Syn Review
- peeplj
- Posts: 9029
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: forever in the old hills of Arkansas
- Contact:
Syn Review
The Syn whistle is notable for:
1. Volume. This is a very soft, easy on the ears whistle. Subjectively, slightly softer than a Clarke original. Comparisons will follow later, probably this coming weekend, when this can be explored in greater length.
2. Purity of sound. The purest whistle I own. Sweet, achingly pure sound, very slight huskiness, almost no chiff.
3. Resistance (back-pressure)!!! You have to blow this sucker with one firmly supported column of air, especially in the second octave. The flip side is the second octave is not shrill or edgy, and you'd think it would be. This whistle has more resistance than any other whistle I've yet played. Soft-blowers will definitely have an adjustment period.
4. Intonation is good through both octaves. Some whistles blow sharp on the octave; this one doesn't. The whistle is very slightly sharp to A=440 with the slide all the way closed; I consider this ideal.
5. Appearance is striking. Looks very high-endish. This is a whistle that looks like an instrument, not like any kind of toy. One complaint on appearance: the tone holes are not quite round, a bit more like very smoothed hexagons. This is not a major complaint, and is barely noticeable.
6. Weight--or lack thereof, to be more accurate. It weighs less than a Clarke original. My Walton's Guinness is heavier.
This is a good whistle, well worth the money. I am very pleased with it.
This may not be the best whistle out there for traditionalists--if you like that chiffy-pop sound, get yourself a good Oak or a Serpent instead. This is a pure-toned whistle, and has more of a high-end whistle sound. It is responsive, though, and is very chromatic, responding well to cross-fingerings.
I don't think anyone (except maybe a beginner who's not ready to support the airstream quite that well) would be disappointed in this whistle.
I love instruments with resistance, so I am particularly delighted.
--James
1. Volume. This is a very soft, easy on the ears whistle. Subjectively, slightly softer than a Clarke original. Comparisons will follow later, probably this coming weekend, when this can be explored in greater length.
2. Purity of sound. The purest whistle I own. Sweet, achingly pure sound, very slight huskiness, almost no chiff.
3. Resistance (back-pressure)!!! You have to blow this sucker with one firmly supported column of air, especially in the second octave. The flip side is the second octave is not shrill or edgy, and you'd think it would be. This whistle has more resistance than any other whistle I've yet played. Soft-blowers will definitely have an adjustment period.
4. Intonation is good through both octaves. Some whistles blow sharp on the octave; this one doesn't. The whistle is very slightly sharp to A=440 with the slide all the way closed; I consider this ideal.
5. Appearance is striking. Looks very high-endish. This is a whistle that looks like an instrument, not like any kind of toy. One complaint on appearance: the tone holes are not quite round, a bit more like very smoothed hexagons. This is not a major complaint, and is barely noticeable.
6. Weight--or lack thereof, to be more accurate. It weighs less than a Clarke original. My Walton's Guinness is heavier.
This is a good whistle, well worth the money. I am very pleased with it.
This may not be the best whistle out there for traditionalists--if you like that chiffy-pop sound, get yourself a good Oak or a Serpent instead. This is a pure-toned whistle, and has more of a high-end whistle sound. It is responsive, though, and is very chromatic, responding well to cross-fingerings.
I don't think anyone (except maybe a beginner who's not ready to support the airstream quite that well) would be disappointed in this whistle.
I love instruments with resistance, so I am particularly delighted.
--James
http://www.flutesite.com
-------
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending" --Carl Bard
-------
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending" --Carl Bard
-
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2003 2:15 am
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: The Southern Part of Heaven
- Contact:
- Celtoid
- Posts: 335
- Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2003 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: Brownville, New York
- Contact:
Hummm...I'm not sure that I would agree that the Syn is softer sounding or lighter than the Clark original, though it is indeed soft and light (on edit, someone could weigh them and find out, it is subjective on my part). I certainly agree with peeplj that the tone is special. The tone is (to me) very round and rich like is was a velvet brocade, and it is not a weak sound but has real carrying power if you want it to. The chiffers will be dissapointed as it does not have much if any, but the clarity of the sound makes for beautiful ornamentation. It is incredibly responsive.
This whistle is already one of my favorites. Since it comes from Australia, I'm thinking of giving mine an Australian name...but have not figured out just what yet...
This whistle is already one of my favorites. Since it comes from Australia, I'm thinking of giving mine an Australian name...but have not figured out just what yet...
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2003 1:05 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: Oregon, USA
- Contact:
okay...
Does anyone have the ordering information, or a link thereto? I think I missed it. Sounds like a nice whistle, and it is just within my price range right now.
Thanks,
|binary_sunset|
Thanks,
|binary_sunset|
-
- Posts: 437
- Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: Chandler, AZ
- Contact:
OK. (all high-D)Celtoid wrote:on edit, someone could weigh them and find out, it is subjective on my part
Syn: 57g
Clarke Original: 30g
Clarke Meg: 27
Soodlums: 37
Chieftain Gold: 136
Definitely not lighter than a Clarke, but still pretty darned light.
The Syn is fast becoming my favorite high-D. I *really* like it.
Michael Sheldon
Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a good book.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a good book.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
- Wombat
- Posts: 7105
- Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Location: Probably Evanston, possibly Wollongong
Cranberry, I don't know what your worry is—do you know the name of the person who grew the carrots you buy—but I can assure you that there is nothing sinister or dangerous about entering into a transaction with Mr. Syn that would be removed by knowing his name.Cranberry wrote:That sounds like a whistle I'd like. If somebody would PM me and tell me who it actually is making them I might buy one. But I'm not going to if I don't know who it is.
His identity is known to me and, I think, also to several other people on the board. You can work it out if you read the initial thread carefully, and with cunning, and you can also see that he knows me personally from some of his posts. Since you probably won't know who he is when you learn his real name, as you might well do if you email him, there is nothing further that you need to know that should prevent you from ordering. He gave his reasons for keeping this enterprise separate in a post on the initial thread and I'm going to respect his wishes in the letter, if not always the spirit.
I'm posting this reply publicly, rather than in a PM, just in case somebody else is holding off for the same reasons. But I'll tell you two things. First, this is a genuine business concern run by an honest man who really does make and market good whistles, even if he does make scandalous remarks about how hard I work. Second, if in your dealings with him you have a legitimate complaint, I'll investigate the matter for you personally and, if necessary, reveal his identity to you then in a PM.
So, what are you waiting for; it's time to indulge in original Syn?
-
- Posts: 437
- Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: Chandler, AZ
- Contact:
Aye, 'tis true.Wombat wrote:but I can assure you that there is nothing sinister or dangerous about entering into a transaction with Mr. Syn that would be removed by knowing his name.
Truth is, even when I know the names of the makers, it's not like that actually means I know them.
This is someone who has been making musical instruments for quite some time. He will deal with you politely, and honestly.
And quite frankly, if he's got any of these left, they're an absolute steal. Yes, they have a couple of surface imperfections due to them being prototypes rather than full production. However, they're *really* quite nice looking, and the sound is stunning. I'll keep using my Chieftain, especially when I need extra volume for slower pieces. However, my new Syn high-D has overwhelmingly displaced the other high-D whistles.
Mr Syn, it would be really, really cool if I could get an Eb and a C tube for this whistle... hint, hint.
Michael Sheldon
Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a good book.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a good book.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
I'm glad I didn't wait about ordering. I wouldn't have this excellent whistle now.Wombat wrote:Cranberry, I don't know what your worry is—do you know the name of the person who grew the carrots you buy—but I can assure you that there is nothing sinister or dangerous about entering into a transaction with Mr. Syn that would be removed by knowing his name.Cranberry wrote:That sounds like a whistle I'd like. If somebody would PM me and tell me who it actually is making them I might buy one. But I'm not going to if I don't know who it is.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known--Montaigne
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
- syn whistles
- Posts: 319
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2003 1:55 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: st georges basin, australia
Hi folks, thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you liked them! It looks like I achieved what I set out to do and I think Syn Whistles will survive past the first production run.
Tomorrow morning I leave for the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and will be away for about a week, so apologies in advance for not answering any email until I return. All orders recieved by Synful Sue to date have been passed on and mailed out, any orders that arrive while I'm away will have to wait until I return I'm afraid, but will not be delayed any longer than that. Happy Easter all, syn.
Tomorrow morning I leave for the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and will be away for about a week, so apologies in advance for not answering any email until I return. All orders recieved by Synful Sue to date have been passed on and mailed out, any orders that arrive while I'm away will have to wait until I return I'm afraid, but will not be delayed any longer than that. Happy Easter all, syn.
So good it has to be a SYN!
- rbm
- Posts: 285
- Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: err....Skelly Crag.England
- Contact:
Blackhawk, I with you on this oneblackhawk wrote:I'm glad I didn't wait about ordering. I wouldn't have this excellent whistle now.Wombat wrote:Cranberry, I don't know what your worry is—do you know the name of the person who grew the carrots you buy—but I can assure you that there is nothing sinister or dangerous about entering into a transaction with Mr. Syn that would be removed by knowing his name.Cranberry wrote:That sounds like a whistle I'd like. If somebody would PM me and tell me who it actually is making them I might buy one. But I'm not going to if I don't know who it is.
rbm wrote:Blackhawk, I with you on this oneblackhawk wrote:I'm glad I didn't wait about ordering. I wouldn't have this excellent whistle now.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known--Montaigne
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
- Blackbeer
- Posts: 1112
- Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: Wrong side of Washington state
Well I better jump on the band wagon on this one. Got mine on Monday and couldn`t be happier. What a nice whistle. Everyone has pretty much said what I would have said except that its not all that quite. So I will mention a negative. The metal at the back of the fipple makes me feel like I am drueling.
The best 30 bucks I ever spent.
Tom
The best 30 bucks I ever spent.
Tom