We've gone global!
www.bigwhistle.co.uk is now selling Jerry Freeman tweaked Sweetones, Shaws, Generations and Waltons Mellow D’s. The first shipment was sent within the past week (1/29), so they should show up on the BigWhistle website within the next week or two. (I included a tweaked Feadog in the shipment for Phil to check out, so don’t be surprised if BigWhistle starts stocking them soon, too.)
www.whistleanddrum.com is selling Jerry Freeman tweaked whistles, too, as is
www.thewhistleshop.com and
www.gaeliccrossings.com.
You can also order directly from me, or you can catch my auctions on eBay.
Here’s what’s available, with a little information about each (there’s some new stuff here). Postage for one whistle anywhere in the world is $3.85. For more than one whistle, I’ll have to determine the postage.
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Tweaked Generations:
G, F - redtop brass $16.50; bluetop nickel add $1.35;
Eb, D - redtop brass $36.50 bluetop nickel add $1.35;
C, (Waltons, voiced to match Generations; most C Generation whistleheads are impossible to remove without wrecking) $37.50;
Bb - redtop brass $37.50; bluetop nickel add $1.35;
Complete sets (six whistles) - $160.00; bluetop nickel add $1.35.
The tweaked Generations are designed to maintain that beloved Generation voicing, but much easier to play, without the characteristic tendencies for buzzes, rattles and squawks.
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Tweaked Sweetones:
D, C $15.00.
I’ve sold around 600 of these whistles to date, and they’ve only gotten better over time. I’m impressed with what a very nice whistle this is, with a confident, focused, somewhat reedy timbre.
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Tweaked Shaws:
E, Eb, D - $36.50;
C - $39.50.
The tweaked Shaws are the best example I know of a “pure drop authentic” conical rolled metal tinwhistle sound. The excessive air requirement has been corrected, and the voicing is focused, confident and rich.
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Tweaked Waltons Mellow D's:
Brass - $36.50.
Off the shelf, untweaked Mellow D’s are very popular whistles in their own right. However, the whistlehead is designed for a key of C whistle (the Mellow D is a wide bore whistle) and hasn’t been optimized for the higher key of D.
When I designed the tweaking scheme for the tweaked Mellow D, I decided not to keep the original voicing, but simply to make the very best whistle possible. The result is a sweeter, purer timbre than stock Mellow D’s (which are fairly husky sounding before tweaking) and a full, round voice that the wide bore provides. Many stock Mellow D’s also have a notoriously sharp bell note, which I’ve corrected. This is a very fine whistle.
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Tweaked Feadogs:
Brass D - $18.50.
The tweaked Feadogs are designed to maintain the characteristic Feadog voicing, which is at the complex/reedy end of the spectrum. As with all my tweaked whistles, this is easier to play than the untweaked Feadog, and any tendency for buzzes, rattles and squawks has been reduced or eliminated.
Because the full potential of this whistle can be brought out without the laborious soundblade lamination process required for Generations and Mellow D’s, I am able to offer tweaked Feadogs at a much lower cost.
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Tweaking already owned Shaws:
I will tweak any soprano E, Eb, D or C Shaw whistle for you for $14.00 plus $3.85 postage.
Shaws below the key of C have a metal covering over the fipple block that makes it impossible to adjust the fipple block. To get the best possible results, I’ve found that the fipple block needs to be adjusted in about one out of every five Shaws, so I can’t promise the same predictable quality of finished product when I tweak Bb or lower Shaws.
I had decided to stop doing them, but several people asked me to go ahead anyway, with the understanding that I would do my best, and that would be acceptable. At the very least, I can reduce the excessive air requirement in these whistles, and in some of them, the voicing also does turn out wonderfully. (Please understand, I'm talking about Shaws in keys Bb or lower. The results are consistently excellent in the higher keys listed above.)
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That’s the news, folks. As always, I very much appreciate your friendship and support. Enjoy your whistles!
Best wishes,
Jerry
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