on the internet, I found a wooden low d for sale.
the owner did not know who built it.
he bought it in england around the seventies and there is a logo, a circle with a triangle in it.
does anyone recognize this whistle and if so, are there experiences and what would the value be.
he wants 200 euro for it.
greetings
berti
A wooden low D from the mid-70s? I dunno, but I’d be kind of suspicious, especially for a whistle at that price with no other background information.
Does he even know what kind of wood it’s made from? Can he certify that it plays well? That’s just ringing all my alarum bells.
Redwolf
I sent an email to the seller with your questions, redwolf…what wood it is and how does it play.
interesting to see what the outcome will be…
still curious.
berti
I’m with Redwolf here - for that sort of cash, be very cautious - it might even be worth using an escrow service if that thing is on one of th auction sites.
A few things to consider:
I’m not sure exactly when low whistles were invented, but it doesn’t seem to me that any oc the claimants to the honor would claim they did it in or before the seventies.
Wood low Ds are rare even now -
For that sort of money, you can buy an awfully good modern low D.
As for the logo, perhaps a picture would help jar someone’s recognition.
I would not be surprised if this doesn’t turn out to be a fruit-wood tenor recorder. The seller may not know the difference.
Many inexpensive recorders were mass-produced of fruit woods in the 70’s and 80’s, and sold at fairly inexpensive prices. Many of these were not very capable instruments.
–James
Good point! I have one of them. Playable instrument, but certainly worth nothing like the price Berti cited.
The only wooden whistle makers I know of who make low-D’s are Phil Bleazey, Jon Swayne, Michael Grinter, and Yvon LeCoant. I don’t own a LeCoant, but the other three all stamp their names. I think Swayne’s been at it the longest, and he started in about 1981. Can this person send you a picture? Or at least count the holes? 
I’m more than sceptical. 200 Euros for a whistle of unknown make? It might be a recorder. It might be a Pakistani bamboo whistle worth …well, not much. Alternatively it might be of later vintage in which case we should be able to recognise it from a photo.
Around theat time there would have been a few Overtons I suppose, maybe a few Howards but not much else, certainly nothing I can think of off hand. They would not have been made of wood. How did the owner arrive at that price? He or she doesn’t seem to know much about low whistles.
well…the only thing he told me is that he bought it in the seventies in the UK.
it is indeed a lot of money but as most vintage whistles go, might be worth it.
I am NOT yet considering doing anything (saving for my overton) but I was curious and am trying to find out what he is selling.
Asked him a few questions and I will keep you all posted what he has to say…also asked him to count the holes (hope he is not of the easily offended kind of whistlers hm) to exclude the possibility he has an recorder for sale.
since he bought the thing himself in a shop I supposed he knows what he has ?
berti
I think if he knew what he has he’d tell you. If the price is just based on the idea that instruments grow in value then that depends very much on the instrument. If he can’t produce details or a photo from which we can figure out what is going on I think you would be very unwise to pursue a purchase. The story so far just doesn’t add up.
Berti, maybe you could post the link to the item in question? Maybe there is something there that someone could use as a clue to help you?
the guy who wants to sell this whistle sent me additional information.
he does play the whistle himself and bought the wooden low G in england.
It has a metal ring on the bottom end and six holes.
This does qualify it as a whistle yes hm? or otherwise a flageolet…
he has compared his whistle to the modern whistles which are currently being made and there is nothing like it as it seems.
I have asked for a picture and wonder if he can come up with it.
have let him know that I find 200 Euros a lot of money unless he can explain about the price and prove it is worth it.
I myself have done a bit research and did not find any wooden whistles built around the seventies/ eighties.
the only name I stumbled across was bernard overton…but I bet that before HE started building low whistles, there must have been ones around, don’t ya think…correct me if I am wrong (think 1700’s or 1800’s?)
berti
Hmm… Try re-searching: they never stopped being made as folk instruments in Ukraine, Hungary, Macedonia, Bulgaria, etc… Some were made in state-run workshops, and could have a logo.
Finally, I wouldn’t bet on these being the sole sources. There were German made wooden flageolets (six holed) in the 40’s and 50’s. Also, what about Finbar Furey’s fabled predecessor to the Overton? Things like this were around.
I even wonder if Ralph Sweet or some other flutemaker didn’t tinker with the concept at the time, so you would have spin-offs on the market. If some one (Elkhart?) made whistle heads for orchestral flutes, I don’t see why someone wouldn’t have tried it with a simple-system flute.
However, as to putting 200 Neuros down without a chance to see and try out, I’d leave it to some museum…
the seller let me know that he cannot provide a picture.
price was, according to him, the same as he paid when he bought the whistle in the UK in the seventies.
WEIRD…that he cannot tell who the maker is, when he did pay down such an amount at that time…so I called this off.
now back to saving up for my overton…a safer bet for the money I think.
berti
For what it’s worth I think you made a good decision.
I would hesitate to buy any instrument, any price, that the seller could not provide at least a snapshot-quality picture of.
–James