The title pretty much says it all. Any shops have whistles in stock, and what makers and keys do they stock?
There aren’t many at all. (I asked this question a year or two ago.) One place that has a few is the Claremont Folk Music Center http://www.folkmusiccenter.com/ I visit the L.A. area, and Claremont specifically, a few times a year. I check in at this store every time.
They consistently have a few Susatos in various keys, Clarkes, Generations, and Feadogs. Now and then I’ve seen Chieftains and Sweetheart whistles. Maybe another brand or two. There are a lot of ethnic woodwinds.
Old Towne Music in Pasadena has Oaks in C and D and also some Feadogs (I believe). They also have another brand which may be “acorns”.
…john
Fountain Valley Music in Huntington Beach on Warner had two Oaks, one in C and the other in D.
Sandy
I think I remember seeing some Chieftain whistles at McCabe’s in Santa Monica a few months ago.
I actually called McCabe’s yesterday, as I remembered seeing a good selection of whistles there a few years ago: all the usual mass-market things, plus Overton-like aluminum whistles in a good range of keys. Well the person on the phone (who didn’t seem to know much) said all they carried was Generations and inexpensive Generation-types.
So Greater Los Angeles, with what, 15 million people, has no shop where you can walk in and play Burkes, Overtons, Albas, and other high-end whistles? Amazing.
In Glasgow there’s a tiny shop called Folk Revolution which has a terrific selection of whistles and low whistles. One would think LA might have such.
About Claremont’s Folk Music Center, I’ve been going there on and off since the 1970’s. I don’t recall ever seeing much of a whistle selection there, but I haven’t been there in a couple years.
Shade Tree in Orange County used to have some high-end whistles, but that shop is now closed.
That would seem to be correct.
LA sucks my friend, it is a modern day sodom and gomorrah-------------no culture here just violence and greed
LA may suck, however I just got back from a great session at the Auld Dubliner so at least there’s plenty of music.
That is silly.
…john
In a little over a week, I’ll be heading to the LA area. I’ll let you know what’s available in the Claremont store.
Where’s Auld Dubliners? Any place else that one might hear live Irish music?
Eskin? Are you playing anywhere between the 10th and 14th of October?
I love LA.
Where I lived when I lived there, everybody
was Chinese but me. Signs in Chinese,
whole blocks with nothing but chinese.
I thought I was in China.
You walked a few blocks in another direction
and you were in Mexico.
There were wonderful things to eat.
There are Buddhist temples the size of
college campuses.
Flocks of parrots overhead.
The sea…
I busked at Venice Beach.
Gee I was happy in LA.
Auld Dubliners is in Long Beach. Also a session at Finn McCool’s in Santa Monica. They are unfortunately both at the same time on Sunday afternoons. Monday evening has a session at the Celtic Arts Center.
http://www.celticartscenter.com
http://www.gerrigilliland.com/finn/contactus.html
There are other places that have music that are not “session” style as well.
…john
Hey, i just came home from a session at Auld Dubliner, also. This one in Tucson, though.
Ideed?
Poorly played sir, quite poorly played.
I too just came back from the session in Long Beach.
ITM was had that perhaps even Mr. Cfish would approve of.
Pancelticpiper, we didn’t get to chat… Was that a Viper you had?
Nice!
I was playing flute… opposite the table next to Mr. Eskin.
Yep a Burke Pro Viper. I played Irish flute for 30 years but recently the cramping in my hands from the playing position of the flute has got worse to the point where I sold all my flutes. I bought several low D whistles to compare and ended up liking the Burke. I still have to try a Reviol and an MK at least.
I’ll try to get over there more often! Great craic!
Hi Richard,
It was great having you there, always a good session and worth the drive up from San Diego.
Cheers,
Michael
Sorry to resurrect this long-dead thread but I just visited McCabe’s Guitars yesterday and was disappointed to see that the only whistles they have besides some Genoids were those horrid brass low D’s from India.
This is a place that used to stock Phil Hardy whistles in a large range of keys, a place where I saw Liam O Flynn in concert, and the Boys of the Lough, and others.
I visited the Folk Music Center in Claremont a couple weeks ago and they had Susatos in several sizes and some Genoids. Oh, they also had a very interesting flute from Sweet which was very different from the design he used to make. It was a good player.
Now there used to be a Dijeridu store in Fullerton (I’m not kidding, a shop full of them in every size) which also had a pretty good selection of Native American Flutes and I think a few whistles but I don’t know if its still around.