Having had the opportunity to compare a couple of higher end whistles, I’ve decided that I like the “Laughing” from Noah Herbison. Now, can anyone compare that to a Hoover? The tone of Noah’s whistle is excellent. Better than excellent, in fact. It’s outstanding. Volume is low, which some people like, but I’d like it a bit louder. The Laughing has a very light body, and I like a whistle that can stand being stepped on. (Admittedly the body strength increases greatly for traveling when you collapse the whistle, but I prefer to leave it where it is when I get it in tune). How does the Hoover compare in…
A: Sturdiness of body
B: Sound volume
C: Sweetness and clarity of tone.
On 2002-10-02 13:05, E = Fb wrote:
How does the Hoover compare in…
A: Sturdiness of body
B: Sound volume
C: Sweetness and clarity of tone.
I can’t make a direct comparison as I haven’t a Laughing to compare it to. That said, I have two Hoover whistles. I would rate the first (a high D) excellent for sweetness and clarity of tone. The second (low G) I would rate very good for sweetness and good for clarity.
Both are made of fairly thin stock so I don’t think they’d stand up to being manhandled very well, though I’ve had mine for quite a long time and they are fine.
However if you are looking for more volume I very much doubt that you would be happy with the Hoover. Mack himself will be the first to tell you that one of his main design goals was to design a whistle that could be played quietly, and, while I mentioned that I’ve never tried a Laughing, I can’t imagine a whistle quieter (or with lower breath requirements) than one of Mack’s!
The Hoover whistles are excellent, but I can literally play in one room and my wife will not hear even a trace of me over the television in the adjacent room. (I’m not complaining - that’s why I bought my first Hoover to begin with!)
However if you are looking for more volume I very much doubt that you would be happy with the Hoover.
That’s not entirely true. Mack is able to make louder whistles. I have two hoovers and they are somewhat louder than a laughing and certainly much louder than my friend Paul’s Hoover. But I picked them out personally, and I like them that way.
Just because he can make quiet whistles doesn’t mean he can’t make louder ones!
–Beth
Addition - Found this clip on my computer. I made it back in July. The first whistle is a brass hoover, the second is a laughing. I’m sorry, I don’t remember which bore of hoover it is.
Edit again - made a new clip. This time it is Hoover traditional bore, then narrow bore, then laughing whistle. I made it the same tune as the other clip, just for my own playing comparison.
Avanutria is correct. My aluminum Hoover set is used all the time in concert. With a 5 piece band, the Hoovers can be heard quite well, with no amplification, for crowds of under 150 people…
I wish I could compare the Laughing and the Hoover for you. I have never played a Laughing Whistle.
Mack does make a CPVC tunable whistle which is quite sturdy. I own one. It is well-wrought, does not sound like a piece of plastic, and plays beautifully..It is not a quiet whistle…
You simply cannot go wrong dealing with Mack Hoover.
Cheers.
Byll
I have a D and C laughing and a bunch of Hoovers. The Laughings are pretty similiar to the quiet brass whistles Mack makes. I use my Laughings for travel because of the telescoping feature.
I have a number of Hoover cpvc’s and they are absolutely SPLENDID! Mack has found that cosmic conjunction between good volume and pure, sweet sound. The cpvc’s have good volume but the sound has little or no chiff and is sweet. The volume is pretty even across both octives too. The cpvc’s are also very sturdy (you may even be able to stand on it, but I wouldn’t take the chance with mine!) and Mack finishes them beautifully (they have sort of an ivory look to them).
I think Mack will also work with you to make a whistle that meets your requirements.
Hope this helps.
Vinny
BTW, I love that handle - E=Fb I’m thinking of having a t-shirt made!
[ This Message was edited by: Vinny on 2002-10-03 09:28 ]
Quite impressed by Beth’s clips.
Used to think laughing whistles were just that–for laffs.
Now I have to solve whether such a decidedly chromatic instrument is kosher. Then find someone to sell Low Laughing (or vice-versa) whistles
Chromatic Freudian issue, I guess ?
On 2002-10-02 19:49, Byll wrote:
You simply cannot go wrong dealing with Mack Hoover.
I agree that Mack is probably the most conscientious and ethical person I’ve dealt with. And if he can make louder whistles on request that’s great (as I said, I originally bought a Hoover because they had a reputation for being quiet). I know he’ll kill himself trying to please, at any rate.
Any given whistle design only has a certain amount of latitude for customization of one characteristic without adversely affecting others, no matter how skilled, eager, conscientious, and ethical the maker may be.
I love Mack’s whistles but I still think that recommending a Hoover (brass anyway, I have one of his CPVC whistles and it is a bit louder than the brass) to someone who was specifically looking for a louder whistle is doing a disservice to both of them. To meet that customer’s need Mack might have to stretch his design to the limit where it will begin to lose the other properties that make it so attractive to begin with. Now, someone hears that whistle and, not knowing it was extremely modified to meet a customer’s request for more volume, thinks, “gee, what’s supposed to be so special about these whistles, it doesn’t sound especially great to me…”
Worse, the customer may receive the whistle and think the same thing, not realizing that it was his own request for more volume that resulted in the change in tone.
Anyway, that’s just my $.22 (allowing for inflation).
Just to clarify my statements: the cpvc Hoovers I have are significantly louder than my brass Hoovers and the Laughing whistles. Not as loud as say a Chieftain or Susato but very good volume and far better tone. I’d say the volume was fine for performance.
