Some days, my old Shaw Eb whistle provides just the right tone for that day’s mood. Does anyone know if there are current makers that produce whistles with lots of chiff-iness? Not necessarily the same form as Dave Shaw, but similar tone. Seems everything has turned towards clean, projecting tone (but maybe that is just what I have sampled lately). There is something to say for that muddy, airiness.
As far as I know, no one hand-makes whistles similar to how Shaw made them. I’ve never played anything that sounds or feels quite like a Shaw.
I guess the closest thing is the Clarke Original. It sounds a bit similar. And I know some people sell modified Clarke Originals that look more like Shaws and might sound more like them, too.
http://www.thewhistleshop.com/catalog/whistles/inexpensive/Clarke/Tweeked/tweeked.htm
Of course the great thing about Clarkes and Shaws is that the windway is thin sheet metal that’s easy to bend and shape.
So if you want the airstream to be focused and efficient, giving a clean pure tone, you can have it.
Or if you want the airstream to be less focused, with wasted air, giving a breathy tone, you can have it.
This being the case, I don’t know if there is “a Clarke tone” or “a Shaw tone”.
(For sure back in the day you could play through a box of old-school Clarke C’s and each would have a unique voicing and sound. They were sort of just slapped together and sent out the door.)
I don’t know if Eric Tully still makes whistles, but I had a sterling high d once that was just elegant.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll keep any eye out.