I have two Clare Whistles, both brass, one with a red top (older) and one with a green top. Both of these are the best playing cheap whistle I’ve played yet. The brass model costs $6.95 at Lolly Smith and the nickle with the black fipple is $8.95. I’ve just ordered the nickle and can hardly wait to compare it with the brass models. Both brass models have a strong bell note and play easily through the two octaves. Cross fingering works but I don’t know if they’re in tune because I don’t have a tuner. They sound in tune with themselves. There’s not much mention about Clare’s when cheap whistles are discussed. They are a little hard to find but Lolly Smith has them. I think everyone should have some cheap whistles in their bag. By the way I was watching the Vinnie Kliduff video last night and with the exception of a Howard Low D he only had Generations and Walton’s. All of them looked well played in and some had tape on the B hole to flatten it. I was impressed with his playing.
I’ve used Clares for kids classes, having bought a box of them for that purpose. They work well, and are quite tweakable.
Of course, as I was going through the box cleaning bits of plastic and doing minor tweaks, I found 2 almost unplayable whistles and 2 absolute darlings, which I kept for ‘special’ students (those who practiced!).
In this boxfull (green top brass) the fipple-end of the tubes had burrs that cut plastic fuzz as the head was being replaced or tuned. A little chamfering with a file fixed that. The toneholes were very sharp and a little deformed, but they are smallish and easy for small hands to cover. There was very little trimming to do on the heads, unlike the whittling needed on some Gen heads. They also respond very well to the BluTak Tweak.
By the box, direct from David le Bas, they’re as cheap as Megs. Well worth it.
I really like my Clare 2 piece. I thought it had tuning issues, but when I removed some clever flashing that blocked the opening of the mouthpiece (it made the window look less wide - it was high class, tricky flashing) the tuning improved. It’s now my session whistle…not the loudest, but I like the way it blends in with the folks I’m playing with (there are 10-14 most days…so it’s not a small group at all).
Eric
I forgot about my Clare! I like the tone, put it in a box because it seemed to have slight tuning problems. Then a few months ago I read here on the forum about a little flashing causing that problem for some, like Eric says.
I meant to pull it back out and check it over and completely forgot about it!
Thanks for the reminder.
BTW, mine’s nickel with a black top, and has no markings identifying it as a Clare. That’s what Thom told me it was. I ordered a brass one, but he was out of stock, and upgraded me to this one.
Jason
If you like the Clare as is, try putting a Hoover Blacktop on it and you will be in for a pleasant surprise.
Ah yes, Slowair…I did just that quite some time ago - and you are sooooo right.
Cheers.
Byll
Howdy,
I’ll add my vote to the two piece Clare with a whitetop head. I carry mine everywhere I go.
Best,
Dave
I have a Clare 2 piece on which resides a Feadog head. It lives in my pocket and goes with me everywhere. Not quite as in tune as a Feadog tube, but what the hell - it fits in a pocket!
Also have a Doolin 2 piece. So far as I could tell, the Doolin and Clare are identical. The Doolin now also sports a Feadog head. Both needed a wrap of Sellotape to make the Feadog heads fit snugly.
I love my Clare whistles, definitely my favorite “cheap” whistle. (My oldest Walton Mellow Ds are my second favorite, though their newer mouthpiece design has spoiled its original clear, mellow tone.)
Anyway, I’m distraught that my 2-piece Clare that I took with me everywhere has been MIA for a couple months now and presumed lost forever. To add to my misery, I can’t seem to find any place on-line that sells them anymore. Both “The Whistle Shop” and “LollySmith.com” list them, but say they are out of stock. They’ve been saying that for weeks now, maybe months. The “Secure Order Form” link on http://www.tin-whistle.com/page3.html is also dead. Does anyone know definitively if Clare 2-piece Whistles are still being made, and where one could buy one?
Thanks.
Yes. See here for one place: http://www.bigwhistle.co.uk/shop_results.asp?prod_id=556
Good choice, since the seller here is David Le Bas, the guy who makes the Clare whistles.
-Craig