My Syn whistle arrived over the weekend. I had about an hour to fool with it yesterday, and my initial impressions were quite different than some of the others I’ve seen posted here.
I’m not sure if some people rushed to review, or if the whistles vary that much from one to another, or if my initial reaction was somehow tainted by my mood or by the position of the stars yesterday or some other crazy thing.
So my plan is to forget everything I’ve heard from others and refrain from reading any new comments that appear in the next couple of weeks, and really give this whistle a go.
I’ll post the final analysis in two or three weeks.
I’m afraid that the mighty power of my statement might cause serious whistle market fluctuations between now and the time of my more considered comments. Alan Greenspan called me just before his surgery and urged me not to comment at this time.
I’m afraid that the mighty power of my statement might cause serious whistle market fluctuations between now and the time of my more considered comments. Alan Greenspan called me just before his surgery and urged me not to comment at this time.
If you think yours is a bad whistle I think you should say so to keep other people from buying a whistle they might not like. That’s what reviews are for, IMHO.
Oh, I dunno. A lot can be said for waiting until one’s played a new whistle for a bit. Sometimes a new whistle just doesn’t “click” for a player at first, but after a bit of playing, the bugs get worked out, and it becomes a favorite. Other times, you’re initially tempted to say great things about a whistle because everyone else seems to love them, but the more you play it, the less you find to like about it. We’ve had several favorable first impressions now…a more considered review from someone who’s lived “in Syn” for a bit might provide some balance (or might just verify those first impressions…who knows?).
I was one of the first to syn-up for this new whistle. The more I play it,the better I like it. It’s really a matter of taste I suppose. Mine plays with authority and clarity,perfect tuning,in short great…Can’t wait for the Bb or C…
I’ve had mine for a couple weeks now, and I won’t touch any of my other high-Ds anymore. The Syn is just better.
I only have two issues with the Syn. The hole spacing is a bit closer than than some other high D whistles. For normal folks, this is not a problem, but for my thick fingers, the 3rd and 4th holes are close enough that my fingers touch. If I get a little off center, they can interfere with each other. Given the size of my hands, though, this is likely to only be a problem for .01% of the population.
The other issue is a bit simpler. The brass sleeve on the tube slipped free of the tube. It looks like it is glued in, and apparently, the glue failed. Not really a big deal, it doesn’t affect playability, I just have to take extra care when adjusting the tuning. I’ve got plenty of industrial-strength epoxies floating around. I’m thinking the epoxy I use for jewelry will probably be best. It’s possible that some of the temperature extremes I subject it to caused this. Going from air-conditioning to a 100F car has got to cause some expansion/contraction issues.
Absolutely. Aluminum and brass expand and contract at different rates. Thermal expansion is governed by the equation:
(change in length) = (coefficient of expansion) * (original length) * (change in temperature)
The coefficient of expansion for aluminum is 12.4 (units: (in)/(in*F) …though you could use C as long as you’re consistant) and for brass is 11.4. So the aluminum expands slightly more than the brass as the temperature rises.
No fault in the maker is present here - except maybe not predicting that someone would take the whistle from air conditioning to 100 degrees and back again somewhat regularly.
This kind of topic always amuses me. Jim, you know we all love you, so don’t take this wrong. But all you did was post a topic to say that you don’t want to comment on something yet. Essentially, you started a discussion about the fact that you wish to say nothing about a particular whistle. This makes me smile and shake my head. Every time. Thanks for the grin, anyway.
Nah, it just means I’m busy whistling. Mr. Ochs set me to learning some complex 4 part hornpipe and it’s taking all my spare time. I’ll have to play it in front of Tom Dowling and Amanderthad next Monday and I’d hate to embarass myself.
And Patrick, you’re right about my post, but I just couldn’t resist giving this pot a little stir.
