Of cheapies and high-end whistles

Tucson Whistler · Post by **Tucson Whistler** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:27 pm

Jayhawk wrote:Hey - my wife and I had a Toyota Corona as well...back when we got married in 88. That was one great car. The only sad memory related to the Corona was that we had to sell my little 78 brown Honda Civic, nicknamed the little brown log, because we were living in an area with no real parking and finding a space for one car required enough faith to feed the masses.

Eric

My first car was a green '78 Civic CVCC. I had it for 9 years and it's the only car that I really miss. I loved that thing!!

The Round Tree wrote:I have recently found a great whistle, Becker Penny Whistles, in "D". I liked it so much I bought a "C" the day I got it. It is PVC, witha wooden fipple, and beveled tone holes. It might not be a great session whistle, but then again in the right hands it might. This may be hard to believe, but sounds as good as my "expensive" whistles, at least to me. I haven't had a chance to share my find with anyone else, but I can't wait to see what others think. I paid $8 shipping included. If any one is interested Becker is selling them on e-bay.
Cheers:)

I saw them on eBay and was wondering. Thanks for the information.

Jayhawk wrote:FWIW - I've heard great music made on a gen. Flashy whistle are pretty to look at but it's the engine behind the whistle that makes the true difference.

I totally agree. I've heard awesome music come out of a whistle that sounded pretty bad when I played it. I think a great whistle player can make any old piece of pipe (or PVC

) sound great.

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:56 am

sbfluter wrote:Oh man I would LOVE to have that little Datsun.

Well, that's the thing, isn't it? Some people love a shiney well engineered BMW; other people get a kick out of an old beater pickup truck. I guess instruments are't all that different.

Play what you love; love what you play.

Tom

AJTwo · Post by **AJTwo** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:45 pm

From what I've heard, a good player playing a Burke still sounds better than a good player playing a Generation, but I love the sound of every Burke I've heard. Sadly, my words mean little, as my experience is very slight.

The Sweetone, however, is special. It sounds great in the higher octave. It has a really nice pure sounding second octave; not full and pure like a Burke, but a different kind of pure. I like my Sweetone a lot.

That said, buying different whistles with different sounds has simply made me appreciate each different one more. The comparison makes it worth buying different ones.

Personally, I would never feel comfortable in a shiny BMW, Mercedes, etc. They don't look to me like something you drive, and I'm kind of an everyman; I don't like the status car thing. It's just not me. I like ordinary cars, but with room. I like the Chevy Impala. Unfortunately, I can't afford it yet - it's my dad's. Or maybe ever. Sorry about the car spiel, it's something kids my age (21) think about a lot.

Mitch · Post by **Mitch** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:55 am

It's not the whistle that's important - it's the goat in the whistle!

I always wanted to be rich so I could buy a Porsche and put an old beat-up volkswagen body on it.

That way I wouldn't get upset when the goat climbs up on the car.

Donald · Post by **Donald** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 4:44 am

What is unnecessarily?,

If high end whistle are bought unnecessarily then definitely the fancy cars are and the designer clothes and sunglasses and most luxury items.

If there is no real improvement in quality and sound in a high end whistle than a cheepie, then we can compare it to the fact that that a jumper with a logo keeps you no warmer than a generic one. But people still buy the ones with logos.

So, are expensive whistles simply a fashion statement?

I personally like the tone of wooden whistles (and I accept that they cost more to make), my father only plays Clarkes and hes always going to sound better than me (and he would think it an unnessasary waste to spend as much as i do on whistles).

Romulo · Post by **Romulo** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 4:51 am

Gosh, here comes again this @#%@#$

that "high-end" whistles are better...

As far as I know the only wooden whistle that I heard was used (and won) in an All-Ireland competition (though I don't want to use that as a standard for tradition) was a Lon Dubh. I'm not advocating in favor of this whistle, just saying that is not common that most of good players prefer wooden whistles or is much appreciated by the judges...

All you anal-retemptive collectors, stop bragging about WhOA, spend this money investing at listening to old good players (that mostly play "cheapies") instead and go practice!

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 5:24 am

There are whistle players and whistle owners Romulo. Telling for the second category are the guys who rave on the forum about their latest whistle being the best ever, only to offer it for sale within a month.

Brigitte · Post by **Brigitte** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 5:29 am

Romulo wrote:Gosh, here comes again this @#%@#$ that "high-end" whistles are better...

As far as I know the only wooden whistle that I heard was used (and won) in an All-Ireland competition (though I don't want to use that as a standard for tradition) was a Lon Dubh. I'm not advocating in favor of this whistle, just saying that is not common that most of good players prefer wooden whistles or is much appreciated by the judges...

All you anal-retemptive collectors, stop bragging about WhOA, spend this money investing at listening to old good players (that mostly play "cheapies") instead and go practice!

To my surprise I heard last year that certain aluminium whistles are not allowed at some of the competitions and that "traditional" plastic mouth pieces are demanded when entering.

Brigitte

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:41 am

Brigitte wrote:
To my surprise I heard last year that certain aluminium whistles are not allowed at some of the competitions and that "traditional" plastic mouth pieces are demanded when entering.

Brigitte

Not quite sure that's true although I wouldn't put it past them. On the other hand, one local girl was told (by an adjudicator in the county Fleadh) she'd do better if she was seen to make a commitment and buy an expensive whistle. I ordered a Sindt for her and she did get second or something like that in the under 16 in the All Ireland. I doubt it had, in the end, anything to do with the whistle.

Brigitte · Post by **Brigitte** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:46 am

Peter Laban wrote:
Brigitte wrote:
To my surprise I heard last year that certain aluminium whistles are not allowed at some of the competitions and that "traditional" plastic mouth pieces are demanded when entering.

Brigitte
Not quite sure that's true although I wouldn't put it past them. On the other hand, one local girl was told (by an adjudicator in the county Fleadh) she'd do better if she was seen to make a commitment and buy an expensive whistle. I ordered a Sindt for her and she did get second or something like that in the under 16 in the All Ireland. I doubt it had, in the end, anything to do with the whistle.

I am not sure which festival it was at the time it was mentioned but it was not the first time we heard it. Well the Sindt's I would think count as "traditional" as they come close enough to the "plastic" head designs and surely it was her playing that made her win but the Sindts are really nice players which can help I presume. The silver body one we have certainly is a really nice sounding one.

Brigitte

Mitch · Post by **Mitch** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:41 am

The vehement "campification" of this perenial discussion is exciting my goat.

He wants to leap from peak to peak of the piles of combatants heaped on either side of this ridiculous surmize.

B-A-A-A-A my Gen can spell the lord's prayer on the head of a pin!

B-A-A-A-A My Abell is ready and willing, Gabrielle himself owns one of these!

Keep it up guys, my goat needs the exercise

Personally, I'll just stick to my understanding that a whistle lying on the stage will only attract as many bums-on-seats as a mime pretending to whistle. It's all obscure performance art until you put the 2 together, and the combination prooves to be up to the task. Most critical of all is the argument so conveniently missing in these jousts - i.e. which stage is the performance on?

Perfectly OK for the fleadh folks to insist on hobbled horses - imagine a trotter who's allowed to canter. At the sesh, well, how much spilled beer can your whistle stand? If you're playing for your cat, then the audience might be more demanding. If you're playing on a close-miked sound-stage, then there's another set of demands, studio work .. high-production movies ... etc etc etc. Consider that the most famous whistle of all (the Reskian flute) could not produce a note - but Picquard seemed to win the crowd with it regardless.

I know a player who makes every whistle he plays sound like a Gen, and yet he still appreciates a good one (gen or hand-made).

Still, who am I to get in the way of such thrilling etertainment. And like I said - consider my goat, he's been looking a bit flabby of late. Let the joust resume!

Mitch · Post by **Mitch** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:01 am

No Takers?

Lemme get it rolling again:

Pagh! THese people who think they can buy talent! In my day we had to train our dogs to chew a whistle from the leg of a kitchen chair the day before the fleadh! No fancy chair either, none of this mahogany edwardian malarky! And the dog had to have 3 legs ... or less! Now that's talent. Besides which - people with fancy whistles have too much money and I hate rich folks.

Mitch · Post by **Mitch** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:04 am

Oh yeah?

Well My whistle is made of hand-carved 10,000 year old mamoth tusk! It has a sound that cures psychopaths and calls the birds from the sky. GOd himself borrrows it from time to time - you don't see him with no cheap-a**s whistle. AN dyou poor folks always making some obscure virtue of not being able to get of the couch and earn a decent living. Bah!

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:09 am

Mitch....issues much?

Relax, dude. There's room for many whistles and many whistlers.

--James

Mitch · Post by **Mitch** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:12 am

peeplj wrote:Mitch....issues much?

Relax, dude. There's room for many whistles and many whistlers.

--James

It's my goat - honest ...