Maker of Oak Pennywhistles?

ChrisA · Post by **ChrisA** » Tue May 21, 2002 11:57 am

Ahhh, there seems to be some confusion here. I have no desire to buy my whistles wholesale... or rather, that's not my current purpose in life. I am, instead, attempting to discover the truth behind the allegations that my favorite whistle has become a horrible thing which has a buzz that renders the tunes unlistenable, is impossible to tune, and has a mouthpiece full of toxins that cause the mouth to go numb...

Having experienced -none- of these things myself, I'm trying to figure out if any of the Oaks I have are the 'new' Oaks, if any formulation changes took place in the plastic, etc.

Of course, if my favorite whistle has, in fact, been made into the described horror, then we'd like the maker to know that we prefer the old Oak whistles and to please change.

Anyways, until and unless I start doing a festival sales circuit and/or a store, I'm not going to be buying pennywhistles wholesale!

I wonder, would there be a problem with my claiming to be a chiff & fipple reporter? I will submit a report to chiff & fipple, after all!

--Chris

garycrosby · Post by **garycrosby** » Tue May 21, 2002 12:09 pm

FWIW, my Oak had a buzz that was caused largely from flashing in the windway. After carefully removing the flashing it still buzzes a bit but I can (usually) control it through breath control. If it weren't for that darn buzzing my oak would be my favourite whistle. My Oak tunes just fine and I really like its sound.

Toxic mouthpiece!? Did you just make that up or did somebody really say that? IMO its more likely the numb lips came from that darn buzzing rather than toxins. I can't see a manufacturer making a whistle mouthpiece out of something known to be toxic.

[ This Message was edited by: garycrosby on 2002-05-21 14:13 ]

ChrisA · Post by **ChrisA** » Tue May 21, 2002 12:32 pm

Yes, somebody was complaining that the Oak mouthpiece had a 'bad taste' and left his mouth numb... he didn't quite -say- toxic, but it was implied strongly that it was an unhealthy mouthpiece, and yes, I share your skepticism, but speculation doesn't answer the question, hence my quest.

FWIW, I think the buzz in the D and E, which is all there is in a cleanly-made Oak, is a tradeoff made for the richer overtones of the othernotes; that is to say, it's a slightly overstrong overtone. If you lose it, you'd get the tinnier, hollower sound typical of many other metal whistles. Also, FWIW, I have a friend who -likes- the buzz, at least that the level it exists on my Oak; of course, he embouchures his flute so that it's just on the edge of buzzing, and considers this proper flute embouchure for irish flute. Obviously not for orchestral flute, which is taught with a very high, backed-off embouchure to get floaty-airy sound, as opposed to the more powerful sound of the irish flute. Those who disagree with him seem to think one should embouchure as low and close in as possible to just not-quite get the buzz.

Anyway, when I'm actually playing anything other than a slow-air I can't consciously -hear- the buzz at all... at speed the note is gone before you hear a buzz. And I can make even the D buzz go away if I'm willing to play the D flat.

--Chris

chas · Post by **chas** » Tue May 21, 2002 1:51 pm

On 2002-05-21 14:32, ChrisA wrote:
Yes, somebody was complaining that the Oak mouthpiece had a 'bad taste' and left his mouth numb... he didn't quite -say- toxic, but it was implied strongly that it was an unhealthy mouthpiece, and yes, I share your skepticism, but speculation doesn't answer the question, hence my quest.

This is exactly what I wrote: "The head tastes bad and leaves my mouth numb, too."

No speculation on toxins, and not implying anything. If I thought it was toxic, I'd come right out and say so, plus I wouldn't play it. I've soaked it and bleached it, and, although the bad taste is much reduced, it still makes my mouth numb.

As far as my complaints with the sound, it's gotten much better, through a combination of my getting better at playing it, getting used to the sound, and a little tweaking. It's definitely growing on me.

Charlie

garycrosby · Post by **garycrosby** » Tue May 21, 2002 2:38 pm

Odd. I haven't noticed any difference in the "taste" of the Oak mouthpiece when compared with the "taste" a Sweetone or Walton's which are also have a plastic mouthpieces. Charlie, is it possible that yours somehow got contaminated or that there is something inside that has ... err, has gone "foul"?

chas · Post by **chas** » Tue May 21, 2002 3:26 pm

On 2002-05-21 16:38, garycrosby wrote:
Odd. I haven't noticed any difference in the "taste" of the Oak mouthpiece when compared with the "taste" a Sweetone or Walton's which are also have a plastic mouthpieces. Charlie, is it possible that yours somehow got contaminated or that there is something inside that has ... err, has gone "foul"?

It's certainly possible, but as I said, I've soaked it in hot water and also in bleach solution, so it's not simply on the surface.

If I were to speculate, I's suspect one of two things -- either it's a sort of plastic that I'm somehow sensitive to (I don't have any sensitivity to vinyl, which is the most common plastic-related thing of this sort), or (more likely) the resin didn't completely polymerize in the curing process.

Charlie

dth · Post by **dth** » Tue May 21, 2002 3:38 pm

I'm the one who implied toxins. Bad me. I suppose I'd better say loudly and in public that I am only *comparing* the taste of my two new Oak pennywhistle fipples to the *smell* I associate with solvents. I am NOT saying new Oak fipples are hazardous to our health. But they do make my lips numb and it isn't the vibration of the buzzing doing that.

ChrisA, I'd sure be interested in learning what Oak has to say.
Debra

[ This Message was edited by: dth on 2002-05-21 17:44 ]

ChrisA · Post by **ChrisA** » Tue May 21, 2002 4:14 pm

If and when I get to discuss matters with Oak, or whoever makes Oaks, I'll be posting the full story, at least for the boards, and maybe Dale will choose to publish it. Who knows.

--Chris

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Tue May 21, 2002 4:38 pm

Sweetone, Oak, Walton's...they all taste like chicken.

Paul Reid · Post by **Paul Reid** » Tue May 21, 2002 5:05 pm

My D Oak whistle definitely made my lips all numb. It kind of felt like a burning/numbing sensation. I actually stopped playing it for a while and used my Generation D instead (I like it better anyway). I've since picked up the Oak again and it's potency seems to have subsided. Still curious though why it was like that in the first place.

PR

Caru · Post by **Caru** » Tue May 21, 2002 7:06 pm

Did you use Jet-Dry or something similar in the whisltes to try to cut clogging? For a while after it is applied (maybe a week, depending on how often you play) it can cause a mild numbness of the lips. This happens even after the taste itself has worn away.

johnz · Post by **johnz** » Tue May 21, 2002 7:18 pm

I think the problem is with the plastic.I haven't gotten numb lips from my oak, but the fipple stunk really bad when I first got the whistle.After airing out for awhile I don't notice the smell anymore.The oak's the only whistle I've had that problem with. Btw I purchased it about 2 years ago from The Whistle Shop.
Take care, Johnz

chas · Post by **chas** » Tue May 21, 2002 8:13 pm

On 2002-05-21 17:38, dth wrote:
I'm the one who implied toxins.

[ This Message was edited by: dth on 2002-05-21 17:44 ]

Whoops! Chris, sorry for thinking you had put words into my mouth (or thoughts in my head). I had wrongly assumed I was the only one who's commented on this.

Charlie

Paul Reid · Post by **Paul Reid** » Wed May 22, 2002 9:46 am

No Caru, no jet dry - straight from the package - about 10 minutes later I was talking like Jar Jar binks. Meesa lips is numbiny.

Just as a test, I just put my lips further onto the fipple and the numbness was quite present. I think it's a combination of numb and kinda stingy. Mild, but present indeed. Tastes kind of bitter.

PR

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Thu May 23, 2002 1:45 am

I used to get quite a smell and a bit of taste off a red Generation D head. I stopped using it for a while, and it seems to have subsided, but there's still a very faint whiff if I hold it really close to my hooter. I've never noticed a problem with any other head, including the Oak.

That said, I quickly swapped the Oak head for a Feadog III, also in Black, so maybe I didn't play it enough.

I can't see any connection between Oak and Feadog. They seem worlds apart in quality of the Nickel body, and the Irish makes are usually proud to display their Irish origins on their labels, it's a selling point! So it would make no sense for Oak to be made by the Feadog manufacturers to my way of thinking. Mine was bought in Ireland, and there was no clue to the manufacturer OR distributor on the paper insert.

Oddly, the term Pennywhistle is used on both the plastic case and the paper insert fingering chart. I thought no self-respecting Irish player used this term anymore, but called them tinwhistles, or simply whistles. Maybe this is another clue?