I posted a small review of Paul’s whistle when I first got it and I thought I’d share my thoughts on his tulipwood whistle again since it’s been broken in for about 4 months and my affection for it has swelled since I’ve played it alone and in different sessions over the months.
This is my favorite whistle with a somewhat distant second being the MEG. When I got it I was a little taken aback by pressure requirements. I’d say it being about triple of any of the cheapie cylindrical whistles I own. Is this good? I’d say yes. It gives you a better handle in which to bend and ornament. Together with the fairly big fingerholes it give you a lot of control. The pressure requirement does make the whistle less responsive than a generation type, however, but you can make up for it mostly with robust breath control. So there is less room for error and laziness, you have to work a little harder. The payoff is well worth it.
The tone is full and has a slight woody resonance (being made of wood it only makes sense). It’s medium loud. You can play it quietly or loudly, it’s not one of those mono-volume whistles, though when you get up to the high A and B theres only one volume which would be labeled as loud. Not too cringingly loud like, say, a Copeland’s high A and B can be. It’s also in tune which I’ve found the Copeland is a lot of the time not unless you blow the bejesus out of it in the high register. Enough about Copeland..
Visually, I polish up the ferrules and put it in the light and it’s quite a nice piece of work. There are little signs of it being handmade such as the carved out blade and holes whose edges look to be beveled by hand. It’s good work and gives it charm. It seems to be holding up; the finish seems to be holding up and the wood hasn’t cracked. It’s even survived a few heartstopping falls without any damage, thank goodness for the well placed brass bits.
I had some nitpicks, one which mysteriously fixed itself, the other being a just a bit too loose tuning slide Paul will probably be fixing soon now that it’s getting warmer and safer to ship.
Overall, if you a looking for a wooden whistle I’d say try Paul. His whistle is the less expensive than comparable whistles (abell, thin weasel) at $200 and he’ll work with you to customize it. It takes about a month, at least for me, to master the differences in playing but it’s worth it.
Nick