Hi all,
First off, my respects to all who have posted! This has been a very enjoyable discussion!
While my last post was pretty frivolous, I have enjoyed following this thread over the past few days and wish to enter a serious opinion on the actual thread topic:
Has the quality of Generations gone down over the years?
I think the answer is
no.
With respect to all the learned and passionate arguments already given, I think the truth of the situation is much simpler. I don’t think the quality has gone down. I think the quality level
never was what we nostalgically thought it used to be.
I’m not trying to bash Generations—in fact I’m very fond of them! I just believe that as whistle fanatics (which we all are as C&F forum members) our standards and expectations have grown far greater than those at those of the Generations’ manufacturers.
If we were able to corner one of the designers/quality control experts/production managers of the Gens at the factory and fill him/her full of truth serum, I suspect that they would see nothing wrong with the quality of instruments they produce.
The problem isn’t one of lack of quality at the factory; it is a matter of
production goals. I believe Generation whistles are and always have been designed to be an inexpensive, easily and quickly mass-produce-able, beginner’s instrument for kids. They were never intended to be a professional quality, delicately balanced, intricately tuned musical instrument made to strict and exacting tolerances.
The whole argument is comparable to arguing a two-seat Cessna is a poor quality airplane because it can’t fly in outer space like the space shuttle. It is NOT a bad airplane, it just wasn’t designed to do what the space shuttle does.
The same is true for Generation whistles.
We are all whistle enthusiasts. Most of us started playing on Generations (or something similar) and found them to be wonderfully fun to play. For the first few months or years we were happy to play them and enjoyed the experience. (Just like a new pilot loves the first time he flies solo.) But over the course of time, as our playing improves and we purchase more whistles, OUR STANDARDS INCREASE. Like that pilot, as he learns to fly bigger, faster, and higher flying planes, we also get a wider perspective on whistle abilities and characteristics. Many of us switch to other makers and brands. Some prefer more chiff; some less. Some want more volume, some less…
The Generations which we started out on and originally enjoyed playing didn’t get worse, we became more sophisticated and more demanding! We’re looking for space shuttle function and quality out of a two-seat plane! And when we return to playing that first whistle, it is like an astronaut flying in coach after walking on the moon.
I’m not criticizing the Generations at all! I’m just trying to be realistic and look at it from the company’s perspective. I think their goal all along has been to produce a serviceable whistle to meet the needs of kids at an affordable price—not to supply whistle fanatics a perfect, professional quality musical instrument for under $10. If there is any doubt to that, then ask yourself: “If Generations were supposed to be top grade instruments, why do they GLUE the tops on?” …because they were never intended to be much more than a toy.
That said, occasionally a nearly perfect whistle does fall off the assembly line. That isn’t because the rest are faulty. It is merely a fluke.
As for why quality seems to be getting worse over time, I think that is just our nostalgia comparing the first whistle we loved (and weren’t so critical of) to the current whistles available (which we have all grown to be professional critics of). They haven’t gone down in quality, we’ve gone up in expectations.
Generations remain good whistles. There are many brands BETTER than Generations, but Generations are still good whistle to those who love them for the simple whistle they are.
If you want to fly, get a Generation. If you want to fly amongst the stars, get an Overton, O’Riordan, Copeland, Burke…
Thanks for reading my manifesto!
And thanks to everyone who has participated in the discussion. I’ve enjoyed it immensely.
Joe
I'm not lazy, I'm just blessed with a lack of ambition, that's all.
-Satchmo
