the "best bang for the buck" in whistles

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 6:38 am

Two more things I wanted to point out about Erle and his whistles. First was how fast they got here all the way from Australia. I ordered them one week and they were here the following week.

The other thing is that he only charged $5 for shipping from Australia. After having fun with the whistles for a while, I looked at the mailing tube again and saw the postage said $10. That didn't include the cost of the tube itself, large enough for 5 tubes and the whistle pouch, a much larger tube than I usually use for shipping whistles. He obviously doesn't charge full price for his own shipping cost. I'm sure there's an exchange rate that is part of the explanation, but I have trouble believing he can ship it all for just $5 American.

I bought one of the first Syns last year and when this package arrived, I pulled the fipple off that older D and put it on the new B. Between that B and the new C tube where I put the new fipple, I'm having so much fun that I can't bear to pull the fipples off to try out the Bb, E and A tubes.

IDAwHOa · Post by **IDAwHOa** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 4:02 pm

blackhawk wrote:The other thing is that he only charged $5 for shipping from Australia. After having fun with the whistles for a while, I looked at the mailing tube again and saw the postage said $10.

Was that $10 US or AUS? There is a pretty big exchange difference between the two currencies right now.

Eivind · Post by **Eivind** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 4:16 pm

NorCalMusician wrote: Would if I could. I have never had a lancewood syn. Mine is on the way still. The ironwood I described above though.

Aah, sorry I misread the date of your post... arrgh

Eivind

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 4:31 pm

NorCalMusician wrote:
blackhawk wrote:The other thing is that he only charged $5 for shipping from Australia. After having fun with the whistles for a while, I looked at the mailing tube again and saw the postage said $10.
Was that $10 US or AUS? There is a pretty big exchange difference between the two currencies right now.

Aus, naturally. But even so, that's postage plus the mailing tube, plus his time to wrap it up and mail it. I can't imagine he breaks even on all that.

alespa · Post by **alespa** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 4:58 pm

I'm only a couple weeks into practicing with my first whistle, a Dixon high D, but I'm enjoying getting into some tunes, and especially trying to learn ornaments, and such.

Today I noticed this new topic and it caught my eye, as I have been thinking about getting another whistle (Whoa already?). As a beginner, do you think the Syn's would be okay for me to try? I have read so much about "beginner" whistles, I'm not sure I know how you decide when you are ready to move "up" to a different whistle (I'm sure with practice and time and more reading on C&F, this will be more evident).

matt

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:13 pm

alespa wrote:I'm only a couple weeks into practicing with my first whistle, a Dixon high D, but I'm enjoying getting into some tunes, and especially trying to learn ornaments, and such.

Today I noticed this new topic and it caught my eye, as I have been thinking about getting another whistle (Whoa already?). As a beginner, do you think the Syn's would be okay for me to try? I have read so much about "beginner" whistles, I'm not sure I know how you decide when you are ready to move "up" to a different whistle (I'm sure with practice and time and more reading on C&F, this will be more evident).

matt

One thing I didn't mention is that since Syns are fairly quiet whistles, they take quite a bit of breath control (to avoid overblowing into the next octave). It takes practice. Maybe it'd be best to stick with the Dixon a while longer since you've only been whistling for a couple of weeks. Actually I like my Dixon a lot, too, and I think you can get by quite well with one for a long time.

alespa · Post by **alespa** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 6:32 pm

Thanks, Blackhawk! I'm curious. Is it normal on a plastic whistle for the holes to not be smooth, as in round with no ridges or bumps? I say this because my Dixon as small bits of material and slight undulations, or bumps. When I play with a keyboard, it is in tune, but I just wonder if the holes cause any problems in playability in terms of squeeky octaves etc. I know I can return the whistle from where I bought it to have them check it out, but I have a friend with a Susato Dublin D, and maybe he has just learned his breathing technique better than I, but his seems smoother, with more even volume between octaves. Thanks for you help!

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:02 pm

I have one of the early Syns and in my book I got pretty much what I paid for. I found it a bit rough in tone and without character.

If the topic is "best bang for the buck," my choices are:

1- Walton Golden Tone C

2- Gen Bflat

3- Water weasel Bflat

Philo

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:49 pm

alespa wrote:Thanks, Blackhawk! I'm curious. Is it normal on a plastic whistle for the holes to not be smooth, as in round with no ridges or bumps? I say this because my Dixon as small bits of material and slight undulations, or bumps. When I play with a keyboard, it is in tune, but I just wonder if the holes cause any problems in playability in terms of squeeky octaves etc. I know I can return the whistle from where I bought it to have them check it out, but I have a friend with a Susato Dublin D, and maybe he has just learned his breathing technique better than I, but his seems smoother, with more even volume between octaves. Thanks for you help!

You're welcome, Alespa.

On my Dixon, there are no bumps, bits of material, etc. I have heard of folks having trouble with Dixons, but I love mine. Tony Dixon is really good about making his customers happy, though, so if you're unhappy, contact him and he'll make it right with you. It's possible the Susato is a better whistle. A lot of folks hereabouts love them, and Lunasa uses them in their concerts. If you can afford it, it's not a bad gamble. I personally haven't liked the ones I've owned (2 of them) but I'm in the minority on that.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:41 am

IMO, Susatos are not for beginners looking to step up to their next whistle. They are harder to control than one might imagine. The idea that you start with a cheap whistle and move via intermediate whistles to high-enders makes sense with a lot of instruments but doesn't really work out with whistles.

I tried to move from Clarkes via Susatos to Overtons and found the Overtons easier to play than the Susatos. I developed a bit of an aversion to Susatos and was pleasantly surprised a few years later when I picked up an Eb and it sounded rather good.

michael_coleman · Post by **michael_coleman** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:02 pm

all this talk about a syn being quiet and jumping to the second octave really easy makes me think there has been some major changes to his line in the last year or so. I received his first prototypes (using the the same bore as a D) of things below C. I was very impressed...and now I hear he has changed things around a bit. Maybe I ought to get a new one to compare the differences and write a review.

Daryl · Post by **Daryl** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 4:53 pm

peeplj wrote:Well, there is at least one other whistle I like to mention when "bang for the buck" comes up: Oak.

Now Oak and Syn are much different whistles, with a completely different sound.

An Oak is more like the best of the Generations, with a lot of chiff between notes, yet pure and sweet sound and well-balanced octaves. At about $12 UDS these also represent terrific bang for the buck in my opinion.

Some folks have written about the "poisen Oak" syndrome that makes your lips tingle; I've had 3 D Oaks and 1 C and none of them did this, but possibly I'm not not sensitive to it and others are. The quality from whistle to whistle has been consistent among the Oaks I own.

To me Oaks have response and sound more similar to high-end whistles than any of the other inexpensive whistles except maybe Clare or a good Generation when you can find one..

--James

Hi James,

I know some people don't care much for the Oaks, but I like mine. I've bought 1 D and 3 Cs (one of which I gave away as a gift, one lives in my desk drawer at work). One of the Cs was a bit out of tune, but the others have been okay.

As for the "poison Oak" syndrome, I did run into that with one of my Cs. You could smell a strong chemical aroma, something outgassing from the fipple, when you opened the package. It definitely burned the lips when you played.

I took mine back to the store where I bought it and showed them the problem. We checked the other Oaks they had in stock: all of the Cs had the same strong smell, but the Ds didn't. They kindly gave me a refund, shipped their stock back to Oak, and asked for replacements. It took a couple months before they had any back in stock, but when they did the new batch was okay.

-- Daryl

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Duffy · Post by **Duffy** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:29 pm

I loved the Syn Ironwood when I had it on tour. I'll reserve comment on the touring Syn Low-D that I currenty have until I've given it a fair trial.

Last Monday I recieved my Syn Aluminum D from a stateside distrubutor. When I removed it from the tube and started playing, it got an immediate rave review from my non-musical wife who had been skeptical of my purchase. I really enjoy the mellow tone and ease of play. I haven't noticed any octive problems and although I noticed a tighter finger placement, I haven't found the spacing objectable.

It passed the final hurdle Sunday Morning at the Milwaukee Irish Fest. Two of us brought our whistles and met with others outside the South gate before the opening. Everyone who tried the new Syn D had favorable comments. I'm sure we generated a couple of future sales. I hope Earle's ears were burning.

Everyone has different tastes and requirements. I'll never be paid for my playing. I have found this whistle a smooth, moderately quiet, easy to play instrument. Others might not agree. IMHO I believe its easily worth the cost of four cheapies (Biggest Bang for my Buck).

I am Duffy and am not in the employ or related to the manufacture or sales of the above mentioned product

JillyKB · Post by **JillyKB** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:09 pm

I'm hardly an expert on whistles, so I'm sure my opinion can be seen as strange to more experianced whistlers, but I'm quite fond of my little Acorn D whistle. It's required less tweaking than my Gen. C and my An Seisiun D, and it has a stronger sound than my Clarke. I can also get more of a range out of it than I can any of my others

vomitbunny · Post by **vomitbunny** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:29 pm

Acorns are good now. They have the same head as oaks. And I like the feel of thier painted tubes. The paint holds up well. If an oak is a good bang for the buck, then the acorn is one better. Of course, any cheap whistle CAN be a fantastic bang for the buck, if you are very lucky or are prepared to tweak. Don't forget there are ready tweaked whistles that come in about the same price as the syn. Those are great bangs for the buck too. Nor should you forget the whitecaps. Or the.....
Well, there actually are quite a few good bangs for the buck arn't there.
And it depends on what you call a lot of money.