I like it and I especially like how stable it is in the higher range. I am a complete newbie and wondered it anyone has comments about this whistle or the company. I emailed to ask about whistles in other keys and the whistle creator says he is working on a high C. Thoughts about these whistles?
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I haven’t seen it or played one myself…I looked and couldn’t find anything about it outside of the eBay listing. No reviews from others as far as I could find, maybe there aren’t a lot of these out there yet? Copper body with either designs or painted, and plastic head, is it 3D printed?
eBay and Amazon can be tricky to find decent whistles, you either see mostly the cheaper factory made whistles (Generation, Feadog, Walton, Clarke, Oak) or random generically named whistle-shaped objects of dubious origin that may not play well at all or come with their heads on backwards, etc…
The Mythic seems priced similarly to Dixon, Freeman tweaked, or O’Briain improved, or wooden iVolga, but less than the Sindt inspired whistles one sees a lot like Killarney, Lir, Compass, and a lot less than higher end makers. It says it’s made by a person in the US, so price seems reasonable, assuming it’s in tune and you like how it plays and sounds.
Sometimes when starting out you aren’t sure what you like yet in terms of sound, how it plays, so hopefully as you go you will get the opportunity to try or hear other whistles and see where this one falls. It would be interesting to see how it stacks up against various more well known instruments.
Maybe others will chime in if they own one, I would be interested to know more about it.
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I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful reply. You found what I did—not much out there in terms of reviews and info. As I mentioned, I am just getting started in this new world (I’m retired, a bari sax and flute player) and I am seriously down the whistle rabbit hole! I’ve purchased Dixon, several tweaked Freemans, Feadog, Walton, Clarke and a few iVolga whistles to name a few, and in comparison, I find I quite like this whistle. It is a beautiful copper body, a bit weighty which I like, with designs that make holding it quite easy. Not slippery. The fipple is likely 3D printed though I’m not well versed on that. The designs might be 3D printed too. I found that I must warm it up before playing and once ready, it sounds great. It is copper after all. It looks a tad handmade, as a couple of the holes are not totally machine perfect but that adds to the allure for me.
The thing I liked most about the purchase experience was the way in which the creator immediately responded when I asked about whistles in different keys—a kind and generous reply to my inquiry—and agreement when I asked about getting a C. At around $55+ I will get more if I like the C. It seems a good price for this instrument. It sounds like this person makes these individually (or in small batches?) so I feel I’m getting a personally created whistle and that is cool! Oh and your thoughts on whistle shaped objects is well taken and I avoid those, yes. Thank you!
From the brief soundbite available on eBay, this whistle has a very nice sound, in my opinion. Exactly the kind of sound I go for. And it sounds fairly in tune, too. So you might have gotten lucky and obtained something quite nice!
I couldn’t say for certain if I’d consider it “good” without trying it myself. But who cares what others think, really? If you love playing it, it plays in tune, and it isn’t obnoxiously loud, it’s “good” enough for you!
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Mythic seems to be an engineering company, cnc, 3d printing etc. With a D whistle as a sideline.
See here.
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I am seriously down the whistle rabbit hole! I’ve purchased Dixon, several tweaked Freemans, Feadog, Walton, Clarke and a few iVolga whistles to name a few, and in comparison, I find I quite like this whistle.
Ha, ok! I wasn’t sure from the first post if the Mythic was your one and only whistle, so I was going to say that’s an adventurous choice for a first whistle, but that’s nice you have others you can compare it to. It’s hard to tell in the photo but it seems like maybe it’s a wider body, so I am thinking maybe it’s wider than say a Feadog D, Walton, etc.
Is it louder in volume than the other metal whistles? Mythic says its low air requirement, but I wonder how that compares to others?
It seems since Mythic does 3D printing and laser engraving they can customize colors and the patterns on the whistle. Lots of engraving and patterns aren’t typically what I am looking for personally but that definitely sets this one apart from the unadorned competition, so if someone is going for a different look they can find it here.
Could be a nice gift for someone.
Anyway hopefully they will continue to create whistles, options are always nice and with a lot of makers stopping recently, nice to see some new entrants. Not sure if Mythic ever comes on this board or other Irish music forums, maybe they will share more info at some point
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Hello everyone,
I recently caught wind of the discussion here and wanted to formally introduce myself. It is a genuine honor to have MYTHIC on the radar of such a dedicated and knowledgeable community.
My journey into whistle-making started from a very personal place. After three decades of playing instruments from legendary makers like Clarke, Kerry, and Tilbury, I found myself wanting to tackle specific mechanical challenges for my own playing—primarily stability and clarity in the upper register.
I decided to lean into my professional background as an engineer to see if I could develop an instrument that offered the consistency I was looking for. I ended up liking the result of that first whistle so much that I felt compelled to share it. I now produce these one-by-one in my spare time alongside my professional engineering practice.
Every whistle is hand-built and voiced in my shop in New Jersey. My primary focus remains on reliability; I want the high notes to be as stable and predictable as possible. I am currently in the thick of expanding my range into C and Bb keys and am refining my electroplating process (nickel and silver) to ensure the finish meets the same high standards as the acoustics.
Thank you for the warm welcome and for the interest in my work. I look forward to being a part of the conversation!
Cheers,
MYTHIC
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Welcome aboard Mythic, and how exciting for us older makers to see new talent and new products popping up.
(I should make clear that I’ve been mostly a flute maker, but have made a few whistles in recent years for my own interest and use. And I’m now back to only playing whistle rather than struggling with the flute’s difficult ergonomics!)
You may well have already stumbled over it, but just in case you haven’t, search Chiff and Fipple for “Comparison of High D Whistle Bores”. It’s probably rather a bit out of date now! But good to know more about what’s out there and where your instruments fit in.
I look forward to seeing your instruments make their mark over the years ahead!
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