Hi there!
I wrote a topic some months ago about my off-tune Chieftain low-D. And got a lot of answers (thanks everyone). Some of you said that Chieftain whistles are crapp and I should have bought a Howard or Overton in stead. Someone even refered to them as overprized Clarkes.
Someone however suggested I should contact the maker (Phil Hardy). So I did and he told me to send it back. Not long after that I recived a new low-D from Phil. This one is tunable and more expensive (I belive) and he wount take extra charge for that. So I can warmly recomend the Chieftains to everyone here. They are great instruments and customer service is great in every aspect. In fact it is not a bit like a very expensive Clarke, it is really a very cheap Overton.
People are of course entitled to their opinion, but I am glad you realized the validity of the above statements, and gave the maker a chance to correct the problem. Congrats on the new Chieftain!
When those Chieftains sound fine to me, the sound is as if it was from a steam locomotive.
When I choose my whistle, I first try to check how big the hands of its maker are.I chose Sindt partly because John Sindt has kind of similar hands to me. I suspect it’s difficult for big handers to understand the feeling of small handers. Phil Hardy has a good posture and breathing technique and I think it’s also difficult for him to understand the feeling of beginners. In this way, I don’t think his whistles are for beginners
To me,Chieftain whistles are not all-round player but I confess that I feel jealous sometimes when somebody solo dancing music with his Chieftain whistle. It sounds like orchestra alone without fellas! The whistle with specialized area.
Trying to know whistle makers aim will always be of much help to me.
Choices without knowing what I really want to do can be disastrous.
I have Chieftain low D that I enjoy very much. Admittedly it took me a couple of years to get to a WHOA Skill level of 5 (maybe 6), but a marathon 3 hour “bonding” session with the Chieftain Low D taught me the breath requirements needed to play it easily. (One thing I have p/u’d is that each whistle I gots has a unique requirement, some I simply am not willing to learn. Those are the ones that go to Freeman Industries for evaluation)
I was even playing the thing when I started reading the C&F posts.
Now I aint saying that the Chieftain is the end-all since by no means am I an expert (I dont care that much for the soprano D. Plays beautifully but I have other whistles I am more comfortable with. Perhaps I need to do a 3 hour bond with it!), but that thar is a mighty broad paint-brush you are using to white-wash.
Dear Mr E=Fb,I’m sorry to hear that you have this point of view,I can only say that over the years I have endevoured to continuously improve the whistles I produce.On the last count I have sold over five thousand low D Chieftains alone (not counting other keys)and have had relatively few complaints or returns.Most complaints and returns have been due to the fact that people have not warmed the whistle sufficiently to bring it into pitch.This I have rectified on the new range by making the whistles slightly shorter so needing less warmth to bring up to pitch.This mod has been very successful,we have also added extra length to all the windways for less air requirement and better back pressure.Another mod is the centering of the finger holes so that people with smaller hands can make the stretch more easily.We have now added a two piece hard plastic case to every whistle.
I would be very happy to send you a new range Chieftain in you choice of key for your expert evaluation and appraisal.
If this is to your likeing ,please send me your address and I’ll send the whistle directly.
Maybe you’ll see that our whistles have evolved from the early days as most things do and that you’ll enjoy playing a Chieftain after all,you never know!.
When I started reading your post, I thought “Oh no, why is he even bothering to answer?”. Now that I am done reading, I have to admire your intelligence and wonderful people skills. They are a match for your (very) obvious whistle making (and playing) skills.
My Chieftain Low G is one of my very favorite whistles, and I don’t even think it includes any of the mods you mention.
Kudos to you.
Hmm… it was such an opinion–about another maker–which brought me out of a long lurking to register, write my first post, get immediately called a jerk, and start me first flame war. I don’t regret the move.
With such excessively curt opinions, you disqualify yourself from a debate. Why don’t you write simply: “I don’t like them”. Optionally, elaborate with a few reasons so others understand your point of view.
You know, I recently met a very talented professional celtic-trad flautist who dropped “Copelands are all junk, beside the High D”. Some raised an eyebrow, none answered.
Then he said he did not like wooden whistles at all. He elaborated, adding he doesn’t want a whistle which sounds like a flute since he plays flute already. This made sense and he got more attention.
Then he said that the only whistles worth paying for are Colin’s Overtons. This was an element explaining all the above: once you elaborate on your tastes, whatever bias you assert gets valid as an opinion.
Otherwise, blurting a purely negative image of opionation is like casting a log in the water: you’re the one most likely to get drenched.
Very cheap Overton? A completely handmade Overton nontunable low D is $170 at thewhistleshop.com. A nontunable Chieftain low D is $130. The Chieftains are “mass” produced in a mashine shop. At only $40 difference I don’t think Chieftains are “very cheap” Overtons, not like Generations ($8 ) are very cheap Sindts ($85).
Chieftain whistles are junk. Unfortunately the reviews don’t reflect that and people end up wasting money as a result.
I think it all depends on your definition of ‘junk’. If I were in the market for such a whistle, I would go for Overton, just because Bloomfield says so. But if I could find a Chieftan for really cheap(i.e., under $30-ish), I’d buy it too, just because. When I first came to the board, I had more than a few people PMing me offering to sell their various Chiefttns to me. Me, knowing nothing, almost bought them but then I thought (yes, I do that) that there must a reason so many people wanted to sell their Chieftans. FWIW, NOBODY offered to sell an Overton.
Chees-oH! This love-hate relationship about Chieftains reminds me of a story…
:roll:
I learned basic guitar back in the 60s and had been hacking away at it off and on for years. My older brother learned it in the late 50s and has been playing steadily ever since.
A few years back, in my pre-WHOA daze, my brother visited and we sat down, tuned up together, and played some old-time music. I did OK on my mass-produced Yamaha while my brother blazed on his “Les Paul” (or whatever).
I demo’d to bro how the manufactured Yamaha buzzed with certain frets, showed him some notes which displayed poor tone, etc.
He took the thing out of my hands and proceeded to play an Eric Clapton tune.
I had never heard the instrument sound so clean and beautiful. He pulled notes out of it with grace and subtlety, and chord progressions were crisp. None of MY trade-mark buzzzz…
After 5 minutes or so of this, he shrugged his shoulders and said “Hm. Sounds OK to me” and handed it back.
When I first got my Chieftan Low D (very recently) I bought it because I had heard this guy Frank O’Connor blasting away on one in a bar the night before. It sounded awesome. I am still getting used to mine but I am really starting to get a good solid and consistent sound from it. I am much better on it now than the first day I got it. I think the breathiness of the sound enhances the tone. You just have to get used to playing it. Kind of like Stewy’s brother made that guitar sound so good. My experience with this whistle has thusfar been quite good. I love it.
+++edited to fix Stewy’s and Frank O’Connor’s names. Sorry, Stewy!
[quote="Cranberry. FWIW, NOBODY offered to sell an Overton.[/quote]
I sold my Overton low D.
Everyone has their own individual way of “hearing” how they want to sound, as well as their own idea of how hard they want to “work” at getting that sound. I had to work too hard to get the upper register to sound anything but shrill. Whatever. I’m older and tired most of the time
I’d tried to sell my alloy Silkstone, for the very same reason. No takers! ha
I’m happy to say, that this is one of the reasons there are so many whistles out there, and so many individuals ready to defend their personal favorites. Also, having a favorable (or not) encounter with the person who makes/sells the whistle factors in as well.
Sorry, Stewy!