Peter Laban wrote:
I personally don't mind a factory made whistle for a fiver that does the job. I don't feel ripped off by either Gary or John Sindt, the whistles I got from them I am very happy with but overall, as I said I don't get enough extra mileage out of a twentyfold price increase. So I won't get me whistles like that any time soon. Most whislteplayers I know feel about the same way. $700 for any whistle is just plain madnesss but you're welcome to them if they turn you on.
Well, I've never actually owned a $700 whistle..that's a little high for my own tastes as well these days. $300 is a perfectly acceptable price point for me, though. I know I won't convince you that $300 is perfectly acceptable...and that's not my aim. Nor was I trying to prove you "wrong" somehow. I was just acknowledging your opinion and providing a contrasting opinion (and the reasoning behind it) on the subject of price.
I imagine that everyone has their own internal limit, based upon a number of factors such as location, peer acceptance, budget, percieved value, etc.
For instance, most whistlers you know tend toward the $5.00 whistle. On the other hand, most whistlers I have known (in two cities) have tended higher. I played a Sweetone for a long time in Houston at session, and it was the cheapest instrument there (price! price! I know you don't consider them good instruments quality-wise either). Besides my Sweetone, there was sometimes the odd Susato, but all of the "whistlers of note" played, at the cheapest, water weasels. Thin Weasels, Abells, Copelands and other much-higher-end whistles were more evident. Perhaps if all of the great whistlers I'd met all played Generations, I might be more inclined toward them. It's hard to say how that kind of cultural thing affects you in your formative years.
Part of it, for me anyway, is budget. In 1999 and 2000, I know I raised the stakes on secondhand whistles on Ebay. I know, because someone on C&F actually complained about someone with "deep pockets" making it hard to get good whistle deals on Ebay anymore, and at the time I knew I was winning a most of the Ebay whistle auctions I found. That was when I was making "dotcom money", and I didn't think twice about throwing $1000 on instruments in a month, simply because I was fascinated with all of the different varieties. Since I was buying different brands more as a collector, I wouldn't have had any problems paying $700 for an instrument then. In fact, I was on Copeland's waiting list for a sterling low D (around $700) at the time of the dot-com crash.
Nowadays, I'm not making a crazy internet salary. Which certainly makes me glad I don't play pipes or violins
So, my budget for percieved value is a lot less. And these days, that's about $300 max for an instrument. I'm willing to pay about that to get a whistle that's "just right" for what I want. Of course, if I got exactly what I wanted out of a Generation, I'd be happy with paying less!
They're just not what I'm looking for. Sindts are nice, raising the value to me, but I can't get over the way sharp cross-fingered C-Natural (having tried one out). That lowers the value to me considerably. I'd probably own one otherwise...but for me, Sindts are overpriced for what I want out of an instrument. If I saw one on sale secondhand for about $40.00, I'd probably buy it.
So, I guess what I'm saying is there's really nothing wrong with sticking less-expensive instruments, and I can understand the reasoning for it. But I certainly also understand those people who like the high-enders, and personally lean more that way myself.
And to bring this all back on topic, I wish I had more personal examples of Gary's instruments to check out...they definitely sound interesting, though a bit scarce in the circles of musicians I know.
