As I mentioned in another thread, I recently acquired a very nice set of Abell soprano whistles: One headjoint with Eb, D, and C bodies, all made from Madagascar Rosewood.
After less than a week of playing these whistles, I’m really loving the D and I’m starting to think it may become my “Go To” high D.
Now, I tried several A/Bb sets that I really didn’t care for - clogged way too much. And I’ve been in the room with a couple of Blackwood D’s that I didn’t care for the sound of. Yet the one I have is wonderful…
So, I’m wondering how many other Abell owners we have out there. I’m curious to know what keys and materials people have and what your experience with these whistles has been. Anyone care to share?
Cheers,
Loren
P.S. If you don’t mind, please include the age of your whistles and perhaps the general serial number…I have a theory that quality of these whistles might have varied from year to year, batch to batch. My whistles are about three years old and in the serial number is in the low 600’s
[ This Message was edited by: Loren on 2001-12-29 22:56 ]
I am currently waiting on my new full set of Abell whistles in blackwood… (I had to sell my drums!) The wait is killing me! Chris is actually making me a Db to go along with the C D Eb set. So I’ll have a total of 7 abell whistles! (A,Bb,C,Db,D,Eb,F) Call me crazy but I just love his work! Well… keep your chatting about them Abells… It gives me something to read in the meantime… And as John Gorka (folk singer) says "the meantime is a “mean time”!
Hmm, Db eh? That’s interesting, what is Chris charging you for that special order?
I see you are getting the F too, I must confess I am seriously lusting after one of those - I hear they are really sweet sounding. Alas, I can’t see throwing $300 at a soprano F any time soon though, that’s way up there! Maybe if I’m lucky, one of these days I’ll find someone who would trade one of those Abell High F’s for one of my Copelands or something. I’ll keep my fingers crossed…
Hope your wait isn’t too long dude, I know it’s torture
Loren
[ This Message was edited by: Loren on 2001-12-29 23:53 ]
He charges the same…$125 for an extra body. I think I’ve got another 6 weeks or so on the wait… I’ll let you know about the F… Yep, figured I’d go all out… When you consider that you couldn’t get the best flute in the world for under $10k… $1325 aint bad…
I have C/D and A/Bb sets (#672). I got the C/D set first and was blown away by how crisp and cleanly these guys played while retaining that “chiffy” sound we all love so much. My WhOA was instantly cured… except for wanting those two longer ones which I ordered maybe six months or a year later. Chris stamped the same # on the new set as was on my original making them all of one family - nice touch. After getting these whistles I just don’t seem to play my others much any more… except my Copeland which I keep in my car/briefcase (it’s more rugged being metal). Chris spoiled me but good, as his whistles are a perfect fit for me. About eight months ago I got a C/D O’Riordan set that I forgot I ordered several years before and I have to admit I still keep pulling out the Abells. So if there is anyone out there who needs a set of Harpers (C,D,A,G), a D Thin Weasel, or an O’Riordan C/D set maybe we can do some business… I don’t know if I can really let go of the O’Riordans?!
Interesting, I find the Abell with the C tube attached to be rather weak sounding and the bell note not solid enough. So, at this point I still prefer the O’Riordan C. Who knows, Perhaps my taste will change over time.
Mine is blackwood, about 2 years old and has no clogging problems. It is loud, clear, and pure of tone. Unfortunately, those are three characteristics I don’t want in a whistle, so it collects dust.
It is loud, clear, and pure of tone. Unfortunately, those are three characteristics I don’t want in a whistle, so it collects dust.
Teri
Loud?!?! My Abell is NOT what I would call loud at all. Hmm, I wouldn’t really call the way mine sounds as entirely pure and clear soudning either, although that is what I expected. In fact I was a little surprised by the amount of wind noise and chiffiness I heard in the sound the first few times i played mine.
I suppose I would have to say my Abell is more on the pure/clear side than closer to an Overton, for example…but my O’Riordans and Rose are MUCH purer sounding and louder as well.
This makes me think that there really can be quite a difference between Abell whistles. I too have heard a few Abell D’s that I thought sounded too pure.
Phil,
Guess I convinced you, eh? Geeze, I really should be collecting a comission from these whistle makers!
Hey Clark, my C/D/Eb blackwood set is number 673 – made right after yours. Actually that would apply only to the D. I added the C and Eb later and Chris gave them the same numbers.
These are definitely my favorite whistles. They are the best in tune and most responsive whistles I own, and have just the right amount of chiff for my taste.
Has anyone else found that the sound of Abell’s seems to change (and improve) with use? That has been my experience. I’ve heard people say it takes a while to break in an Abell. I wonder if it isn’t more a matter of the player getting used to the instrument.
It seems to me that Abells give you more control over the tone than other whistles do, but that it takes some practice to get the sound right.
I have a D blackwood with alternate tabor-pipe body. 6 hole is #51 and tabor has #74. I visited the Abell shop when he was in Concord, MA and he invited me to trade-up on the headjoint at no cost. I always liked the original sound but the newer headjoint was so much cleaner sounding that I went with it.
I’ve got an Abell Blackwood D (#698) that I aquired used a couple of weeks ago. The original owner said it was about a year old.
I had a new Abell Blackwood D that I ended up returning to Chris for a refund. I like the one I have now (see observations below), so I wonder if I didn’t give the first one enough time…maybe they really do get better with age/playing.
On both I find that I have to hold the whistle pretty close to horizontal to get the best sound. I’ve always played with the whistle aimed more/less at the ground and had no problems, but this doesn’t work the the Abell. This is especially true when playing high notes.
The mouthpiece also took a bit of getting used to. I found it uncomfortable to begin with, but don’t mind it now.
As other people have mentioned the Abell can really give you lot’s of different sounds, and it takes a while (I’m still working on it) to consistantly get the one you like. It can be very airy/breathy sound or more pure in tone (although neither of mine were/are completely pure sounding).
The whistle does clog a bit more than Burke, Copeland, or cheap whistles I’ve played, but this can be helped quite a bit by warming up the silver on the mouthpiece before playing.
If you play a tune to warm it up and then suck or blow out the condensation, it’s usually good to go for a while.
When it’s warmed up and clog free it’s a really nice sounding and responsive whistle.
I agree with your assessment of the bell note on the C Abell… a little weaker than I would like. Although I don’t find the O’Riordan C any stronger - just clearer with less “chiff”. I prefer the chiff. These are not loud whistles in general and work well at home and in small groups. The session I play at is small and intimate (although I usually play my McGee flute which is plenty loud). When I have played at Contra dances I play flute and several keys of whistles and usually have to mic everything. With a good mike I can keep the woody chiffy sound I like without worrying about volume - just turn the knob if there are too many fiddles!
Yes, my Abells are blackwood. Also, I don’t have any problems with clogging with any of my Abells. Although where I live you have to stand in front of an air-conditioner to get a cold whistle. So warm-up time usually refers to me rather than my instruments. I think I live in the perfect climate for wooden whistles and flutes. 70% humidity, 75 degrees all year round. Sorry, but somebody has to live here1
Clark
[ This Message was edited by: clark on 2001-12-30 21:38 ]
I wasn’t going to bother posting as Loren and I have had enough email discussions about my Abell. Anyway, I think mine is fairly loud. There’s another guy in our session who got an Abell blackwood recently. Our group can be large and has as many as 3 concertinas/accordians. I sometimes haven’t been able to hear myself play in some rooms (we play at peoples’ houses), but when I heard the other Abell going, I thought, holy mackerel, that’s loud. Don’t need two of those, so I go to low D a lot more now. (It also made me tone down my experimental riffs when I realized people might be hearing me.)
Mine is chiffy and I’ve noticed you can alter the chiffiness by how you angle the thing in your mouth. I have to say, I like the sound from right in front of my face, but it doesn’t have a real authentic tin whistle sound from across the room. (Maybe mine does, I don’t know.) It is the least squeaking and least clogging whistle I own, for sure. Mine is #833
An unexpected comment I heard about it recently was from a guy in our band. We were practicing at his apartment and I played a few tunes on a Cillian O’Briain Improved Generation. I asked how they liked the sound vs the Abell. Two string players strongly preferred the Abell. Joe said it sounded like a real high quality instrument. The other sounded like “just a tin whistle.” It goes back to taste, doesn’t it? (Now, Teri is waiting for Pipe on the Hob, so bye bye.)
Tony
I liked the D almost immediately. At first I found the C tube dissapointing and then made an effort to play it a lot; it
plays beautifully now. Of the Bb/A
set the Bb sounds better, but, once
again, I need to give the A tube
more time.
On 2001-12-30 17:28, Loren wrote: #51?!? Yikes-A-Hootie David, how old is that Abell?!
Y’know, Loren, I don’t know exactly how how old. I bought mine many years ago after Phil Cunningham was kind enough to let me try out his…and that was before I got my first Copeland…I would hazard a guess at 12 to 13 years ago or more.
With regards to quality of sound of Abell whistles I have always appreciated the volume that makes it a good session whistle and it’s brilliant intonation. I regard the second octave as being similar to the Susato in that it is fairly unforgiving. If you don’t play the upper half of the second octave like you mean it it can crash and burn.
Cheers,
David (just back from seeing LotR, but that is another thread or two )
P.S. I paid $150 for the 6 hole D and later bought the tabor body for $50.
[ This Message was edited by: Feadan on 2001-12-31 20:21 ]
C and D in Blackwood with a Bb on order. One of his flutes also, with offset G, C foot and open hole. I guess the flute can count as a low D. Fantastic instruments.
[ This Message was edited by: croberts on 2001-12-31 17:56 ]
A blackwood D number 732, hmmm maybe one and a half year? Nice sound and yes, it is a loud whistle, near to my Copeland. And happy new year Loren and all of you.
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