CAMAC whistle ?

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 4:18 am

A friend brings me a bag of tin whistles. Some old Generations, plus two "CAMAC" , in A and Eb (he's breton and blows the biniou, so no wonder).
Both whistles are in brass rolled tube, with no externally visible seam, ext. diameter metric 15,0 mm. Some holes do not look perfectly circular, as if they had been hand-adjusted with a file after initial drilling.
The fipple is big, red plastic with a recorder-like mouthpiece. It is not glued to the tube, making it adjustable like. Or the glue dried out. The windway is slightly tapered. The A whistle is extremely sensitive, and its bottom notes jumps too easily to 2nd octave for my skill.
Could anyone tell me more about this CAMAC brand ?

[ This Message was edited by: Zubivka on 2002-10-03 06:57 ]

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 5:09 am

Camac was [is maybe, I don't know]a French company selling and producing quite a number of folk music related instruments. They were definitely very active by the end of the 70s- early 80s. They produced a range of whistles, going lower than the other available brands at the time, down to low A and possibly G [Hohners were available around the same time, but only in England/Ireland and they had some proper low ones, down to D if I remember correctly].
From memory I would think that the Camac whistle was available from 1978 onwards in Europe and petered out about five years later. I still have a Bflat one which I don't like very much even though it is well designed.

The absence of a seam probably points to the material being ready made tube rather than rolled brass. Only one whistle I own, my first, a Generation E flat, has a distinct seam, I assume all others were made from prefabricated tube. The Bflat Camac is made from very heavy tube by the way, which have always made me think of it as coming straight off the shelves of a plumber's supply shop.

[ This Message was edited by: Peter Laban on 2002-09-30 07:20 ]

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 5:37 am

I have an 'A' Camac given to me by a friend way back when A's were hard to come by. Mine is glued so I think yours has probably dried out, unless there was a change in specification.
Yes, it is tricky to play. I always used to find the change from first to second octave quite difficult at first. It's good for slow airs and accompanying some songs but I still don't use it much for anything really fast.

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 5:44 am

... made me think of it as coming straight off the shelves of a plumber's supply shop.

[ This Message was edited by: Peter Laban on 2002-09-30 07:20 ]

Well... wouldn't this be the latest fad if the brand had survived

Hardware-store stock, metric size, you're probably right about the French origin. And yes again, it is made of readymade tube, rolled as opposed to extruded.
Thank you for your help !

nickt · Post by **nickt** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 8:02 am

Camac made/make (?) some decent, reasonably priced celtic harps on the back of the Alan Stivell popularity wave. Sounds like they should've stuck to harp making.

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 8:08 am

They did ride the Stivell wave, they made bombardes, dulcimers, harps, hurdy-gurdies and all sorts of bits and pieces they weren't great but they were decent enough and indeed very reasonably priced. The whistles were well enough made, that I don't like the Bflat I have is a matter of taste.

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 8:46 am

Stivell is alive and well, still popular over here. Though any brand wanting to "ride" his success should better sell electric guitars, now. Beautiful performance in Lorient last year.
Lorient 2002 was interesting, too. Anyone listened to the group "O'Stravaganza" ? It's like regressive post-trad music, with Si Beag Si Mor played à la Vivaldi by Italian renaissance musicians. Baroque and rolls. I love it.

Now, how come some bump in Stradivarii(or -riuses ?) each time they pass by a flee-market, others get sold a couple of Overtons for 30 coins... and the bag I get is good only for plumbing ? Tough, but it may be cause I couldn't blow usefully in the Stradivarius

though, I do have a couple extra Camac fipples, now...

OutOfBreath · Post by **OutOfBreath** » Mon Sep 30, 2002 10:42 am

On 2002-09-30 10:46, Zubivka wrote:
Now, how come some bump in Stradivarii(or -riuses ?) each time they pass by a flee-market, others get sold a couple of Overtons for 30 coins... and the bag I get is good only for plumbing ?

Sucks, don't it

I have friends who are always finding deals in pawnshops like a Hammond B2 in decent shape for $100 or a '63 Les Paul guitar for $150 -- me, I go in the same shops and see nothing but cheap, beat-up, knock-off instruments that the shop keeper is asking more than street retail for. 'Guess I'm not livin' right or somethin'

John

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Thu Oct 03, 2002 4:58 am

I'm so proud

I can finally post the §&@ image, too!

nickt · Post by **nickt** » Thu Oct 03, 2002 7:07 am

Thanks Zubivka - rather weird fipples!

Good to hear Stivell's going strong, I last saw him in Sydney Australia in 1991, and last met him in St Brieuc in 1982 (wouldn't let me play his harp though).

BTW, you may be able to help re Peter Merbeth's ebony whistles (I believe he lives in Tremeven). Have you ever come across these? (They look interesting in photos)

Nick

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Thu Oct 03, 2002 8:00 am

On 2002-10-03 09:07, nickt wrote:
BTW, you may be able to help re Peter Merbeth's ebony whistles (I believe he lives in Tremeven). Have you ever come across these? (They look interesting in photos)

Never seen one, or didn't spot it was one. Shall keep my eyes open now. And for some others local facteurs de flûtes, in order to win my C&F Official Correspondent card, together with the usual Satellite Broadcast Van normally provided with the title.

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Thu Oct 03, 2002 8:49 am

did you notice the plug in the back of the head is loose and easily pushed out, great for cleaning them.