Anyone out there have an Abell Soprano F whistle they’re interested in parting with? I’m in the mood for some horse trading…
Loren
Loren,
In your opinion, how do Abell soprano whistles compare to O’Riordan’s? How about their respective mid-Low whistles (Abell makes a Low G?)
Thanks,
Brian
Brian,
Although I’m officially out of the whistle review business, I’ll try to answer your question. However, it’ll have to hold till tomorrow, gotta catch some shuteye right now.
Loren
Loren,
I was thinking about you today, I could use your help. I have an order with Colin for a bass Bflat, and the ball is rolling in my direction so I’m thinking of adding a baritone C.
I know you have one, but I think I remember you saying you had two. If so, do have both the large and narrow bore models.
I would be most appreciative if you could tell me a bit about them.
I’m going to put an email into Colin tonight, but I would love to hear what you have to say about them.
One more Overton review for old time sake???
Jack, I have an Overton baritone (low) A that I’ll sell you. Its in perfect condition and I’ll make you a great deal.
Ronaldo
Well Loren, unless you’re willing to let us all flounder it looks like you’re on! Nobody reviews a whistle like you do and you are needed and respected here.
On 2002-03-04 10:57, Jazz wrote:
Well Loren, unless you’re willing to let us all flounder it looks like you’re on! Nobody reviews a whistle like you do and you are needed and respected here.>
Respected for his expertise, if not for his tact, that is.
Tact is overrated. I’ll take honesty over it anyday.
Agreed.
Jazz–excellent point.
To my mind, the problem is not whether you’d choose honesty over tact. The problem is viewing tact and honesty as mutually exclusive.
All right, let’s rewrite this a bit:
Respected for his honesty and “no BS-attitude”.
Jazz… Hmmmm, three posts and you’re up to speed. How long have you been lurking??
Or as some other folks might say… What’s your other nickname?
Benefit of the doubt… WELCOME ABOARD!!
WELCOME ABOARD!!
Thanks Tony. I admit I have been lurking awhile but, sorry, I am not Porridge.
Reynaldo, Thanks for the offer but the ball isn’t rolling all that much. What with tax season just around the bend. Thanks though.
Wow,
I ask for an Abell F and all sorts of different stuff comes up…
Okay about the whistles, first off, I’m sorry Jack, I can’t help too much regarding the Overton Low C differences. I do have two of Colin’s Low C’s, however they are both of the Narrow Bore variety, one anodised, the other not.
I have spoken with Colin in the not so distant past regarding his Low C’s and I got the impression that it’s really just a matter of personal taste as to which one you go with, not a better or worse sort of thing. I mean I doubt Colin would offer both if he felt one was clearly superior to the other. My suggestion woul be to do your best to describe what sound and playability characteristics you’d prefer, and then leave Colin to sort through them for you. I’ve always been pleased with my puchases using this approach, but that’s just me.
I am by the way very happy with both of the Low C’s I have.
Okay, Brian…On the issue of O’Riordan Soprano D vs. Abell Soprano D:
Well this is really more of an apples and oranges comparison than some might think, I mean these two whistles are really more different than similar. The Abell is relatively thin bodied and light, the O’Riordan thick and a good bit heavier. Both have wooden body tubes, however the Abell headjoint is matching wood while the O’Riordan is Delrin.
My Abell is made from Madagascar Rosewood and smells amazing! I always thought Jessie was exaggerating about this, but I smell now that she was not The Blackwood Abells I’ve tried (F, D, Bb, and A) had a slight pleasant odor, but nothing as nice or strong as the Madagascar.
The workmanship on both whistles is first class, however the edge would certainly have to go to the Abells since the window is consistently cut much more cleanly and the overall finish on all the ones I have seen is virtually perfect. The O’Riordans are a little less consistent as you can see some slightly less perfectly finished parts here and there from whistle to whistle. The windows always look a little rough on the O’Riordans (IMO), doesn’t seem to hurt the sound though
Also, the materials are of a higher grade on the Abell in terms of the silver and all wood headjoint - Of course the Retail Price of the Abell is MUCH higher than that of the O’Riordan, so I’d say O’Riordan wins the “Bang For The Buck Award” hands down.
Tonewise, the Abells can vary quite a bit from somewhat loud and pure, to very soft and cloudy sounding. I would say the O’Riordans I’ve played were more consistent and sound, mostly being very pure sounding with little chiff or wind noise, also very little in the way of noticable overtones. In my experience the Abells tend more towards a softer sound, not so much volume (although this aparently can vary widely), with more wind noise and chiff than your typical O’Riordan. I should also say that my O’Riordans (the only ones I’ve played) while having good volume, are not really what I’d consider “Really Loud”, however they do cut due to the pureness of the tone.
Neither whistle has a particularly solid bell note, something I always gripe about, so you can’t lean in to the low notes before they break to the second actave. This is a pet peeve of mine and it appears not to both most other folks.
The mouth pieces on these two whistles couldn’t be more different and I think most people will love one and hate the other. Personally I like the O’Riordan mouthpiece shape better than just about any other on the market. I REALLY dislike the Abell mouthpiece shape, but I love the rest of the whistle so much I’ve learned to deal with it. I’ve heard others say the same about the O’Riordan, so YMMV.
One final and important difference between these two whistles: The Abell is very “Goof Proof” most Abell lovers agree that it is perhaps the most forgiving Soprano whistle you can buy. It’s not the least bit prone to squeaks or swquaks of any sort, and it plays on pitch with excellent intonation without any particular effort on the part of the player.
The O’Riordan on the other hand is more tempermantal, stop actively driving it and it’ll make you pay the price with missed high notes, or cracking/ breaking tones. The intonation on these whistles is very breath presssure sensitive, so if you’re a perfectionist, you really have to pay attention to how hard your blowing each note in order to stay in tune from note to note. Some people love this about the whistle, others hate it…apples and oranges.
Well, there’s my review. I should mention that I have not had the opportunity to play any Low O’Riordans, so my comments refer to the O’Riordan Blackwood Concert C and D whistles ( I have two headjoints rather than one by the way and although they were manufactured several years apart, they play and sound almost identical.) I have played the low Abells (Chris only makes them as low as Mezzo-Soprano A) and I didn’t care for either the Blackwood or Delrin sets I tried. The tone was okay buy they clogged like the dickens. Which reminds me of something I forgot to mention:
Abells do clog until warmed up. Mine still clogs a little even when warm. The O’Riordans are practically clog-proof, extra credit to Pat on that point 
Okay, that’s it I’m done. I really do appreciate all the kind words (so that doesn’t include you Bloomfield…that’s a joke man), but really, that’s it for the reviews. It’s become too time consuming, and then there’s all the other “Stuff” that drags me down here. Once I’ve found new homes for the whistles I’m parting with I’ll be heading out again.
Loren
P.S. Hey Jazz, you crack me up man! So how many other folks do you think were hip to the (multiple) manipulation devices being used in that other thread? It amazes me that so many people consistently fall for that stuff, and we’ve been seeing a ton of it here in recent months.
Well gotta run dude, I think I hear the Dingo’s making off with my sick kittens…
[ This Message was edited by: Loren on 2002-03-05 19:14 ]
By The way, now that I’ve just spent two hours writing a that darned review, would you people please get back on freakin topic and find me someone with an Abell F they’d like to trade?!?!
Loren
Whistle reviews certainly don’t get any better! Do check back once in a while Loren!
[ This Message was edited by: Eldarion on 2002-03-05 20:40 ]
Thanks Eldarion, that review would be better without the typos, but oh well…
Actually, I’m writing here to mention something I forgot in the review: Many people (myself included) feel the 4th and 5th holes (from the top) on the O’Roirdan are too close together, which causes your middle and index fingers to rub/bump while playing. Now certainly this isn’t an insurmountable problem, however some folks have commented that it can be really annoying. I imagine those players with really wide/big fingers might be particularly irritated by this feature.
Okay, now I’m fairly certain that’s the end of the review
Loren
Loren,
Thanks for the insight. Appreciate your time.
Keep the hammer down and may the wind always be at your back.
Brian