Buying Highend Whistles

[thinwhistle]

I am looking into buying a high end whistle and have a couple of questions for when I look around.

1) Is their such thing as knock off/Fakes when it comes to tin whistle, if so how can I tell if it is a genuine article made by that specific craftsman?

2) What is a good price point, and brands? Does price always dictate quality?

3) Do the high end whistles feel heavier and made of a thicker material? I have a Clarke that looks like a sheet of tin has been rolled and crimped into a tube and it weighs nothing.

4) Do the high end whistles sound cleaner and less toy like or is that an attribute that some brands or keys have? I listened to the beginning of "Lord of the Dance" from Michael Flately's River dance and that to me sounded real good compared to some of the cheap ones I have. To quote some one my whistles sound like a toy compared to some of the whistle songs I have listened to and bought from Itunes.

Regardless of whether people say save your money and buy this brand for $15 I am still inclined to buying one that is hand made. To me its like buying a fine wine or fine china.

[Wanderer]

1. Not really.

Some whistles have very similar styles...Overtons, Albas, and Chieftains superficially look a lot alike. Once you know what to look for, though, they're easy to tell apart. The instances I've seen in recent years where one is advertised as another have appeared to be cases of mistaken identity. Likewise, Thin Weasels and Busmans look a lot alike, and in the inexpensive world, some whistles look like virtual clones of other brands.

It's virtually certain that among nearly all whistle makers, some copying of ideas has gone back and forth.

However, each brand of whistle tends to have unique characteristics that they bring to the table..there's no real "knock off" brands. As to how to tell them apart, nearly all brands have a maker's mark somewhere.

2. Price doesn't dictate quality. The more popular brands tend to be higher in price, due to supply and demand. However, there are some outstanding whistles at fairly decent prices.

And then there's the idea that many people have that cheap whistles are just fine...many people get along with a $6.00 whistle all their lives just fine, and think there's nothing better.

The trick is to define what you want out of a whistle..if you can get that cheaply, great..if you can't, you have to pony up the dough or decide you'll settle for something else.

As for a price point, most high end whistles can be had for somewhere between 100-250 dollars, which make them pretty cheap compared to say, fiddles or guitars. Most low-price whistles are between $5 and $20. There are whistles that fall outside of these ranges, naturally.

3. Interestingly, the Clarke is a sheet of tin, rolled and crimped! They've been making them that way since the 1840's I think. Some high end whistles feel very substantial. Some don't. Clarkes are notoriously fragile, though, and just about any other whistle will be at least a little sturdier. When I started playing, I just have bent a half-dozen Clarkes my first couple of years.

4. Depends on the whistle. Some people like more complex tones, more air, or other characteristics. "Pure" whistles only satisfy one segment of the market, and some high end whistles are fairly pure (like the Burkes). Others aren't. You can't compare your whistle with recordings, though. All of those recordings will have reverb and lots of electronic processing.

[Gabriel]

To ensure that a high-end whistle is genuine, buy it from the maker directly (if possible). Most makers sell their work directly, even though some also sell through retailers which also isn't a wrong thing, as most retailers know what they're selling.

I only once bought a high-end whistle. It's a blackwooden high D by Phil Bleazey which surely is a very nice whistle. But I might part with it when the opportunity for a good trade or sale arises, since I'm one of those persons who like cheapies as well. My first whistle was a Feadog and I could'nt make it sound good at the beginning. But I recently rediscovered it as being very nice with the proper breath control. My other whistles are cheapies across the board (Gen Bb and Gen A (selfmade), Sweetone C, all of them tweaked by me), with one exception being my low D which is an early Chieftain I grabbed off eBay for 50 euros (what a bargain!).

As a result one doesn't necessarily has to have expensive whistles to sound good. But they surely have some advantages the cheapies don't have, the biggest being consistency between several whistles of the same make.

[breqwas]

I have a Clarke that looks like a sheet of tin has been rolled and crimped into a tube

Well, it _is_ a rolled sheet of tin cripmed in a tube. Moreover, AFAIU the tin-whistle as it was invented and became popular had been almost that - a sheet of rolled tin with a wooden fipple. As for me, playing a <i>penny</i>whistle for <a href="http://www.ozwhistles.com/ozwhistlesshop.htm">$400</a> is rather unauthentic.

Still, that is my very own opinion - maybe it is a newbie one.


And if you want smth non-toyish - take a Generation. They have a distinctive creaky sound :))

[Craig Stuntz]

Not mentioned above and perhaps obvious, but important: In nearly all cases, the #1 factor behind the sound produced is the performer. This is most obvious when you listen to a recording with the same performer playing both cheap and "high-end" whistles. They sound different, yes, but both sound good to me in skilled hands.

-Craig

[straycat82]

This may or may not help your search much but you need to realize that not all whistles are created equally. Just because whistle is a "High End" whistle or just because it costs a lot does not mean it will sound the same as other high end whistles... there is no "standard" whistle. One brand isn't necessarily "better" than another, it's just a matter of personal preference with each player. I would stay clear of any whistle that doesn't have a name brand though. Don't buy anything off of Ebay that says "Irish whistle" and dosn't list a maker, it's probably cheap Pakistani junk.
The best thing for you to do is find some audio clips of the whistles you're looking at buying, many whistle makers have clips available on their websites. Each whistle will have different characterisics that may or may not be to your liking. Instead of asking a group of people which whistle they like best you might ask specific questions about each whistle. Find out what characteristics you want from a whistle and make your decision from there. Asking people's opinions can tell you things about the whistle that you can't get from an audio clip; for example, whether it has back pressure or requires a lot of breath power to play.
That said, many professional recordings have been made with whistles that cost $10. Don't assume that it is a high end whistle just because it sounds good. Buying an expensive whistle doesn't make you a better player so whatever you end up with, keep in mind that it's the player that makes it sound great, not the whistle.
Also, if you could share with us which recordings you are listening to (i.e. who it's by) then we might even be able to tell you what whistle the artist is playing.

Cheers,
Johnny

[sbhikes]

The audio clips are very helpful because there are some subtle differences in how the whistles all sound. I listened to some of these audio clips and determined that the most toy-like whistle of them all sounds really good to me and now I think I want to try one (the sweetone -- is that sweet one or sweet tone?)

I have a DVD by Vinny somebody-or-other where he plays this old tarnished whistle that he's modified with a little scotch tape around the top tone hole. He can make that old thing sound better than most of us can probably make the finest, most expensive whistle sound.

Nevertheless, I think someday I'd like to own one of those swallowed grape whistles, but I am swearing off owning any nice instruments until I can prove to myself that my playing deserves it. At this point, $10 whistles are just fine.

Oh, and if you want to spend more for your whistle, come to Santa Barbara where you can get your $10 whistle for $20 if that's your bag.

[talasiga]

All whistles are high end. Low end whistles have the mouthpiece at the bottom of the tube which is really silly and thats why they are unavaialable because nobody would want to buy them because nobody wants to look sillier then they already are.

I speak for myself.

[Gabriel]

All whistles are high end. Low end whistles have the mouthpiece at the bottom of the tube which is really silly and thats why they are unavaialable because nobody would want to buy them because nobody wants to look sillier then they already are.

I speak for myself.

Well, this depends on how one defines the "end" of a whistle.

[sbhikes]

Do you think if I turned a high-end whistle upside-down they'd give me a discount at the cash register?

[talasiga]

NO, they would just give you the receipt upside down ......

[jim stone]

I've recently acquired a very positive opinion
of the Burke delrin tipped thin bore aluminum
whistle, which goes for 150. Some of the whistlers
I most respect are playing these, people of
professional ability. I doubt one could
go wrong with one of these if one wanted
something hand-made, high endish,
and it's a good deal cheaper than some
of the other options.

[Craig Stuntz]

I've recently acquired a very positive opinion
of the Burke delrin tipped thin bore aluminum
whistle, which goes for 150.

$170.

[A-Musing]

thinwhistle...
You seem to be striding right into the Promised Land! WhOA is you! You are on the cusp of many years of good times, my friend. There are many great whistles to be played. Many great makers. And a myriad of sounds to be enjoyed. Gourmet tastes and textures. O, WhOA is you.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...happily playing the first cheapie he happened upon. He'll tell you your money would be better spent on a new muffler for your car, or some such. And that you'd be better off becoming a virtuoso on your cheapie.

Sigh. Actually...all of the above notions contain truth. Depends on you. Welcome home, Dorothy. There's no place like home...

[cadancer]

2) What is a good price point, and brands?

3) Do the high end whistles feel heavier and made of a thicker material?

4) Do the high end whistles sound cleaner and less toy like or is that an attribute that some brands or keys have?

I just went through this exercise, and here is my *opinion*.

2) I grouped the whistles into 4 price-points.
<$20, <$100, <$200, >$200

After *trying* whistles in all price points, I decided on the <$200 range for me.

3) Most higher end whistles are "more substantial" feeling.

4) totally subjective, but some are purposefully designed to have a "cleaner" sound, others have other design goals.

****
For me three things were most important. First, that the instrument was in-tune with itself. Second, that the instrument is tunable (has a slide of some sort). Third that it can be played with a good volume if needed.

Ultimately, I narrowed it down to the Burke (many people in my area love their Burke's) and the Reyburn.

Straight up, I liked the Reyburn better.

It also has a better price-point. $140.00 for a D/C set vs. $170.00 for a D.

The Reyburn uses a fairly heavy-gauge tube and *does* feel heavier and more substantial than the instruments I tried in the <$100 range. It felt good to me. I don't know whether it influences the sound.

Good Luck, and happy hunting!

...john