With the exception of my Generation Bb, all of my other whistles are standard high D. I do want both a C and D though.
My problem is I can’t decide if I want to go with two originals, as I’ve never had a Clarke before, or one original and one sweetone or meg, and then to decide which in which keys.
I may just go with both originals, but if anyone with knowledge on Clarke’s, could please shed some light on this with your opinions on the qualities of them?
And a great place to buy them online?
Tia, and I apologize for the ambiguity and indecisiveness of my post.
If you are going to play the tin whistle then I suggest at some time you have to own and play The Tinwhistle, the Clarke original. That whistle is a benchmark for the instrument and still has a unique cachet after all these years. Love 'em or hate 'em you gotta have one - C or D doesn’t matter. Black with gold diamonds or unpainted tin both work and sound the same. They are breathy sounding and take a bit of air to keep them going but they are eminently tweakable.
The Sweetone is a favorite “cheap” whistle with me. I used to buy them in bulk from Elderly as a first whistle to teach young and not-so-young players. And they were one whistle I could find while suffering through business travel in strange surroundings thanks to upscale toy stores that stocked them. They’re cheap. Buy two, one in each key. You’ll do that in the long run anyway. I like the unpainted ones but they seem to have gone extinct most places. Elderly still has them in D for $7.95. I think the D is better tuned right off the shelf than the C Sweetone. The Sweetone heads are easily adjustable.
I’m afraid I haven’t yet played a Meg. Got too many Sweetones to be curious enough to buy a Meg.
It’s rumored that the Sweetone head was designed as part of a joint operation between the CIA, IRS and FBI.
There are lots of vendors who will gladly sell you whistles.
I don’t know of any that I wouldn’t recommend.
And, depending on your budget you may as well get all of them.
Shipping will add significantly to the price of a cheap whistle bought one by one.
Save some money and order multiples.
Maybe start with a C original, since it’s a key you don’t have yet. It’s a pity you’ve just missed Christmas
I started with a Sweetone, which I really liked. The conical bore generates a sound which is very different from that produced from other cheapies. Some like it, some don’t. I guess most “traditional” players would avoid Sweetones / Megs. They’re reasonably inexpensive too.
I am still a newbie, I have a Walton a couple gens and a Clarke meg, the meg is my favorite, I find it very easy to play and just love the sound. As I progress as a player I will no doubt one day buy a more expensive whistle, but I will always have a Clarke.
Seasons greetings to all.
If your choice is limited to “only one whistle”, the Sweetone is less prone to clogging but takes a bit more air than the original, in my experience, but the tone of each instrument is different, and both significantly different to a “normal” tubular whistle.
The plain-metal whistles will discolour over time, but that looks “normal”, chipped paint on the painted whistles looks untidy, to my mind, as though the whistle isn’t cared for
Whichever choice you make, enjoy it
I have never been a fan of the ‘street organ’ sound and tremendous air requirement of Clarkes (yes i know i can, and indeed have flattened the windway)
I have a unpainted ‘C’ and a diamond patterned ‘D’, mostly because.. well it’s kinda nice to have them.
I have been whistling for a number of years and collected a good many whistles along the way, budget and high end. I started out with Clarkes Originals in both C and D and frequently return to them. It is purely personal, but I find they have a special quality which I cannot actually describe… in short, I love them !
I’ve just missed Christmas, yes… but my landlords gave me a nice gift card that I can use anywhere. I determined that would be new whistle money, and here I am again.
So It’s decided then. Two originals, one each in C and D, unpainted because I know where to find them, though I really love the look of the black too and yes even the tacky diamonds. Two sweetones one in each key both unpainted probably. These will be my take-alongs I suppose. I will order these either today or tomorrow.
Elderly.com did not have any sweetones that I saw.
Is the Clarke Original head adjustable for tuning at all?
For reference, my whistle list: And I love all of them for different reasons.
Walton’s Mellow Dog D
Walton’s Little Black in D
Gen Bb Brass
Serpent Sweet Polly in D
Hoover narrow Bore D
Susato small Bore D
Busman tiger maple in D- I enjoy this whistle, but I don’t play it much now. I keep going back to my cheapies.
Thanks again. I ended up ordering from thewhistlestore.com as I have ordered from them before.
I ordered two natural finish originals and two natural finish sweetones. I have seen the unpainted original called “the Victorian singing games whistle.” I suppose this doesn’t matter though.
I have no doubt at all, you are quite right MarkP I would never forsake my cheapies, would just like a high end whistle one day. Mainly just to satisfy my curiosity.
I place a piece of plastic like a strip of old credit card (or item of similar thickness) down on the windway and then push down on the top of the windway while making sure that the sides are held together so they do not spread apart as well. You’ll still want to make sure your heart’s content though.
Happy New Year. You have a noise maker with which to celebrate.
I had the pleasure of visiting the place in Kent where the original Clarke’s are made. At least at the time, every instrument got individual attention by the makers.
At some point, I acquired an old Clarke in C. I suspect it was made in about 30 years ago. It’s incredibly good.
Now you gone and done it.
After poking around The Whistle Shop, I had to order my own Original Clarke.
This will be a Freeman Tweaked version.
Well, I ordered two tweaked whistles, but thats another story.
