Whistle Maker's Update from me...

Cyfiawnder · Post by **Cyfiawnder** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 10:40 am

Now I know that I have been jawing for a while about my whistles and how wonderful they are. Well I figured I would give a little update on the Future of Awen Woodwinds my Own Brand of whistles

Well, yesterday i ordered the materials needed to make my first batch of Whistles. I will probably only get about 6 Low D's out of it, but it's still a Start. This weekend I'm going to get some fancy printer paper, and Pens, so I can Print out Ceritficate of Authanticity papaers to be numbered as well as the whistles. You Low whistled people love that certificate stuff, I hear tell

The materials I ordered were Stainless Steel for the Mouthpiece and the External tuning slide/ headjoint, and perhapse a small structural support ring at the bell end. Not sure about this yet, it might mess up the hole placement/size. I chose stainless for a few reasons. It tastes like... nothing so that's a one up on copper an alumium. It also doesn't tarnish. It is strong, and fairly resistant to scratches. Not to mention it cleans up real nice, and holds a good shine. The fipple will be made of Brass. There are a few reasons for that: I found it in the exact size I needed so I won't have to machine it. It also polishes nicely so It shouldn't cause too much turbulence in the windway. It will also show against the Stainless steel mouthpiece, and the dark gray body. On to the good stuff. The material I chose for the High Enders is a Carbon composite material (carbon fiber). Very light, rigid, and strong. I believe it will produce a very crisp, and mellow tone, without being overly chiffy or breathy. There is a brand of Boehm FLutes made from Carbon fiber, and I have read that they sound "realy beautiful." The color of the Body of the whistle will be carbon fiber natural gray. I will make this whistle available for sale, as well as PVC ones, as soon as I build all of the Carbon ones, and get a review of them... and choose a price. There should be a review coming soon about the PVC ones... as well as a song in which one is being used.

Later Everybody
Cyfiawnder

Cyfiawnder · Post by **Cyfiawnder** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 10:58 am

12 Views and No replies... I see nobody gives a rats arse... Probably though it was about Solid Gold Goldie Overton's Didn't ya'll??!! Hurumph!

DCrom · Post by **DCrom** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 11:04 am

So - are you planning on sending one out on tour?

Hard to say much until we see some review or have a chance to play one. For that matter, I'm holding off any review of the Weston Low D until after that tour finishes - I don't want to prejudice anyone's opinion until they have a chance to try it for themselves. But I'd surely be interested in trying yours out, once you're ready to send it out into the world.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 11:17 am

Well, good luck! Post pictures.

As you know it takes more than lathe and piece of tube to make a good whistle (you are reading the Highend vs. Expensive thread, right?).

Cyfiawnder · Post by **Cyfiawnder** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 11:38 am

Oh Aye, Since I can't help tooting on each of my whistles as I make them, they will all be playble. I can not control weather or not the instrument suites the tastes of the customer. The Whistle already is floating around out there. Serpent has it at the moment, and he's the one that is going to do the Review and post the Pics, he has already recorded a song with it, I just don't want to tell people the URL to that song until after the Review is posted. It sounds good though and Everyone Likes "Sheriff of Aberdeen's Wife." He has told me he plans to pass it off to someone else shortly. The only two regrets I have to the Particular instrument that Bill has:
1: The Engraving on the Head is slightly off center. Not by much but if you already know it is off center you will notice it. Most people will probably not Opt for the Engraving in any event... right?
2: Because I was taking too long getting the darn thing done, I didn't check the cross fingering until after it was already too late to start making a new body. It requires a 0xxxx0 cross fingering to squeaze out a perfect Cnat, although the 000xx0 will work fine when playing by yourself. The tuner still says it's off by a few cents. That can be eliminated later by changing the lower 3 holes sizes and placement.

I think the voicing is quite comendable for a PVC instrument. It is Well finished except for a few tooling marks that I couldn't remove because doing so would have comproised the wall of the body. Most PVC whistles I have seen were pretty rough looking, with rough end cuts, and Jagged finger holes. I tried to smooth out as much as I can. I was able to get it up to note G6 before it became too much. A better player than I might be able to get more out of it. I posted a bad rendition of "Captain Picard's Air" http://www.tinwhistletunes.com/clipssni ... ustinP.mp3
Not bad because of the Melody or the Instrument, but bad 'cause I suck

Later
Cy

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 11:44 am

Cyfiawnder wrote:Oh Aye, Since I can't help tooting on each of my whistles as I make them, they will all be playble. I can not control weather or not the instrument suites the tastes of the customer. The Whistle already is floating around out there. Serpent has it at the moment, and he's the one that is going to do the Review and post the Pics, he has already recorded a song with it, I just don't want to tell people the URL to that song until after the Review is posted. It sounds good though and Everyone Likes "Sheriff of Aberdeen's Wife." He has told me he plans to pass it off to someone else shortly. The only two regrets I have to the Particular instrument that Bill has:
1: The Engraving on the Head is slightly off center. Not by much but if you already know it is off center you will notice it. Most people will probably not Opt for the Engraving in any event... right?
2: Because I was taking too long getting the darn thing done, I didn't check the cross fingering until after it was already too late to start making a new body. It requires a 0xxxx0 cross fingering to squeaze out a perfect Cnat, although the 000xx0 will work fine when playing by yourself. The tuner still says it's off by a few cents. That can be eliminated later by changing the lower 3 holes sizes and placement.

I think the voicing is quite comendable for a PVC instrument. It is Well finished except for a few tooling marks that I couldn't remove because doing so would have comproised the wall of the body. Most PVC whistles I have seen were pretty rough looking, with rough end cuts, and Jagged finger holes. I tried to smooth out as much as I can. I was able to get it up to note G6 before it became too much. A better player than I might be able to get more out of it. I posted a bad rendition of "Captain Picard's Air" http://www.tinwhistletunes.com/clipssni ... ustinP.mp3
Not bad because of the Melody or the Instrument, but bad 'cause I suck
Later
Cy

So now we have one new whistle maker who can't play ("I don't play them, I just make them") reviewing the whistle of another new whistle maker who says he sucks.

At the same time you're telling us that your whistles will be playable because you'll toot on them while making them.

Well, as I said: Good luck.

Cyfiawnder · Post by **Cyfiawnder** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 11:54 am

Well jeese lol. I didn't say the whistles sucked... Just me... Serpent is a better player than I am. Lol 'course I've only been playing since '02... SO I have a long way to go yet. Hopefully I won't suck eventually. Well i can play well enough to tell if a whistle is playable. I mean if a begining player can produce some semblance of a melody, then an Excelent player could "tear the roof of this shizzle." I took me 14 years to get good at playing my Electric Guitars...

Tin Whistles remind me of the card game cribbage. Easy to learn, hard to master... especially if you let people call "muggins" on you lol. (Muggins is what happenes when you don't count all your points, and the other player decides to take them from you. An easy way to loose by a "motengater" A lot, which is preferable to being "skunked" or left in the Sh@thouse" if you ask me.) I learned to play cribbage when I was 6, before I ever played poker. I learned in highschool that cribbage is a very old game:

Cribbage is one of the earliest classic card games. Its invention is generally credited to an Englishman John Suckling (1609 - 1642). According to John Suckling's biographer John Aubrey, Suckling was something of a scoundrel by all accounts, "the greatest gallant of his time, the greatest gamester both for bowling and cards, so that no shopkeeper would trust him for sixpence". John Suckling was a poet, a playwright, a traveler, an expert at cards and dice as well as a womaniser and a notorious wit!

Cribbage was known as "Noddy" prior to the modification of the rules by Sir John. In 1630, John Suckling was knighted by the King, but fell from grace several years later.

In 1641, John Suckling was involved in a conspiracy to save a friend who was jailed in the Tower of London. The plan failed and Sir John had to flee England for the Continent. Unable to return to his country, Suckling ended his life a year later, at the age of 33. The game of Cribbage is his legacy.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 12:02 pm

Sorry, I don't mean to be a downer. Really: good luck.

(But I'll tell you, you'll need more than a review from Serpent to convince people that your whistles are playable

)

No E · Post by **No E** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 12:20 pm

You might want to invest in a spell-checker before you print out your "Ceritficate of Authanticity papaers."

Good luck,

No E

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 12:25 pm

No E wrote:You might want to invest in a spell-checker before you print out your "Ceritficate of Authanticity papaers."

Good luck,

No E

But if he did, we couldn't be sure that the Ceritficate is authentic.

SirNick · Post by **SirNick** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 12:29 pm

Good luck. I think Carbon Fiber would be a great whistle material. I'm anxious to see your results.

on all negative feedback!

Cyfiawnder · Post by **Cyfiawnder** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 12:40 pm

Bloomfield wrote:
No E wrote:You might want to invest in a spell-checker before you print out your "Ceritficate of Authanticity papaers."

Good luck,

No E
But if he did, we couldn't be sure that the Ceritficate is authentic.

See bloo you're catching on. My Certificate will be chalked full off misspellings and bad grammar. My signature will be illegable, and some of the numbers might or might not be upside down. The perfect ones are frauds

If i'm busy trying the file a perfect blade angle how am I going to make time to run spell checker?? :roll:

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:05 pm

Cy, I must say...you're handling the whistle-maker-backlash syndrome in good spirits. Keep it up.

(Bloomfield: Don't make me come back there!)

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:18 pm

If you hope to gain respect from any decent player or collector, Serpent's opinion will not help you. If I were given a choice to play a Serpent whistle or no whistle, I would choose no whistle. Nothing personal against Bill.

DCrom · Post by **DCrom** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:41 pm

JessieK wrote:If you hope to gain respect from any decent player or collector, Serpent's opinion will not help you. If I were given a choice to play a Serpent whistle or no whistle, I would choose no whistle. Nothing personal against Bill.

Um, Jessie?

No flame intended here; I know that you're a far more experienced/expert player than I am (and, likely, than I'll ever be), and you've wider experience with more whistles than anyone else on the board except, possibly, Dale.

That being said, I'd really like to know the basis of your "no whistle at all" ukase. I can easily see Serpent's current production not being to your taste if you don't like airy/breathy whistles, but all the whistles I've bought from Bill - 5, now - have been very playable.

As I said - I could well undestand them not being to your taste if you prefer pure whistles (I know several of the Bay Area group just don't like the sound for that reason). But I'm unaware of any fundamental problems with them, and your post left that point rather unclear.