Chieftain GOLD Mezzo A has landed . . .

Whistle
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. . . landed right in my lap! My newest and I think best whistle just arrived today. A slightly used Chieftain Gold Mezzo A (non-tuneable). Normally, I could not afford even a used whistle like this, and since my birthday was last week, I had the opportunity to get something special :slight_smile: What a blessing. I wanted to share a picture, for those who don’t know what I’m talking about. And a few comments from my small amount of time with the whistle (BTW, these are simply my amateur opinion).

First of all, I have heard people talk about the “weight” of this brass whistle. I have to say, I like the feel, in part because of the weight, which by the way, is not really that heavy, afterall it’s an A, not a low D. When I got the whistle, there was a nutty brown patina on it. Since I like a little shine and to help boost the perception of being a “new” whistle in my head, I polished it off, and while there are a few very minor evidences of wear, I think it looks good.

As for sound quality, the whistle has a chiff that I think is perfect. I couldn’t exagerate the amount of chiff by breathing in short bursts, like you can on some whistles. So to me, the chiff is just right. Going through the octaves is easy once you get used to the nuances of jumping octaves. Backpressure, well, I don’t know how to measure that other than saying the whistle begs to be blown, but no more than what I personally think is the normal tendency when getting into a song. Hence the generalization I have heard about these being moderately loud, good session whistles. As for tuning, I haven’t played with anyone else yet, so it “seems” in tune to me. I haven’t noticed anything wierd. C natural is more stable than on any whistle I have played. And the biggest thing I like is that it hasn’t clogged on me yet. I have noticed that moisture simple blows out of the voicing window as you play, which as long is noone is too close to see your whistle (and spit), you’re okay! :slight_smile:

By the way, I got this from Michael Sheldon over at the GC board, and he has one Chieftain left for sale . . . a Chieftain Mezzo C in gold, which I would buy, but I don’t really need a C. Here’s the link:

http://www.gaeliccrossings.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=988

Now, I’ll be looking for a low G and F . . .

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Congratulations, Matt. Nice score.

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Man, them’s some tone holes’d do a Water Weasel proud! If the whistle is anywhere as good as a Water Weasel A, you’re in for a wonderful time. It won’t do anything but get better.

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DANG!!! and I thought the Thin Weasel A and the Serpent A I used to have had large holes. I wonder if this is an A whistle thing?

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don’t know, but you can see I don’t have large fingers, and it’s a breeze getting a solid seal and getting emotion out of this whistle is not difficult, as far as bending notes and such. The first thought in my head when I first saw the tone hole size in pictures was “gee, I wonder if that will be a problem”, but I think this is a perfect size whistle for me. I can’t wait to play it outside or in a large room!

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Beauty! I am embarassedly green with envy.

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A very handsome whistle you’ve got there. Enjoy. :slight_smile:

Will O’Ban