I’m a newbie here =)
I saw a whistle in an antique shop today for twelve bucks (I should’ve had at least twleve bucks on me but I didn’t.) Anyways here it is:
Tapered cylinder style with wooden plug at the fipple very much like a Clarke. Plain metal color -didn’t seem to have a finish or plating of any sort since there was rust on it. Absolutley no name engraved or stamped anywhere on it. Maybe it had a sticker on it at one time? Does this one sound familiar to anyone? Thanks for any help =)
Let me first add my welcome aboard Fox and say this about a whistle for 12 bucks in an antique store. That is an automatic buy especialy a conical whistle. My garbage can whistle is a great whistle with a conical bore though larger diameter then a Clark and I have no idea what it is. So go back there and get that darn thing. You gota-)
Welcome to the board Fox!
As for the tin whistle, it could be a Clarke unpainted but it also could be a Cooperman. Does the wooden block protrude out from the end of the metal fipple? If it does it’s a Cooperman and a complete waste of money.
You may well have saved yourself twelve bucks that you can use for a real whistle.
I’ve come across a number of these things in farm auctions and antique stores and on eBay. They were most probably NOT made by Clarke or any other recognizable maker. As a rule, the wood is rough and poorly fitted and the tone, if playable at all, is poor.
As to where they come from, I’m not sure, but there seem to have been a lot of them around the US. Time period is probably early Twentieth Century until WWII, but that’s a guess based on the limited provenance of the few that had any history at all. They were rolled tin, both conical and cylindrical, presumably produced as cheap musical instruments in a time where money was scarce to nonexistent. Keys vary, I’ve seen them anywhere from “about F” to “somewhere near B”. They often seem to have been painted various solid colors, although their primary color now is usually rust. In any case, their tuning is spotty, inconsistent and the worse for decades of neglect.
Next to most of these things, even a Cooperman is a high-end whistle.
I think what I’ll do is take my Feadog over with me and try it out -if it’s still there.
I don’t think the wood stuck out so it may be a Clarke.
I hafta admit that I hardly know how to play a whistle since I’m studying another instrument at the moment (but whistle is next -I just didn’t want to pass by a good deal if it was one and also didn’t want to spend twelve bucks on something worth only a couple.
I have a whistle matching the exact description you gave. I bought it years ago at a Civil War reenactment site in Columbus, Ohio. It was in their souvenir shop. It sits on my desk and now has rust on it. Mine was obviously a massed produced whistle that is neither antique nor playable. It just looked cool when I bought it and knew nothing of whistles.
I saw another one just today, Two bucks in a little antique mall. Rustier than most and identified as an “old toy flute”.
This was worse than most - I couldn’t get a sound out of it. I’m sure that the blade was out of alignment, but it wouldn’t be worth the effort to find out.
Welcome, Fox. So I’m going out on a limb here and guessing you’re other instrument is Highland pipes. Actually I cheated and looked at your website. Cool artwork! I’ve been at Highland pipes for about 10 years now so if you ever want to talk pipes, send me a PM.
Taking another whistle to compare is a good idea. If it’s satisfactory you may consider having Jerry Freeman tweak it. He comes highly recommended on the board for tweaking conical whistles. Which reminds me; I have an Eb Shaw I’ve been meaning to send off to him.
-I just didn’t want to pass by a good deal if it was one and also didn’t want to spend twelve bucks on something worth only a couple.