, it's obvious that these are two quite different instruments. The Goldie is very slick and smooth to the touch. It has the signature Goldie mouthpiece, which is square, and very flat, so it’s comfortable to have in the mouth. The Goldie low D I have, is the version with big holes, so obviously they are bigger than the ones on the Mk. The Mk in contrast, has a bigger mouthpiece. Maybe twice the thickness than the Goldie. Personally, the Goldie mouthpiece is more comfortable to me. The surface of the MK is rougher than on the Goldie. It’s still comfortable to the touch, but I sometimes find it a bit trickier to hold, if my hands are sweaty. The inside of the tube is more slick and soft on the MK then on the Goldie. It doesn’t matter at all, just a fun fact. The spacing between the holes are very similar on both whistles. For my hands anyway, there is no difference worth mentioning. The weight of the instruments seems to be a bit different though. When I hold them, one in each hand, they feel kind of similar. But, when I play them, the MK is slightly more top heavy. If I’m playing it for a couple of minutes it doesn’t really matter, but if I go longer the Goldie is slightly easier to hold. But, I’m guessing this is a practice thing.
General playability
I know, having a category called General playability is very general, but I have to call it something. Out of the box, or rather, out of the bag, the MK has the advantage here. It instantaneously does what you want, and doesn’t need a lot of warming up. It has a comfortable back pressure, without losing air. The high notes are easy to get to, and the same with the lowest notes. The Goldie, is slightly more challenging, but, if you stick with it, you’ll get your reward. The one I have is a medium hard blow, 0,85 mm. I don’t know the measurements on the MK, but I’m guessing that even the soft blow Goldie, has more resistance when you blow, than the MK. So, the two whistles are very different, on opposite ends of the scale. So, because the Goldie has a lot more back pressure, it takes a bit more getting used to. Both the highest and lowest notes on the Goldie requires a bit more nurturing in the beginning, but when you get them and know what to do, it sounds absolutely amazing. When it comes to clogging, Goldie does that much more than the MK, when I play them anyway. Goldie takes quite a long time to warm up, when the MK on the other hand is ready to go right from the beginning. That seems to be a general difference here, The Goldie in general needs a bit more time and practice than the MK, but that’s not a bad thing. I love it when the instrument pushes me, because this is much more about me as a player than on the actual instrument.
Volume and tuning
Perhaps two of the most important things if you want to play together with others. First, I will say that both instruments do a very good job, so it’s not a question of one of them being bad. However, there are a few things that needs to be said. In the first octave, you can play louder on the Goldie than the MK. Especially on the lowest notes, it takes very little to overblow the MK. On the Goldie, you can really lay into the low notes without worrying about breaking. In the second octave, you can push both whistles, and to my ears anyway, they sound fairly similar. I did an experiment holding one whistle in each hand, going back and forth, playing in the Second octave. The result was that the volume was quite similar, but the tones were very different. More about that later, but in the second octave the Goldie has a much fuller tone, and the MK has a more sharp sound. One thing I find interesting, is that it seems like the volume is much more equal on the Goldie. For instance, when playing the low and the high G on the Goldie, the volume is pretty much the same. On the MK, the second octave is stronger than the lowest. Personally, I prefer the balance that the Goldie offers. When it comes to tuning, and again, I haven’t used a digital tuner or anything, just my ears, because that’s usually what we all do. It seems to me like the first octave on both whistles are really similar, and in tune. The second octave on the MK is slightly sharp, compared to the first octave, and to the second octave on the Goldie. Especially on the D when you are aware of it, you can obviously work around it. However, I was using the MK in the studio before I was aware of this, and we needed to go in and change the pitch digitally on the second D. On the Goldie, I will say that the tuning is perfect in both octaves. If anything, the second octave might be a tiny bit flat, but I would much rather have that than it being a bit sharp. When it’s flat, you can just push a bit harder to make it in tune. That’s much more easier than making something which is sharp a bit more flat. But in general, I wouldn’t say that these are major issues, it’s just something to be aware of. Also, it seems like the C-sharp on the MK is more flat compared to the Goldie, especially in the second octave. However, if I needed to play without worrying about the pitch, I would go with the Goldie. But, a good player with a good ear could always work around this.
Air Efficiency
English isn’t my first language, and I know that people use different words for explaining the same things when it comes to whistles. When I talk about air efficiency here, I’m referring to the amount of air that escapes without doing anything good to the tone. funnily enoughenough, since the MK and the Goldie are on oppositesides on the scales of back pressure, meaning the resistance you blow against, with the Goldie being the one with most resistance, you should think that one of them would save much more air than the other. However, they are both extremely air efficient, up to the point where I cannot say which one is the best. I’ve experimented with playing the same phrase on both whistles, and holding a note as long as I can comfortably, The whistles are very similar, and they are both great at not losing air.
Tone
I’ve noticed that several people on this forum care more about other things than the tone of the whistle they’re playing. In one way I agree, but in some cases I find it extremely important, especially when using the whistle in different types of music. Also, other musicians seem to find the different tones very important and interesting. Comparing these two whistles, I find that they sound very different. That’s maybe my main reason for still having both of them. The Goldie has what I would call the sound of an Irish whistle. It’s full, and has some kind of lightness to it. It has a comfortable balance between the tone, and the Wind like sound that we all know. The MK has a much darker tone. It does kind of sound like an Irish whistle, but I would say that it sounds less than a trad instrument then the Goldie. It’s a bit more slurred, smoky, velvety, and a bit unfocused with still being focused. In a way, I think that the surface on the two whistles resembles the sound that they make. The MK being a bit more rough, and the Goldie being very smooth. One thing I find very satisfying with the Goldie, is that the tone stays the same through the whole register, while on the MK it changes when you’re going up into the second octave. On the MK, the tone becomes a bit sharper (I don’t mean sharp as in pitch sharp,), the higher you get, and on the Goldie the tone doesn’t lose its fullness no matter how high you get.
Buying the whistles
This doesn’t have anything to do with the actual instruments, but I find it worth mentioning either way. Dealing with both companies is an absolute pleasure. When buying MK whistles I find the whole process very easy and smooth. Ordering directly from Colin is an absolute joy. Obviously, when you’re ordering from Colin, you talk with him on the phone, and he helps you find the instrument that you want. With the MK whistles, they’re being made without you having any influence on the playability etc. I find ordering from Colin to be especially helpful, because I learned so much about the instruments, and the characteristics.
Pricing
Goldie I believe costs about €100 more than the MK, so there’s no question which one is the most affordable. However, in the world of whistles The highly professional instruments costs absolutely nothing, compared to other instruments such as violins or guitars. Personally, I don’t mind the price of neither of them
So, that’s my observations and experiences. When I started comparing, I wanted to get rid of one of the whistles. Now I think I will keep both of them.. if I needed to pick one, I would go with the Goldie. But, the MK has a distinctive tone, which is just beautiful, and what I need in certain situations.
I hope this has been helpful. Please share your thoughts and comments.
I might do a similar comparison with the Goldie and MK low C
A few things before I get started on my points: : I haven't used any tuners, decibel devices etc. It's just me, my ears, my piano, and my experiences playing the whistles at rehearsals and giggs. I know that hard facts might be interesting to some, but for me the life experiences of volume and tuning is more impoortant than numbers. I'm a professional musician, and all though I might not be the best whistler, I use the whistle in professional contexts, such as recording studios. I've had the MK a couple of months longer than the Goldie, but know them both pretty well. Obviously, this review is based æn my personal experiences, and subjective opinions.
And lastly before we begin: I love both whistles, so this is not a "which one is worst"-review. I have high regards for the work, dedication and craftmanship of both Colin Goldie and Misha Somerville.. Ok, let's dive in!
Physical appearance.
I'm born blind, so how the instrument feel is super important to me. What they look like is not very important. My Goldie is silver, and the MK is black. Already from first touch, it's obvious that these are two quite different instruments. The Goldie is very slick and smooth to the touch. It has the signature Goldie mouthpiece, which is square, and very flat, so it’s comfortable to have in the mouth. The Goldie low D I have, is the version with big holes, so obviously they are bigger than the ones on the Mk. The Mk in contrast, has a bigger mouthpiece. Maybe twice the thickness than the Goldie. Personally, the Goldie mouthpiece is more comfortable to me. The surface of the MK is rougher than on the Goldie. It’s still comfortable to the touch, but I sometimes find it a bit trickier to hold, if my hands are sweaty. The inside of the tube is more slick and soft on the MK then on the Goldie. It doesn’t matter at all, just a fun fact. The spacing between the holes are very similar on both whistles. For my hands anyway, there is no difference worth mentioning. The weight of the instruments seems to be a bit different though. When I hold them, one in each hand, they feel kind of similar. But, when I play them, the MK is slightly more top heavy. If I’m playing it for a couple of minutes it doesn’t really matter, but if I go longer the Goldie is slightly easier to hold. But, I’m guessing this is a practice thing.
General playability
I know, having a category called General playability is very general, but I have to call it something. Out of the box, or rather, out of the bag, the MK has the advantage here. It instantaneously does what you want, and doesn’t need a lot of warming up. It has a comfortable back pressure, without losing air. The high notes are easy to get to, and the same with the lowest notes. The Goldie, is slightly more challenging, but, if you stick with it, you’ll get your reward. The one I have is a medium hard blow, 0,85 mm. I don’t know the measurements on the MK, but I’m guessing that even the soft blow Goldie, has more resistance when you blow, than the MK. So, the two whistles are very different, on opposite ends of the scale. So, because the Goldie has a lot more back pressure, it takes a bit more getting used to. Both the highest and lowest notes on the Goldie requires a bit more nurturing in the beginning, but when you get them and know what to do, it sounds absolutely amazing. When it comes to clogging, Goldie does that much more than the MK, when I play them anyway. Goldie takes quite a long time to warm up, when the MK on the other hand is ready to go right from the beginning. That seems to be a general difference here, The Goldie in general needs a bit more time and practice than the MK, but that’s not a bad thing. I love it when the instrument pushes me, because this is much more about me as a player than on the actual instrument.
Volume and tuning
Perhaps two of the most important things if you want to play together with others. First, I will say that both instruments do a very good job, so it’s not a question of one of them being bad. However, there are a few things that needs to be said. In the first octave, you can play louder on the Goldie than the MK. Especially on the lowest notes, it takes very little to overblow the MK. On the Goldie, you can really lay into the low notes without worrying about breaking. In the second octave, you can push both whistles, and to my ears anyway, they sound fairly similar. I did an experiment holding one whistle in each hand, going back and forth, playing in the Second octave. The result was that the volume was quite similar, but the tones were very different. More about that later, but in the second octave the Goldie has a much fuller tone, and the MK has a more sharp sound. One thing I find interesting, is that it seems like the volume is much more equal on the Goldie. For instance, when playing the low and the high G on the Goldie, the volume is pretty much the same. On the MK, the second octave is stronger than the lowest. Personally, I prefer the balance that the Goldie offers. When it comes to tuning, and again, I haven’t used a digital tuner or anything, just my ears, because that’s usually what we all do. It seems to me like the first octave on both whistles are really similar, and in tune. The second octave on the MK is slightly sharp, compared to the first octave, and to the second octave on the Goldie. Especially on the D when you are aware of it, you can obviously work around it. However, I was using the MK in the studio before I was aware of this, and we needed to go in and change the pitch digitally on the second D. On the Goldie, I will say that the tuning is perfect in both octaves. If anything, the second octave might be a tiny bit flat, but I would much rather have that than it being a bit sharp. When it’s flat, you can just push a bit harder to make it in tune. That’s much more easier than making something which is sharp a bit more flat. But in general, I wouldn’t say that these are major issues, it’s just something to be aware of. Also, it seems like the C-sharp on the MK is more flat compared to the Goldie, especially in the second octave. However, if I needed to play without worrying about the pitch, I would go with the Goldie. But, a good player with a good ear could always work around this.
Air Efficiency
English isn’t my first language, and I know that people use different words for explaining the same things when it comes to whistles. When I talk about air efficiency here, I’m referring to the amount of air that escapes without doing anything good to the tone. funnily enoughenough, since the MK and the Goldie are on oppositesides on the scales of back pressure, meaning the resistance you blow against, with the Goldie being the one with most resistance, you should think that one of them would save much more air than the other. However, they are both extremely air efficient, up to the point where I cannot say which one is the best. I’ve experimented with playing the same phrase on both whistles, and holding a note as long as I can comfortably, The whistles are very similar, and they are both great at not losing air.
Tone
I’ve noticed that several people on this forum care more about other things than the tone of the whistle they’re playing. In one way I agree, but in some cases I find it extremely important, especially when using the whistle in different types of music. Also, other musicians seem to find the different tones very important and interesting. Comparing these two whistles, I find that they sound very different. That’s maybe my main reason for still having both of them. The Goldie has what I would call the sound of an Irish whistle. It’s full, and has some kind of lightness to it. It has a comfortable balance between the tone, and the Wind like sound that we all know. The MK has a much darker tone. It does kind of sound like an Irish whistle, but I would say that it sounds less than a trad instrument then the Goldie. It’s a bit more slurred, smoky, velvety, and a bit unfocused with still being focused. In a way, I think that the surface on the two whistles resembles the sound that they make. The MK being a bit more rough, and the Goldie being very smooth. One thing I find very satisfying with the Goldie, is that the tone stays the same through the whole register, while on the MK it changes when you’re going up into the second octave. On the MK, the tone becomes a bit sharper (I don’t mean sharp as in pitch sharp,), the higher you get, and on the Goldie the tone doesn’t lose its fullness no matter how high you get.
Buying the whistles
This doesn’t have anything to do with the actual instruments, but I find it worth mentioning either way. Dealing with both companies is an absolute pleasure. When buying MK whistles I find the whole process very easy and smooth. Ordering directly from Colin is an absolute joy. Obviously, when you’re ordering from Colin, you talk with him on the phone, and he helps you find the instrument that you want. With the MK whistles, they’re being made without you having any influence on the playability etc. I find ordering from Colin to be especially helpful, because I learned so much about the instruments, and the characteristics.
Pricing
Goldie I believe costs about €100 more than the MK, so there’s no question which one is the most affordable. However, in the world of whistles The highly professional instruments costs absolutely nothing, compared to other instruments such as violins or guitars. Personally, I don’t mind the price of neither of them
So, that’s my observations and experiences. When I started comparing, I wanted to get rid of one of the whistles. Now I think I will keep both of them.. if I needed to pick one, I would go with the Goldie. But, the MK has a distinctive tone, which is just beautiful, and what I need in certain situations.
I hope this has been helpful. Please share your thoughts and comments.
I might do a similar comparison with the Goldie and MK low C