Hello all,
I bought a Guiness D a few weeks ago…and people are so right when they say that this new hobby is addicting. I already want to buy another whistle. Any good recommendations for me? I would love to hear your opinions so I can make a good pick for a new whistle. Thanks. ~Mimi
Mimi,
Stop, don’t buy another whistle, runaway from all of us before it is too late and you are swimming in whistles and debt.
Joe
Mimi, what in particular do you like or dislike about your current whistle? Every one of them seems to have a strong point or a drawback, and it would help those who make suggestions if they know what’s going on in your musical ear. Are you looking for a different sound, a different key, volume, etc.
Also, cost is a factor. There are a few whistles out there that are great for collectors, due to playability, looks, novelty, tone, but are way too expensive for the average whistler on the street.
As one who swears this whistle is The Last One, every time, there always seems to be another comin’ round the bend that begs to be bought, compared, admired.
Look at the main page for Dale’s guide to whistle selection by personality type. It seems like a joke, but I find that it really is about right for me. Gives you a direction to go.
If you live near one of the rare music stores that stocks more than Clarkes and Generations, see if they will let you try a few. That’s why I finally bought a Susato. I had no intention of getting an ugly plastic whistle. But it sounded to good when I tried it at the Folk Shop in Tucson that I had to buy. Good thing I didn’t have the cash on me for the Ralph Sweet cherry C. That was a nice whistle. I still want it and I only played one tune on it back in November. Argh.
Anyway, try them if you can, otherwise see if you can figure out what you are wanting in the whistle and buy something that should deliver that.
-Patrick
Gotta say I really like my Clarke original. Ever since I got it my other whistles are getting lonely. It’s a bit quieter than my Walton, but nice balance between octaves and not shrieky on the upper octave. - Joel
Mimi, do what Joe says and run away real fast! WhUPS and WhOA are nothing to laugh at, and you have the potential to end up in one of those 12 Step programs, well, at least control it and buy cheap whistles for now until you get real good or you will have blown a fortune on expensive whistles! 
Hello there Mimi 
I have to agree, first of all, with what has been said; if you can find a music store that stocks more than clarke sweetones and generations, see if they’ll let you try a few; and don’t be discouraged if some smart aleck store owner replies “Oh, I think I saw those at kay-bee toys” - if they’re going to be rude to customers like that they don’t DESERVE your business in the first place =)
(speaking from the standpoint of a musician of about ten years or so; I’ve had some really interesting experiences soft laugh)
My experience has been with low-cost whistles mostly, with the exception of a Sweetheart D and two low whistles, so I’ll offer what opinion I can =)
The tone is a matter of taste, as far as these go, but they’re generally not TOO tempermental, and the plastic voicing tends to reduce the chance of clogging since there’s no wooden fipple block to swell from condensation. )My very first whistle was a Susato, and I’ve loved it since. The only drawbacks about the susato that I’ve found so far are that it tends to be a louder whistle (you don’t want to play this one in the car with the windows up!), and mine, at least, has a tendancy to be a little tough to play in the upper register, past G (it tends to get kinda shrill) this could probably be corrected on my part with more breath control though soft laugh Susato has a crisp, clear tone, and the fact that its body is solid ABS plastic makes it more durable, and less likely to collect condensation; as well as more reliablity in tonality as it won’t expand/contract like metals will with temperature variations (not to mention it’s a great whistle for those moments of inspiration in the middle of a hot shower )
Well, that’s pretty much my experience with low end whistles. There are more experienced players (I’ve only been playing tin whistle about two years or so) that can help a good deal more than I; and I welcome any comment on what I’ve written here =)
God bless, and be safe,
Slainté!
Daniel
If you are really interested in a good investment, I hear the new Enron model is excellent and guaranteed to appreciate significantly in value (but only if you’re a top executive or a member of the Bush administration, otherwise you’re out of luck).
Chris
For me, my recommendation for best 2nd whistle is the Dixon Tunable regular (soprano) D whistle. It has a bit of character in the tone, kind of a breathyness in its sound. I found it was easiest to play, moderate volumn across both octaves, and tends to clog less that many of the inexpensive whistles. You can pick one up from Thom at The WhistleShop for less than 30 bucks. Its tunable so that as you learn more and want to play with others you can adjust the pitch to their instruments. Some folks don’t care for the breathyness of the tone; but, most whistles have their own character. As you proceed you may find another whistle thats more to your liking. Until then, the Dixon will give you a feel for what you can do with the character in developing your play.
As your skills improve it may matter less which whistle you play, but for me this whistle helped me improve my skills by making it easier produce a tune. Later my tastes developed for other whistles but my little Dixon still gets a fair amount of play, in fact it is one of the few inexpensive (Ie less than $75) that I still play regularly.
Other folks are more familiar with other whistles and their characters, if you find one that sounds interesting, go for it. Of the less expensive whistles, I’ve had or have clarks, waltons, guiness, susato, shaws and others and still prefer the Dixon over them.
It is, to a certain degree, a matter of taste, so regardless which whistle you choose, remember that it is more important to …
Enjoy Your Music,
Lee Marsh
[ This Message was edited by: LeeMarsh on 2002-02-05 17:16 ]
How much money are you wanting/able
to spend? Best
Thank you everyone who has replied so far to my question about recommendations for whistles. I will definitely be looking into some of those whistles that you fine people have listed.
To answer your question Jim…I am looking for whistles in an affordable (college student) range. Until I get a lot better at the whistle and know for sure that I want to invest a lot in it…I am going to look for some less expensive whistles. Any ideas for me now?
Thanks again everyone for your time and ideas for me. If you come up with anything else let me know. I’ll let you know what I end up buying. ~Mimi
Tyghress,
Thanks for your note. Some of the things that I like about my whistle now is that it has an airy sound, but I can also change it. It is pretty easy to do cuts and taps and they sound good. It is also really light.
I’m actually looking for somewhat of a different sound and possibly a different key. Like in the key of C…for example.
Any ideas? I also want something that I can afford for now. Let me know. Thanks.
~Mimi
First of all, Mimi… what do you plan to spend? You won’t get silver ferrols for $25, but you won’t get a broken heart if you accidentally sit on a $7 Clarke either. Think of the sound you want (flutey, whistle-like, piercing, breathy) and the volume. And do you have a materials preference (brass, wood, plastic, copper(ahem)). Post those sorta things and I guarantee dollars to donuts the local C&F fanatics will have about 3,000 recommendations… my personal “bang for buck” fave is either a Sindt or Water Weasel, both in the $70-80 range. Of course, that all may change when my O’Riordan set arrives this week (eat your heart out, guys… I ordered them before I started making whistles myself!).
dave
Dave
Dave,
(or anyone else that wants to give me ideas)
Well for now…I am looking for some less expensive whistles. I am looking for a flutey/breathy whistle. The one I have now is kind of breathy. A flutey sound would be nice. But I also want a totally whiste-like sound. So those would be two different whistles. As far as the make of it…I would have to say that I have never tried a wooden whistle…so I don’t know what those souns like. I like copper and brass…so I guess those are a few of my preferences.
Any ideas for me now? I would really appreciate feedback. Thanks ~Mimi
You might try a Clarke Sweetone. These
have a breathy, flutey sound, they’re
6 bucks, the mouthpiece is designed by
Michael Copeland (who is one of the
best whistlemakers in the world),
they’re more consistent and take
less air than the
Clarke Classic, which has a wooden
fipple and costs more. Hard to go
wrong with these at the price.
The Clarke Classic, recommended above
in this thread, is worth buying,
however there is considerable variation
from whistle to whistle, so that
they can be very breathy and demanding
in air. Best to play before buying.
The Sweetone plastic mouthpiece makes
for a lot more consistency.
If you’re looking for something with a “flutey” sound, a C Susato is a possibility. I have a D, C, Bb set; while the D and Bb tend to be temperamental, the C is really quite nice to play. These are available from Elderly Instruments (http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/170N.htm) and the Whistle Shop (http://www.thewhistleshop.com/catalog/whistles/inexpensive/susato/kildare/kildare.html), among other places. They run around $20.00 for this key; don’t know if that fits your “inexpensive”. (Daniel mentions the shrill sound of the notes above G; on the D whistle, this tends to be true. As he also mentions, this can be controlled considerably by controlling and directing the wind stream.) Drawback (as far as your stated preferences) - they are plastic.
If you want a really breathy whistle, a Shaw would fit. Warning - these take a lot of wind, and some people really dislike them. They do tend to play fairly well in tune, and are chiefly metal with a wood fipple. (Less than $15.00 for C and higher.)
The whistles I’ve tried costing $10.00 or less (Generation, Sweetone) tend to vary a lot in terms of being in tune with themselves, if that is important to you. Of these two, Sweetones tend to be more consistent in tone and easier to play, with the Generations demanding more breath control (which is not at all a bad thing to learn.)
As with many other areas today, it seems we are faced with “choice overload.” My guess is that any of the suggestions made so far (with the possible exception of the Shaw) would be reasonable choices for a second whistle.
Hey Jim,
Thanks for your advice and input on my post. I really appreciate the tips. ~Mimi
The Whistle Shop has a “tweaked” Clarke (better than a non-tweaked) Original with a “fluty” sound for $24.75. See it here: http://www.thewhistleshop.com/catalog/whistles/inexpensive/Clarke/Tweeked/tweeked.htm. Or you can get a fluty un-tweaked original for less than $10 there.