Is there a difference in Tone, Quality..or anything… between Colin’s whistles or Bernard’s?
anyone have any input?
You might try doing a search on this subject. I think it’s been covered and may be in the archives.
I have two BO originals (Low D & F) and the sound is wonderful. Posters of the Goldie state that it too is wonderful, and by all accounts they sound the same judging by those who’ve compared.
Loren told us that Colin’s are generally available in the USA, and the fingerholes are slightly rounded/chamfered to be smoother under the fingers.
Bernard usually supplies the UK and Europe, and does not round off the fingerholes. I have a low F, and it comes with a signed certificate of authenticity.
I have no idea about any tonal differences, but Loren would be the man.
I have one of Bernard’s low D’s. (Bought it at the House of Musical Traditions in Md.) It came with the signed certificate mentioned. I also seem to recall a thread comparing his with Colin’s. I think Colin makes a modified version that doesn’t require as long a reach for the D hole. I am still trying to get used to the extra long reach this hole requires. It is significantly longer than on any other I own. It doesn’t have the rounded finger holes, and consequently feels rather unusual. That said, I really love the thing!
Steve
I’ve avoided posting in this thread for several reasons, but now that I’ve been quoted, I guess I better clarify a few things.
Yes, it’s been my (limited) experience that Bernard’s and Colin’s whistles may sound a bit different from one another. I say “limited” experience because while I’ve played a good 15+ Goldie Overtons, I’ve only played one or two of Bernard’s whistles, although I have spoken with several people off list who have also done some comparisons.
Anyway, I think any differences in tone between the two is subtle enough that one wounld have to play them both (preferably side by side) to come to any significant judgements on how they differ. I wouldn’t like to offer my thoughts on how the sound might differ between the two maker’s whistles.
I also hesitated to offer my thoughts here because whistle making isn’t necessarily this static endeavor where things never change and it’s my understanding that both Colin and Bernard do a bit of tinkering with things like hole placement, sizing, and even chamfering (the rounding off of the tone hole edges). Therefor, I wouldn’t like to be on record as saying that Bernard NEVER produces whistles with the rounded tone holes, nor would I suggest that Colin wouldn’t be happy to leave the edges crisp for you on his whistles if that’s the way you’d like them. I believe my previous comments on the subject stated that, but not Martin’s quotation, so I wanted to make sure to clarify that bit.
Yes, it’s true that Colin seems to have put more time and effort into making the stretch on his Low whistles as easy as possible, while still maintaining optimum perfermance, and yes Bernard’s Low D’s are fairly well known for having bigger holes and longer stretches. However, it’s my understanding that Colin and Bernard maintian a good relationship and communications, so it’s hard for me to imagine that they haven’t shared information over the years, including ideas about the sizes and spacing of holes on Overton whistles. I’m just guessing here, but I’d be a bit surprised if someone told me Bernard only ever made Low whistles with one particular size and hole configuration.
My point of all this is that it’s my opinion Bernard and Colin both make fantastic whistles, and they are a bit different from one another, so a person should try both to determine what will suit him/her best.
Generally speaking one would find Colin’s whistles here in the U.S., however I think you could get Bernard’s through Hobgoblin. Don’t know what the deal is with HMT having them…
Loren
oooohhhh mannnn,
I was expecting a joke. You know,
“4 Overton owners walk into a pub and…”
MarkV