*Note to mods: Not trying to plug myself here, I just thought I’d respond to the earlier post where I was directly named.
Just for clarification, I didn’t stop taking orders at the end of last year, I just migrated away from ebay and etsy and over to my new site chriswallflutes.com
And just so everyone knows, all of the top whistle makers are having far busier than usual order and email loads at the moment. The world wide stay at home orders have actually increased our business greatly, and some makers’ production and shipping have been affected by all the craziness. So, if you don’t hear back from any of us, I’m sure it isn’t personal, these are just extraordinary times that we are all trying to adapt to.
Wow, glad(?) I stumbled across this thread since I’m in the same boat it seems. Ordered a the C/D Mellow Dog set on 4/26 and haven’t heard a word after a couple Ebay messages have gone out. Before finding this thread, I started an inquiry though but only because the expected delivery window was supposed to have been May 9th-13th. Today is the 14th. I understand that there might be considerable delays in production due to the current circumstances but I also think it’s a bit misleading not to update the listings/store to indicate that there will be delays so interested parties have a reasonable expectation of shipping times, etc. Especially after we have placed the order and PAID for it. Kind of like taking our money and leaving us in the dark.
I’m still hoping to get this set as I’m very interested in learning the penny whistle - I would just appreciation some form of communication back.
If you don’t mind me asking, what is the origin of USPS label? Is it CT (Coventry)? I have a pre-shipment label via Stamps.com but the source address shows NC - I’m guessing that’s not him…
USPS is United States Postal Service. “CT” is the abbreviation for the state of Connecticut. NC is the abbreviation for the state on North Carolina. I think Freeman lives in CT
I got a response from my inquiry on Ebay on 5/16, where he apologized and said he would ship it out in a couple days:
“I apologize for taking so long with this. The last six weeks I’ve worked (more than) full time as a volunteer helping a group of critical care doctors convey information to the public and other doctors about a treatment protocol that s saving lives in hospitals and keeping people off ventilators. Last week, one of the doctors, Pierre Kory MD, a professor of critical care medicine at University of Wisconsin Medical School who is himself working as a volunteer in hospitals in New York City, testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Even with all that, lately I’ve been able to spend more time catching up whistle orders. I’ll be able to send your whistle set in the next day or two. Again I apologize for the delay and I appreciate your patience. Best wishes, Jerry Freeman”
Well, the label has been printed but I’m not sure it has been dropped off. I think this was, more or less, a canned response.
Hey all, finally got the whistles -they’re nice, although I have no real benchmark to compare them to as far as tin whistles I’ve played (since this is my first set) lol.
I noticed the C whistle is a bit stubborn in terms of getting the fipple on and adjusted, as well as off. Is there a good fix to remedy this?
The Mellow Dog C/D set only comes with one fipple, which is intended to be swapped and used between both whistles. Ultimately, I’d like to purchase another fipple though. Maybe I should just go ahead and do that so I don’t need to keep messing around with all the swapping. It’s pretty annoying.
Any suggestions on where I could buy another fipple?
I didn’t realize those sets swapped heads. I have his Blackbirds, which had a head for each. Since the essential benefit of a Jerry Freeman tweaked whistle is the tweak, any additional fipple head should come from him as well.
The original poster here, just wanted to chime in and say I received my whistle, a Mellow Dog in D. Sounds great, and the USPS box had a great briefing on covid-19 precautions that Freeman taped onto it that I followed to the letter.
In yesterday’s post, I was surprised to receive the B natural whistle I had ordered in January, but for which Jerry had refunded my money when I inquired. It is really nice; lovely tone, in tune, and it plays a really nice (to my ear) C natural (relative to D) with my preferred pipe fingering. Every bit as good as my 1975 Generation Bb.
Jerry’s email address is on the sticker he added to the whistle, so I emailed him to ask about (re)payment, had a nice conversation with him, and subsequently paid him.
As has been said, during the last six months he has struggled with some health issues (he got better…) and has been volunteering full-time and then some with a group of local doctors treating COVID-19 patients.
Nice that it all worked out in the end. IMO Jerry is one of the good guys! I wish he’d come out with the whistle that he had planned for some time that should have been the essence of the vintage Generations. I’d have been all over that. I still hope he gets around to doing that, after the madness subsides.
Have fun with the whistle!
Best to contact Mr Freeman about that I would think. I suspect that a fipple wouldn’t be much less than a whole whistle.
btw. From Jerry Freeman’s comments on other threads, the Blackbird C is the same model as the Mellow Dog C. ie. there is no difference (apart from colours, and the vagaries of manufacture I suppose) between them.
