Hamilton Fife, Overton Whistle for Sale

Irish Flute
1

I have two items for sale that might interest some of you:

First up is a brand new (April 2005) fife by Samuel Colin “Hammy” Hamilton. This is the most perfect fife for Irish music that I have ever played. You can play the bottom octave on this fife more easily than any American made or American style fife around (and I’ve played them all). This fife is not geared toward the third octave, but you can play up to high A easily and in tune. High B is a little tougher.

This fife also has one sterling silver key (again, D sharp / E flat) and an integral nickel silver tuning slide (something NO American fifes have). It is the most outstanding piece of fife craftsmanship I have ever seen. Hammy currently charges 615 Euro for this instrument ($740 U.S. dollars). I waited two years after ordering before I received the fife, due to the backlog of orders Hammy has. This wait is good luck for whoever buys the fife, however, because I paid less for it and got a more favorable exchange rate. I can sell it for $500. It has no case.

The main reason I’m selling this one is that I got impatient waiting for it and bought a 10-hole Healy fife. While the Healy is not as fine an instrument, it is good for Irish music and has a decent bottom octave. It’s also a little more versatile because I can use it in Ancient jam sessions as well.

Hammy’s web site:

http://homepage.tinet.ie/~hammie/


Next I have an Overton pennywhistle in the key of C (mezzo soprano), made by Colin Goldie. This is a non-tunable wide bore C, and has been anodized in black (by Colin) . There isn’t so much as a scratch on the anodization. The whistle is in perfect, new condition. It will come with the original Goldie supplied case and certificate of authenticity. Colin no longer makes the mezzo soprano in wide bore except by special order. The narrow bore, which is a stock item, sells for 165 Euro in the non-tunable anodized version. That’s about $200 U.S. dollars. I’d sell it for $150.

Here’s the Overton web site:

http://www.overton.de/texte/products.html


Per the standard C&F policy, contact me by e-mail if interested in either of these.

And please excuse the cross post if you’re a reader of the whistle forum as well.

2

Duh. The fife is in B flat.

3

Hi, jim,

Info: What does one use these for?
I’m playing higher flutes lately, but I’m
not sure what one does with a Bb fife.
Also is the high b attainable? What’s the
range of the thing really? I’m probably confused.

Best wishes, Jim

4

Jim, one uses this for the same things one would use a b flat flute or whistle. Playing with a piper is one good use.

The range is from the bell note through two octaves, and then some. If you think of the bell note as low D, then yes, you can play up to high B (what’s that, two and a half octaves? A little more?). But as I said above, that high B is hard to hit, even for a guy who’s been playing fifes for 30 years. The fife just isn’t geared toward that end - it’s set up to play a really strong bottom octave.


And by the way, all, the Overton has been sold.