Hi,
Has anyone heard of Ellis whistles before or even better tried one out?
http://www.elliswhistles.co.uk/default.asp
Micko
Esthetically they are very nice. Looks like good craftsmanship for sure.
Yes they look great! I love the “volume control”–brilliant idea (I’m constantly battling my loved ones–other than my whistles, though I guest that’s a battle too–to practice at all hours of the non-working day). I’d love some feedback on the tone and playability (the comments on the site don’t say too much, though I thought that one who didn’t give it as high a rating because he wasn’t home when it was delivered was a bit unfair) would be much appreciated. Having a big birthday come up soon, so those might be nice hints to drop…
Having seen the thread on reviews, I’d add that I always take comments with a grain of salt (and usually I see other give them with a caveat or two…which is appropriate). Still, your experiences subjective or whatever with Mr. Ellis’ whistles would be useful to hear about.
Thanks,
Jaydoc
I’m guessing from the silence that nobody has played the Ellis yet. No clips on the site is a bit strange too. Too bad, they’re awfully pretty and I like the “volume control” idea…
They are quite nice in the metal as well as in photographs. A friend of mine has one and it is a well made whistle and sounds not too bad. It keeps him from blowing our ears out with screaming second octave notes, so the mute collar is a blessing as well.
David
Thanks Davy–I really appreciate the comment. Did it have nice tone, seem in tune? My family would sure appreciate the low volume!
Best,
JD
Hi JayDoc
John, the owner of the Ellis whistle, absolutely loves it. So do we at the session he plays at, it means he can blow as hard as he likes and we don’t get deafened. (His previous session whistle being a Chieftain).
That being said, when I tried it, the whistle was pretty responsive to blowing, the octave change, at least on this one, was relatively easy. I found that, for me personally, the best sound was when the windway was about 1/3 closed by the collar.
For me, playing it, it felt somewhere between a Mellow Dog and my maple O’Brien, but took a little more air than either of them, but less than the Chieftain non tunable D that John normally played.
The whistle in question seemed to be in tune with itself and no one at the session complains that it is out of tune with their instruments. The C natural is the usual oxxooo.
It feels strange to be doing a whistle review 
considering that I am a crap whistle player, but the whistle does seem to be reasonable bang for the buck.
David
Hi Davy. That’s really helpful–thank you!
It’s great to have any feedback–you don’t want to spend that kind of money just because a whistle is pretty to look at (before marriage, I guess I felt that way about girls too :>)
I really appreciate your time. Even if you’re not a pro player, your a listener, and that’s important too!
Once I can score the money, I’m likely going to order one and I’ll try to remember to post my reactions here too (though to be taken with all the usual grains of salt–I’m just an amateur).
Best,
Jaydoc
Hi Jaydoc
Glad to be of assistance.
David
And, now that you’re married?
good man Daniel, hand him his shovel back 
Well lads, it’s moot, since my lady is a beaut (though a bit impatient with some of my whistling)!
Best,
Jay
I recently contacted Ellis whistles and he said he would have some recordings on the website in the next few weeks which should give some indication of sound/ tone etc…
The sound samples are on the website, ive just been browsing there
http://www.elliswhistles.co.uk/sound-samples.asp
I have an Ellis classic, which i freely admit i play attrociously, but thats because im rubbish. The whistle itself is great
Just checked out the site I think the whistles look great, sound good too. May have to start saving my pennies!! I always prefer things that are hand made you always feel you’re getting a one off.
On the Sound clips it’s better to use a flash player for the audio files It looks better than just having a link to the audio file, it works but doesn’t look as good as the rest of the site. I guess im just being picky 
Just bought one of these fine looking whistles , can’t wait till it arrives to give it a try.
It will be my first blow on a high end whistle so i’ll let you all know the verdict.
Watch this space …
Slainte
Murph
This is an old string, but I’ve been meaning to report that I bought the C/d Ellis set. I bought the nice box set, and though the latch on the box wasn’t very good, the box itself is nice and I think they are very nice playing whistles, very responsive, and I also like the tone. The ability to decrease volume (frankly, a main reason I bought them initially) is good to have, and the mechanism is a little different from the Parkes whistle–the piece that can be moved to limit the size of the windway is angled, so you can leave a bit more windway, but cut the amount of edge the wind goes over (if that makes sense). I like the Parkes very much too, but Mr. Ellis’ mechanism might be a wee bit more flexible for that reason. At some point I’m going to try to post a video on youtube comparing “quiet” whistles. Since I have neighbors who tell me they are “light sleepers” and a wife who claims the same, I have a strong interest in that subject!
Best,
Jaydoc
From one of the reviews on the Ellis whistles site:
For years I played the cheaper mass produced whistles this is definitely a great improvement, great tone and sustain I love it.
“Sustain” isn’t a word I’d ever think of associating with a whistle. Am I missing something? 
Good point. I’d guess the reviewer means that the air requirement is low and/or the backpressure is high, so you can go a long way on a breath. Either that, or the whistle has a built-in reverb.
Hi MTGuru
The backpressure varies with where you put the collar, but it has nothing like the backpressure of my olivewood Bleazey D. Perhaps JayDoc can chip in with a more extensive review.
David