You may not know me, since I haven’t posted on the whistle page for about 2 years or so (but have been hanging out on the flute forum).
But I have to tell you that I recently returned my Copeland low F for repair ( my then-2-year old son decided he wanted to do a Led Zepplin number on my low F). When I initially received the thing after an 18 month wait, I was disappointed. I’m an old Copeland Low D man (I sold the others long ago!), and this low F just didn’t have the characteristic tone or seamless responsiveness for me across registers that the low D had. It was almost like a bad generation in the low register and you had to really lay into the whistle to get the second octave.
But…with the continuing responsiveness of the Copeland team (michael and Jim), WOW! they returned what could be the coolest F-whistle on the planet. Amazing tone and responsiveness across octaves. night and day. Better than even my low D!!! I can’t put the thing down and I’ve been jamming on my flutes almost exclusively for some time. Truly fabulous is the flexibility of this whistle–the fast stuff, the slow. It will handle all you throw at it with ease and beauty; it definitely plays me rather than vice-versa.
Amazing work. If Jim and Michael can deliver whistles of this quality consistently, they will surely keep their title as the best low whistle makers on the planet.
Ah! So the true secret is to buy a high end whistle, beat it up, and return it to the maker! They’ll give it special care out of sympathy, and return it better than when bought! Let’s see, what can I “accidently” drop down the stairwell?..
[ This Message was edited by: curioso on 2002-05-02 12:31 ]
On 2002-05-02 12:30, curioso wrote:
Ah! So the true secret is to buy a high end whistle, beat it up, and return it to the maker!
I think you’re on to something. It’s always amused me to read posts - and there have been quite a few - saying: “Whistle maker X is great! My new Clog Pro had a crack/was out of tune/sounded like shite and I sent it back. He sent me one that works. Such a fantastic craftsman and a super guy!”
If this had been a piece of software from Microsoft, I’d understand the surprise. However isn’t it curious that the fact the original whistle was defective gets overlooked? To judge from the board, one maker in particular seems to send out lots of duff whistles, and yet everyone loves him.
It’s true. I’d forgive these guys
anything (if it’s MC and JR you
have in mind). But you know I have 5
Copelands and only one of them
was ever a problem, the low D which
had a flat C sharp. Well, they replaced
it with a lovely low D. So when
Copelands are good they’re very very
good, and when they’re bad they
fix or replace em.
I remember when Copeland made whsitles one by one–wasn’t that long ago–and Michael would spend hours individually voicing and fine-tuning each one. Those that I’ve played from those days–including my Low D–are really really great.
But once they started doing them in batches to increase sales volumes and reduce leadtimes, something got lost there. I’ve heard lots of stories where people received unimpressive Copeland whistles, and then they sold them off. Those that sent them back for re-voicing…I’ve only heard great things about the whistles that were returned to the customer.
But Jim and Michael know this and I would guess they’re working on them. That’s why they have no problem re-voicing whistles.
The best Copelands are really fabulous, but consistency is the key to long term business. I’d return any whistle to the maker for re-voicing, and I’m sure the maker would appreciate the chance to change the whistle to suit the customer better. Just business and customer satisfaction. It is a business in the end.
As for size, imagine that the F hole on your Low D is the bell note, and the bore reduced in proportion…then you have the size of whistle of the low F.
Yes, the low F is louder than the low D, and the upper register is not strained or too sharp. An annoying upper end is the one complaint I hear most about Copeland low whistles, but the player has so much to do with it, I’m not sure it’s always the whistle.
We really do try our best, and sometimes one gets away from us. It is also quite subjective about how an individual takes to a certain whistle. We’ve had a whistle in the shop that someone returned and we swapped for another that a visitor who came by just loved and we couldn’t pry it from their hands, go figure. But when something is wrong, there’s no denying,… and we’ll make it right.
Tha fact is that even with trying to increase production, the number of complaints is actually lower than when Mike was working alone, I think we had 6 or 7 to deal with last year and maybe another 4 or 5 that were stepped on, sat on, jammed in car doors, smashed. etc. I’m sure there are a few more out there who never complained, but we encourage people to let us know that they are not happy.
I have taken care of problems with whistles 10 years old and one year old. We just have found ways to cut the wait down from two years to actually having some in stock. We still hand voice every whistle and if someone wants us to adjust the voicing to suit their taste or finds a problem, we are always ready to solve it. Even to the point of sending another whistle,… even to the point of giving a full refund.
We do this because we love it, whistle making, making people happy and especially for the music.
Well spoken. That’s why people keep going back to you. As I said, a great Copeland is, well, a great Copeland. And throw in a great attitude and a can-do customer service attitude, you only win win win.
And you did a great job on this low F. This is really a killer flute. Now for the sterling low D and the keyless flutes…I’ll be a repeat customer once again.
By the way, I’m sending you a check for the postage!!!
