I’ve been studying/playing whistle seriously for a few weeks now, and after finding a couple of nice cheap whistles I’ve been wondering why anyone would pay upwards of $200 for a high-end whistle.
This weekend we had our Irish Festival here in Dallas and I got to toot on a wide range of whistles at the Hobgoblin Music booth (risking all sort of infectious diseases no doubt). I played, let’s see… Sweetheart, Harper, Howard, Alba, Susato, Kerry, Chieftain, Dixon and assorted others.
Many of the high-end whistles didn’t suit me, but some of them… wow! In particular, the Chieftains I played had such a complex, projecting sound with very reasonable wind requirements even for the lowest whistles. Still a little out of my price range… but worth saving up for!
I’ve been thru several whistles..Some quite spendy,some not. The best for the buck for me is the Hoover Whitecap. It gives the tone,chiff,sweetness I want for very little investment. Mack is making a set of them for me right now from Oak C/D barrels.
Give his a try and I think you’ll be quite impressed with what you find..
With a high end whistle, you are buying something more than something that just plays well. There are plenty of inexpensive whistles out there that fill that need perfectly.
In addition to a whistle that plays the way you like it, you are buying something which is often the work of one person and is made with a lot of attention to details. Many makers will work with you to tweak the sound of that whistle to your exact specs. You are also buying something that looks more esthetically pleasing than a mass produced whistle, if that’s important to you. Not to toot my own horn, so to speak, but if the whistle is wood, it will truly be a one of a kind instrument since the graining and coloration of wood insures that no two pieces are exactly alike.
Do you NEED one? No. But if you love and appreciate fine, handmade things, you may want one. Or two. Or three…
As Jessie hinted, the whistles you tried are not what those with experience would regard as high end. It’s hard to say what the cut-off price is. Sometimes we class whistles as high-end because they are of consistently high quality, even though they fall into the mid-price bracket. I think of Sindts as like that.
I don’t think there is a clear correlation between price and quality and individual whistles from the same maker can vary quite a bit. I like some $100 whistles more than I like certain $300 whistles. And, as Blackhawk said, buy a well-tweaked Generation and you are playing a superb instrument. You might even get lucky and get a superb Gen straight from the box. There is no guarantee that by forking out big bucks you’ll like what you get. But if you try a few high-enders, base your choices on consensus of informed opinion and personal preference, it’s very unlikely that you won’t end up with a great whistle that you’ll love for years. You can always sell the rest for roughly what you paid for them too.
This is all of it true. And the Chieftain low whistles
aren’t finished as nicely as more expensive whistles,
at least not the ones I’ve seen. However I confess
that I like them very well, tonally, for the reasons
mentioned in the first post.
I like the way my Overton low d plays. It has a classic sound, reasonable breath and back preassure (for me). It is an aluminum tube. $200 plus
My wife likes the way my O’ Briain low d sounds. The sound is more pure. It has less back pressure and higher breath requirements. Also an aluminum tube. $200 plus and not being made any longer.
We both REALLY like the way my Bleazey Low d sounds, plays, looks, feels ect ect… This one is a wooden whistle, mopane, that is truely a piece of art and a joy to play. Renee says it sings to her. $500 plus and worth EVERY pence I paid for it, it makes my wife swoon!
All of these are fine, playable and good sounding instruments. Each has a place in someones collection. You will find that until you have tried several you will not REALLY know what it is you like or want in an instrument.
For us it is the Bleazey.
Editted to add:
I no way intend to imply that the more expensive an instrument the better it is. This is truely a personal choice. My main point is that you will need to try MANY instruments before you will KNOW what you like. This will take time, and yes, money.
Having a whistlesmith craft an instrument with your particular needs and style in mind can certainly result in an instrument well worth the price! My two examples:
A Ski Pole Hoover C that Mack made for me - one of the loudest Hoovers you’ll ever hear, and perfect for what I wanted!
My Overton low D fits me perfectly. Colin really achieved the things I was looking for in a low D, and I couldn’t be more pleased. Worth every penny I spent on it.
As others have stated, an instrument isn’t automatically great because of the price tag - it boils down to how you play, what your needs are, and what instrument will fit those needs. (which can also justify having a huge assortment on hand, since our needs tend to change frequently… Now if Vicki would only buy that line of reasoning for outbreaks of WhOA!!!)
Pending motherhood must be mellowing you out Jessie 