"Pro Whistles" vs. regular- should I spend the mo

2phat · Post by **2phat** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 6:38 pm

I've been playing for a number of years now, and find myself wanting a "really good'" whistle. I've got a banged-up Shaw that I love, and a couple Clarke's that are a tad breathy for my tastes. Is it worth the $100+ bucks for a nice handmade whistle?

Rick Davidson · Post by **Rick Davidson** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 6:59 pm

IMO... yes absolutely. I guess it depends on your desire and available funds. Most other types of instruments are far more costly to get the same bang for your buck.

I got comments all the time how nice the penny whistles I used to play sound (Clarke Celtic). Now my band members and others tell me the difference in my Dogwood Busman and Pro D Brass Burke, in relation to the Clarke, are just in completely different leagues.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 7:46 pm

Personally, I love the craftsmanship and solid feel of a "good" whistle.

Ridseard · Post by **Ridseard** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 8:30 pm

If it does not involve a hardship, spend the money. I never regretted doing so.

BillChin · Post by **BillChin** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 9:46 pm

The question I like to ask is, "what else are you going to spend the money on?" If the answer is necessities such as food and rent, then of course, the luxury of a nice instrument can wait for better days or to ask as a gift on a special occasion. Be thankful that a nice whistle costs a modest amount. For some other instruments, $1000+ is entry level for a serious student and "nice" is a corresponding multiple of that. If it is something that you have thought about a great deal, it is well worth the investment.

The other secure thought is that if you tire of your prize or find a nicer one, you can usually sell nice whistles for a large percentage of the purchase price.
+ Bill

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 9:54 pm

BillChin wrote:The question I like to ask is, "what else are you going to spend the money on?" If the answer is necessities such as food and rent, then of course, the luxury of a nice instrument can wait for better days or to ask as a gift on a special occasion. Be thankful that a nice whistle costs a modest amount. For some other instruments, $1000+ is entry level for a serious student and "nice" is a corresponding multiple of that. If it is something that you have thought about a great deal, it is well worth the investment.

The other secure thought is that if you tire of your prize or find a nicer one, you can usually sell nice whistles for a large percentage of the purchase price.
+ Bill

The above advice is the best you can get. I used a bit of cash I unexpectedly earned for a drawing and purchased my Burke Brass Pro Sessions. Everytime I pick it up I am thankful for that whistle. (Also , be glad you're not in my position- my piano is on it's way out and believe me, replacing that will be in a whole different league- if it's ever even possible

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 5:22 am

I suppose I am going to say the obvious [or expected] thing here, but it's up to yourself really you may fancy a whistle that is different or expensive or whatever but, speaking for myself, I have yet to find the whistle that justifies for me a fifteen to twentyfive fold price increase by yielding an even remotely comparable increase in sound quality. I come back to the sound and ease of playing of the generation style whistle each time and prefer them way over any of the 'high end' ones I have played.

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 5:43 am

I think the other obivous point to make is that it isn't necessary to spend $100+ for a good handmade instrument -- there are plenty of great handmade instruments in the $50-$100 range. I have a wonderful bunch of homemade whistles, and the only one I ever spent more than $100 on was my O'Riordan low D (and that wasn't that much more).

Tres · Post by **Tres** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 7:30 am

I agree-- if you can afford it, a nice whistle can be a real treat and will open your eyes to how nice a whistle can sound.

$100 is nothing for a top qualty instrument! Take it from me-- I've hit the point on guitars where only pre-war Martins really give me what I crave in tone-- unfortunately, as these guitars sort of start at $15,000 or so and go up from there, I doubt I ever will be able to afford one so I am destined to be perpetually dissatisfied! At least with whistles, I can satisfy my desires for tone without mortgaging the house!

Tres

lesl · Post by **lesl** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 8:43 am

2phat wrote:I've been playing for a number of years now, and find
myself wanting a "really good'" whistle. I've got a banged-up Shaw that I
love, and a couple Clarke's that are a tad breathy for my tastes.

I think if you work out what you are looking for in terms of sound, that
might tell you if you want to spend over 100 for a whistle.

For example if you want to be heard over a session then yeh maybe a
Copeland. More in tune? Maybe a Burke v small bore. Less breathy? you
probably know Generations are less breathy than Shaws and Clarkes. A
tweaked Generation might be what you want, not a Copeland. A more
pure Generation sound? Maybe a Sindt.

It all depends on where you feel your current whistles fall short of your
needs. Tell us what are the qualities that you are looking for?
Lesl

johnz · Post by **johnz** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 4:30 pm

cowtime wrote:
The above advice is the best you can get. I used a bit of cash I unexpectedly earned for a drawing and purchased my Burke Brass Pro Sessions. Everytime I pick it up I am thankful for that whistle. (Also , be glad you're not in my position- my piano is on it's way out and believe me, replacing that will be in a whole different league- if it's ever even possible

How does a piano go fatally bad?
Take care, Johnz

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 8:17 pm

About 18,000 pounds of pressure from all those strings takes it's toll over time.

When I started having problems with my 40yr old piano a few years ago, I had someone come in and re-do all the hammers which were very ''grooved" and worn from 40 yrs of regular(almost daily) playing. One year ago it really went bad and I started doing research. (there are piano message boards too, although not nearly as intresting as here)

Anyway, I found out that my piano is truly on it's last legs and the only way to really fix it is to gut the thing and have all new "innards" put in. All that pressure on the wood does one in eventually. If I could afford that expense I would have the old 60yr old upright player re-done instead.

My spinet is not worth the espense. What I need is a new piano.- Here is whereI fantasize about a baby grand that would be perfect in my living room, but the reality is that I will be lucky if I can someday get an upright.
(the next best thing)

In the meantime, I tinker with my ailing one, and pray it holds out for a good while longer. The sound is becoming really horrible. It's so important to me, I can't imagine life without a piano- but when the cost will be somewhere in the neighborhood of a nice new car..........sigh

antstastegood · Post by **antstastegood** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 10:44 pm

After listening around to clips of nice whistles, and doing my homework, I'll definitely be getting one, or a few, as soon as I have the disposable income to do so.

Rick Davidson · Post by **Rick Davidson** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 10:51 pm

Cowtime,

You should feel grateful about the piano thing... in an off-hand way...

At least it sounds like you don't have POAD (Piano obsessive acquisition disorder). If you did it could get pretty bad. Not just from a money perspective, but just think how much space a dozen or so Baby Grands would take up?

Rick

jim_mc · Post by **jim_mc** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 12:28 am

I'm with Peter L. on this one. I don't think there's a $100 whistle out there that's worth 15X what a Generation is worth. Not that these makers don't deserve what they're charging, or that there aren't some lovely whistles being made, but I'm more interested in the sound than anything else, and the sound of most high-enders is only a marginal improvement (if any) over the cheapies.

I'd recommend trying one of the pre-tweaked whistles in the $25 or $30 range. Jerry Freeman tweaks both Generation and Shaw whistles, and I've heard good things about his results. Cillian O'Briain sells an improved Feadog, which is quite nice, in that same price range. Or perhaps a complete head replacement, a la Mack Hoover, would do good things for your Gen or Waltons whistle for only about $20, I think. I have a Hoover Whitecap that, if it were a tiny bit louder, would be a perfect whistle.

You could also try a Dixon, but since I got my Whitecap, the Dixons sound a little thin to me. Then there's Erle Bartlett's Syn whistle, about $35, I think, which has some of the nice characteristics of the cheaper whistles. It's ruggedly built, on the louder side, and has a nice rough edge to the sound.

Whatever you decide, you can always use this board to sell whatever whistles you've bought that don't suit you. Best of luck!

Chiff and Fipple Forums

"Pro Whistles" vs. regular- should I spend the mo

"Pro Whistles" vs. regular- should I spend the mo

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