Hoover CPVC Soprano D Whistle - opinions?

Hi, my birthday is coming up and I was thinking of asking my lovely bride to get me a Hoover CPVC Soprano D Whistle. I am a new player (6 months) with (only) 4 whistles of which none are all-plastic. I thought one of these might be a nice addition to my humble collection. Could anybody be kind enough to offer their opinion? Thanxs!

I got to play one this past weekend and they are lovely, clear, in tune, a bautiful piece of work

I found my 35$ whistle rather squeeky. I like my 7$ Clarke better.

The only minor complaint I have with the Hoover CPVC soprano D whistle is that the air requirements are a little high, but not too high.
Hoovers are hand made, which allows for some variation in quality.
That being the case, some are better than others.
Hoovers are well worth the $35 because they are hand made, and a lot of work goes into them.
I like mine quite a bit, and wouldn’t want to discourage anyone from buying one.
On the other hand, if you want a great plastic whistle that’s half the price of a Hoover, get yourself a Dixon.
If you really want a great plastic whistle and don’t mind paying more, get yourself a Silkstone or a Water Weasel.

[ This Message was edited by: raindog1970 on 2001-08-14 23:23 ]

One of the things I was very impressed with when I visited Mack, was his willingness to custom make a whistle just for YOU! If you can spend about 5-10 minutes on the phone with him, I’ll bet just about all my whistles that he can make one you’ll LOVE based on what your playing style is!
(I WON’T bet my Hoovers or Burke!) :slight_smile:

At any rate, if you don’t like the tone once you recieve it, he can always tweak it for you, or simply offer a slightlty different design. He’s got some in the works now, that I swear may just give Overton, Shultz and O’Riordan a run for their money!

Keep your eye on ol’ Mack! He’ll supprise you yet!

B~

Unfortunately, the Silkstone and Water Weasel are more than my meager budget will support at the moment :slight_smile: I didn’t know that Mack would be willing to customise one - that might be the best way to go. Thanks again!

While I was visiting Mack, he let me play one of his Silkstone PVC whistles, and to be honest, I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I’d be. I liked the paint job a lot, but the tone didn’t jump out and grab me as anything super special. It was nice, just not amazing.

Now Susato’s are a different animal entirely. Personaly, I have a hard time with the tone, and volume, but most of all with the mouthpiece! They have to be about the most uncomfortable whistles I’ve played.

Mack’s work is clean, and unadorned for the most part, which I do like. He spends his time on intonation, and tuning, rather than a fancy laser etched design. They feel well balanced and light in the hands, but aren’t a delicate whistle like say a Walton’s LBW.

All in all, if you don’t like his stuff, as I mentioned before, you need simply send it back, and he can either try to re-voice it, or supply a different model.

He is a very sweet and patient man, and I was supprised at how accomodating he was to people’s needs. Best advice I can offer:

Call Mack first, and then decide.

I only wish I’d known about him and his work sooner!

Bri~

Hey Brian,
What are you doing playing around on the board? Shouldn’t you be working or something?

On 2001-08-15 15:02, Ron Rowe wrote:
Hey Brian,
What are you doing playing around on the board? Shouldn’t you be working or something?

Ron,

It’s just a government job! :wink:

i love my dixon high “d”. thom has it for about $25. also, the susato is good for it’s price and yes as you get into the 2nd and 3rd octave it does make ur head pound and you ears hurt. hope this helps…

Brent

I just got a brass Hoover, and while I can’t (obviously) comment on the plastic model, I wouldn’t hesitate to own any whistle made by Mack. A wonderful whistle maker…to say the least!

I have to disagree with Raindog about the air requirements. Mine takes very little air. As a matter of fact my son and I both have to play “gently” so as not to squawk and squeek. But it doesn’t take long to get the feel of it and then it does have a lovely clear sound.

I purchased mine as part of a musician’s starter kit through The Whistle Shop.

Happy shopping!

Meg

I love mine–loudnesswise, it’s in between my Clarke and my Susato. It’s nice and strong without being screechy, with a nice pure tone, nearly perfect tuning, and a decent balance between the octaves.

By the way, Mack and Brian, I decorated mine with a small ring of snake skin, lined with black thread, just under the sound hole. It looks pretty cool and didn’t change the sound a bit–I’ll show you next summer at the 2nd annual RMWS.

Tom

Just got my CPVC Hoover in the mail yesterday (#488).
First off, it is a very clean lined whistle, elegant in simplicity. The air requirements are very modest on mine, pretty similar to a Water Weasel or Burke. The tone is very pure with correct breath pressure. Octave jumps are clean with no squeeks and handles quick transitions with ease. Haven’t got around to checking with a tuner but to my ear it sounds very accurate. Very comfortable mouthpiece. This one has a modification to it that I’ll let Mack elaborate on if he wishes (you’ll like it, trust me :slight_smile:
I’ve got Dixon’s, Weasels, and Susatos and the Hoover takes the prize for looks and playability. Although I’ll probably stick to the Susato for dances due to sheer volume (I’m competing with 7 string players and a drummer for goodness sakes!)

Mark V.

Modification? Yes, I would love to here some more details :slight_smile: At the moment I don’t want a particularily loud whistle - I don’t yet have the skill (or the guts) to play at a session. Additionally, my lovely bride suffers from chronic migraines so we try to keep the house rather quiet.

I just received my Hoover CPVC Soprano D yesterday and would be playing it right now if it wasn’t so early on a Sunday morning! I already have several of Mack’s other whistles, in different metals and keys - but this whistle is far and away my absolute favorite Hoover!!!

The sound is pure, sweet and clear (as others have noted) with more volume than other Hoovers in my collection. I find the air requirements on mine to be minimal in the first octvae, with just a bit of “push” needed to hit the second octave. A very well made whistle, sturdy but lightweight. Thom, at The Whistle Shop, says he usually won’t recommend a “high” end whistle for a beginner, but the Hoover Soprano CPVC is his exception to his rule and I would most certainly agree.

I have a Dixon non-tunable D, which is a fine instrument, indeed, but I prefer my new Hoover. I find the sound to be stronger and mure pure to my ear. I also have a few Susatos which I dislike because my ears cannot stand the torture of their second octaves!

All in all, I would tell anyone who asked to go for the Hoover CPVC Soprano D without any reservation or hesitation. It is a wonderfully crafted, beautiful sounding instrument from a fine craftsman and a wonderful gentleman!!! :smiley:

~Larry

Since the Hoover thread has been resurrected, I thought I’d chime in with a word of enthusiasm about my new Hoover narrow bore brass D…lovely sound, easy playability in both octaves, and whisper quiet! The perfect practice whistle. It does clog rather easily, but applying the soap solution described on Dale’s site and warming it up a bit seem to help somewhat. Overall, a great whistle, and Mack is, as has been mentioned, wonderful to deal with.

Micah

On 2001-08-14 20:39, raindog1970 wrote:
The only minor complaint I have with the Hoover CPVC soprano D whistle is that the air requirements are a little high, but not too high.
Hoovers are hand made, which allows for some variation in quality.

This notea bout variation is absolutely true. I was gifted with a hoover cpvc because the original owner found the air requirements so low. I had to spend a couple weeks practicing before I could consistently not overblow the thing.

I have a Hoover cpvc tuneable high D. My unexpert observations are that it takes less air than my Susato and took a little practice to get used to, but once I got the feel of it, I could play it without any difficulty.

It’s not a soft whistle, though…actually it’s louder than my Feadóg and really just a tad softer than my Susato (more delicate) and takes much less “umph” to get the notes out. I could imagine it holding it’s own during a session, although I doubt I’ll ever dare try.

In every way, I love this whistle. I love it’s clear clean sound, the way it feels in my hands, the coolness of the corian on my lower lip when I first start to play it. I am extremely blessed to have it.

Kim

Kim, your mentioning that it’s not a soft whistle was a point I tried to make. That is one reason I love mine so! All my other Hoovers are soft and I love them for their softness…but I love the strong sound of my new one too!!!

~Larry