Dating an an old Clarke whistle.

[Clive Brown]

I am bit of a Clarke Original fan, and have just received an old C whistle bought on e-bay for under a fiver ! She plays wonderfully, far better than my contemporary Orinigal C. The whistle is styled in the old Clarke livery ie black lettering on bold gold surround, gold diamonds and a gold band around the airway. The wooden fipple has been sealed in place with a black substance around the edges. I have attemptedto attach some pictures but my inept IT skills have let me down !

[syn whistles]

Dating a Clarke? Is that a new take on "I love my whistle"?

[s1m0n]

I was thinking the same. I'm awful fond of my Clarkes (sweet sounding black D and nickel C whistles, chosen after some trial and error) but choosing just one of them to date would be excessive, IMO.

[crookedtune]

Lecherous, maybe. But I'd still opt for the Clarke with the bloom on 'er cheeks.

[mutepointe]

'Tis good manners to ask the whistle's parents permission first. Some parents will provide a maiden aunt as a chaperone.

[s1m0n]

Birthdate ca. 1990 means that both are over the age of majority. I'm in the clear!

~~

In fact, I still have my very first whistle, a Clarke that came in the Bill Ochs book+tape+whistle blisterpack. In traditional C, natch. Sadly, that whistle didn't survive the difficult 'teething' years with it's fipple unsquished, so it doesn't get played much.

[Chuck_Clark]

Clive

That's the problem when you ask a question in a forum already certified as a lunatic asylum. Sometimes you get a valid or useful answer. Sometimes the thread takes an immediate left turn into the Twilight Zone.

I don't imagine there's any way to date your whistle Clarke has been making them in that pattern for a very long time. They've no doubt stamped them out by the thousands daily. Absent a serial number, it could just as easily be relatively new as a well-cared-for oldtimer.