Jessie's House-Funding Sale!

Whistle
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I need to squeeze every possible cent out of these sales, so I am requesting that you pay by PayPal and add 3% to cover my fees. I will ship by insured Priority mail, and I’ll charge actual shipping cost (as estimated online). I prefer e-mail over C&F private messages. Here we go…

**Tony Dixon Plastic Nontunable d Whistle from Ireland Trip:** Dan and I got this whistle at Shannaquay (remember Steve Powers?) on our trip to Ireland almost 5 years ago. It was a magical trip. After we bought this whistle, Dan started making up a tune on it. It sounded a lot like Marie’s Wedding. You might wonder why I am selling such a souvenir. Well, we have another souvenir from that trip. Her name is Joey. She’s not for sale. Hee hee. The whistle is on the quiet side, but it has a very sweet pure tone. **$20**

**Gary Humphreys Wide Bore d Whistle:** Delrin mouthpiece with a brass pin, it's a nice, reliable instrument. I think it's similar to a Sindt in playability, but with a slightly more full and round tone, due in part to the wider bore. **$90.**

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**Thin Weasel Blackwood d Whistle:** This was my second high-end whistle! (My first was my beloved Abell #625.) I ordered a d whistle from Glenn. He sent me a lovely cocobolo d that was flat. He accepted it back gracefully and sent me a blackwood d that didn’t play very well. He accepted it back gracefully and sent me this, the perfect Thin Weasel. It smells great, like that classic oil that only Glenn could make. It is a pure, loud whistle. It’s very musical. Back in Nashville, then in NY state, when my cat, Luna, would disappear at night, I’d play this whistle and it would bring her back. It is perfect and lovely. **$550.**

**Water Weasel A Whistle:** gray PVC. I have kept this for years. It’s easy to play and has a lovely tone. I think A is my second favorite key for a whistle. **$200.**

Thanks for looking! Bring it on!

:slight_smile:

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Here are the sold instruments.

**SOLD - Abell Blackwood d Whistle:** As many whistle enthusiasts know, I am extremely fond of my “beloved Abell” #625. It was made before Chris decided to favor a stronger, louder tone in his whistles. For me, it’s perfect for recording, playing in the living room, and in the odd session or performance (I don’t get out much since starting a family). My beloved #625 will be with me for the rest of my life. I commissioned Chris to make three whistles, in three different woods, with a similar cut to #625. While he wouldn’t guarantee it, he said he would keep in mind the qualities I was going for. I offered to send #625, but he said it wasn’t necessary. I have to tell you that my #625 is still unparalleled, but these three are lovely. They are stronger in tone than #625. I like them better than O’Riordans, even though they are not quite on par with #625. #1336 is blackwood. **$380.**

**SOLD - Abell Mopane d Whistle:** #1337 is mopane, which is Chris’s current favorite wood. **$400.**

**SOLD - Abell Pink Ivory d Whistle:** #1338 is pink ivory. This whistle is so pretty, I can’t believe it. **$420.**

**SOLD - Boisvert Greenwood Pink Ivory d/c Whistle Set:** My goodness, this is lovely. And it plays great. The brass fittings might be loose, but you can glue them if you want to. **$450**

**SOLD - Brass Ocarina - Moria Silver Brand d:** I got this on eBay. It is a sweet little d ocarina. **$20.**

**SOLD - Burke Composite d Whistle, 7/99, Serial #161:** This was from the first wave of Burke mania. It has a solid, musical tone and is not fincky. A great go-to whistle. **$140**

**SOLD - Copeland brass A Whistle:** I’ve had this for a long time. It’s REALLY lovely. The first few notes have a profoundly touching resonance and the upper octave is easy and smooth. This is rare and worth what I am asking for it. **$600.**

**SOLD - Copeland Brass Bb Whistle:** Also incredible. You won’t believe the resonance and depth of sound in the lowest notes, and you will be very pleased with the upper notes. This whistle has a beautiful red patina! **$500.**

**SOLD - Jessie’s Legendary Copeland Nickel C Irish Whistle!** This whistle has been talked about for years. I got it from Loren, who got it from the Copeland workshop just after Rementer joined Michael, before the standardization of parts. This is not a typical whistle, nor a typical Copeland. It sings with a pure, sweet, alive resonance that sails through both octaves with no loss in tone quality and no excessive push. It takes the player’s air in such a way as to feel therapeutic. Compared with some other favorites, it feels warmer and more inviting, not to mention the much richer, sweeter sound. There is no breath noise whatsoever, but the tone is incredibly full and musical. While any given instrument will sound better when played by a great player, flutes derive their tone mostly from the player whereas whistles derive their tone mostly from the instrument. The tone of this whistle reminds me of the sound of James Galway’s flute(s). It can be so soft that I can play it right next to my children, and if pushed, it can do very well in performance. Irish airs flow out of this whistle as if this particular whistle created them. Jigs, reels and hornpipes dance through it. It is effortless to play, and yet its rich, sweet, smooth, resonant, alive tone compels the player to work harder and play the best he or she can, so as to give the instrument what it deserves. Of course I wish it were a d whistle. But one can’t have everything. Somehow I missed taking a picture of this whistle during my long photoshoot the other night! It has the standard wall around the window, but no markings on it. **$800.**

**SOLD - Old Philadelphia Mark Copeland Nickel d, #31:** One of Mike’s earliest! It’s not as complex in tone as his more recent ones, but not as loud, either, so it’s very pleasing to the ears. A simple, pleasing tone with perfect volume. I can polish it to a brilliant shine if you want. **$400.**

**SOLD - Copeland Nickel Eb Whistle:** Rather similar in playability to the Old Philadelphia Mark d above. **$300**

**SOLD - Great Handmade Oak Box for Copeland d whistle: $30**

**SOLD - Copeland Sterling Silver Low D Whistle:** I got this from someone on the board and I found the voicing a little lacking, so I sent it to Michael for revoicing. He treated it with the utmost care as he fashioned a new block for it! It’s lovely. You will be pleased with this one. **$650.**

**SOLD - Hind Tenor E 10-hole Ocarina:** Nice tone, well-made, pretty straightforward. I bought this online when I lived in Nashville. I’ve kept it a long time. **$50.**

**SOLD - Lon Dubh Blackwood d Whistle:** Though very lightweight, it is simply beautiful to look at. The holes are sanded very nicely, as if played for years. It is blackwood. I was enchanted by Blayne Chastain’s recording (posted on his site on the page for this whistle), and I listened to it a whole bunch of times before ordering one. It is a lovely, not-too-loud whistle, perfect for a living room or for recording (and for putting babies to sleep - the cats love it, too). You can hear the tone on Blayne's site - http://www.whistleanddrum.com - in his recording. It is simply beautiful. It has, seriously, the easiest and smoothest second octave I have ever encountered on a whistle. The first octave is not booming, but lovely in tone. The volume is extremely well balanced between octaves, and I really enjoy the sound and ease of the high notes. One has to hold back less on this than on inexpensive whistles, but it's kind of similar, and the tone is much less finicky. The volume is similar to a Rose whistle, maybe a little quieter, but better balanced (the high octave isn't much louder than the low). It feels a bit more woody (I don't know if that makes sense) than most other wooden whistles. The tone has a pleasant graininess (I made up that word) - not breathy at all, but, um, woody. My first Lon Dubh was rosewood, but my second, this blackwood one, is perfectly loud enough for a session and perfectly quiet enough for my living room (and recording). Pat O’Dwyer, the maker of Lon Dubh whistles, changed the design soon after this one was made, for a thicker walled version. The magic was lost. This may be your only chance to get one like this. Yes, it's priced high and yes, it's worth it. **$600.**

**SOLD - Ralf Ehlert Moeck Hotteterre Stained Boxwood Tenor Recorder:** Incredible. Smells great. Lovely player. A=440. From a source online: “This recorder has a versatile two and a half octave range and is best suited to solo playing with its warm, powerful and highly expressive sound. The extended range provides opportunity to explore the baroque flute repertoire alongside original recorder literature and the instrument’s versatility is further highlighted by the proven success of its use in the modern repertoire. Made in castello boxwood in an antique patina finish.” Seriously nice. **$900.**

**SOLD - Rose Blackwood d Whistle:** Gold-plated ferrules. This whistle has a beautiful pure and full tone and is easy to play in either octave, even a little higher if you dare. It sounds clear as opposed to breathy and is quite responsive. It has a low air requirement and is loud enough, but not too loud for comfort. (Cats and kids love it.) With subtle curved turning on the outside, this blackwood whistle is beautiful to look at. The part of the mouthpiece that goes into the mouth is curved, making it comfortable to play. This whistle has earned a place among the best. My initial review, which I just plagiarized, was based on this very whistle. **$400.**

**SOLD - Antique Recorder-Looking Whistle** that is lovely and has a sweet tone, but isn’t in tune with itself. Use for parts? **$25**.

Thanks. :slight_smile:

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Hi Jessie,
I imagine your house as beautiful as your collection. I regret to not live in USA.
Olivier

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Thank you, Olivier, for the nice post. Yes, we are very excited about the house. It has just the right amount of space for us, a great room (kitchen, dining and living room are all one room) with a very high ceiling, a chef’s kitchen and a jacuzzi bathtub (nice bonus!), and the neighbors on both sides were at our wedding. It’s about 2 miles from my parents. It’ll be a great place to raise our kids.

I am really surprised that the Lon Dubh hasn’t sold yet! It is a very special whistle. I am also surprised that my Copelands haven’t sold yet. I have been holding onto these for years. They are seriously good. The blackwood Abell is also still available, as well as a very nice original Burke composite d and the Gary Humphrey d. The Weasels are still available, too!

:slight_smile:

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Jessie, if I were rich I’d have had the Lon Dubh before you knew it! Sorry!

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I think I will wait until they go to ebay :slight_smile:

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Yes, especially the famous nickel C! And the patina on the Bb brass Copeland is gorgeous!

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Those brass Copelands look so very tempting… but, whistle is not my main instrument, so, so far I haven’t found enough of a need for non-D whistles to justify the cost.

I would have bought the Burke composite, were it not for the fact that I JUST bought one a few weeks ago. Those Burke composites are sweet, yeah.

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My current mouthpiece design still consists of three separate machined parts fastened together with a pin, and actually takes an hour or so longer to make than the old design.

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Thank you for the clarification, Gary, and I apologize for the inaccuracy! I remember that you were doing a two-piece model a while back, and I have been out of the loop. I will correct the listing.

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Anyone remember years ago when most handmade whistles were still around $100-$200, and Dale wrote about Abell whistles? He wrote that he’d want a whistle that cost that much money (I think it was $250 or $300 then) to be his friend, bring him drinks, answer the phone for him, etc. It got a great laugh from his readers. That was about ten years ago.

I started investigating whistles around that time. I started traveling and meeting makers, sampling their instruments. I learned what was reliably good, what varied, what I didn’t like. I built up a collection that was, at the height of itself, pretty large. Over the years I thinned the herd. I married Dan and had children. I kept selling whistles. I held onto the very best ones, the ones that had magic in them. The whistles here that seem to have high prices are truly unique. I believe in these instruments and I assure you that they are worth every penny I am asking. You couldn’t get others like most of these. If there are no takers, I will most certainly keep them. Next time I offer them for sale, in some years, the prices might be higher.

:slight_smile:

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Jessie, we had our fights before, but I feel like in fairness I should add my own point of view. I think I said the same before, but I see your whistles as jewelry. It’s very nice jewerly, but still jewerly. When I want to sit down and play some good tunes, nothing beats my 25 euros O’Brien tweaked Feadog whistles. I used to own a couple of expensive ones, but not anymore. I honnestly want your personnal well being and I hope you can get good money to be able to get your house and stuff, but I’m positively surprised folks seem to be less blinded by the beauty of an instrument than before. Maybe it’s the recession? Maybe people changed a bit? Good luck nonetheless.

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I’d think so. I personally can’t justify buying an instrument that either: 1) I couldn’t turn around quickly without a loss if either my husband or I lost our jobs or 2) was so inexpensive that whatever it might sell for wouldn’t make much of a difference.

I’d seriously have loved a wooden Powell, though!

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This is interesting to me, and I think it brings up a worthwhile conversation. I respectfully disagree. I have no use for pretty whistles that don’t play exceptionally well. In the case of the 14k gold Copeland d I sold years ago, the rarity and cost of the metal drove up the price more than the playability of the whistle (though the whistle played well), and I think your point makes sense in that case. Unlike you, though, I do not prefer the playability of inexpensive whistles. When I play out in public, I get excited. In this case and also when I play for an extended period of time, even at home, my breathing changes a bit and I have trouble playing whistles, such as your go-to-whistle, that require very low breath pressure. Susatos are inexpensive and would fit the bill, but the sound in the upper octave is a bit too rash for me on those. I always wanted to find an inexpensive whistle that did it for me in playability and I never did.

Perhaps I misused the word “lovely” in my descriptions. In most cases, I used that word for playability as opposed to appearance (there are exceptions, though, so it was obviously a poor choice of words for playability).

I do not like brass - at all. I don’t think it’s beautiful and it doesn’t resonate with me as anything like jewelry or “prettiness for prettiness sake”. I don’t like the smell and I don’t like the patina (except when it’s red like the Copeland Bb above). If an instrument has any brass in it, even just rings or slide, it becomes wholly about the playability for me. In the case of wooden instruments with sterling silver appointments, there is certainly a prettiness factor, but playability is more important.

There are whistles, such as O’Riordans or Sindts, that fit the above requirement, but don’t contain inherent magic. The magic is up to the players. Some of these whistles I’m selling have the magic in them before anyone picks them up, and it’s there for the taking.

I want to make a short list of currently available whistles above that are priced high because of playability (magic and resonance of tone) alone:

Copeland Brass A (EDIT: this has been sold)
Copeland Bb
Legendary Copeland C
Lon Dubh

Those four will not be repeated by the makers and they play incredibly beautifully. Appearances do not enter into my price calculations.

Here’s a list of instruments that play well, but are priced high because of other reasons than sheer playability:

Old Philadelphia Mark Copeland Nickel d, #31
Thin Weasel Blackwood d Whistle
Water Weasel A Whistle

The other ones, which I have not mentioned in this post, are not priced high.

I hope this clarification sheds some light on my perspective on this.

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Jessie, are you going to post a picture of the Copeland C? The lack of one may be putting off potential buyers.

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Hmm. No, I don’t have plans to list a picture here. All the instruments live at my parents’ house at the moment, and I’m not there.

It looks like other Copelands. The appearance isn’t the interesting part.

:slight_smile:

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Well could you then post clips demonstrating the “legendaryness” of these particular whistles, I think that is not unreasonable for sight unseen purchases of this sort of price.

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I’m sure it is reasonable to want sound clips, but, no, I cannot provide them.

I have been doing instrument reviews here for a decade (though not in the last few years). People bought instruments based on my reviews and, based on quite a lot of feedback, I believe they learned to trust me. Some disagreed with my preferences, but few disagreed with my evaluations. I am hoping to sell to people who have had experience(s) in trusting my reviews.

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I am hoping to sell to people who have had experience(s) in trusting my reviews.


… and we have to admit that and expert advice is more useful than a (unperfect) recording. It’s a question of trust.

Olivier

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May I add that I’ve done business with Jessie, in both directions, many times over the years. Her stuff is always of the highest caliber (she’s fussy as all get out about her tooters :wink: ) and she has always been delightful to work with and honest as the day is long.

The only question here is what these lovelies are worth to Jessie. She’s the one that must part with them and, as she’s rightly quite attached, it’s going to take a bit more financial prying than usual to effect the separation. :slight_smile:

Whoever gets the goodies will have some wonderful stuff.

Doc