The band I play with now does a lot of work in the key of E (it’s not usually ITrad, or anything like it). I have a wonderful Hoover low E that Mack built for me, but I needed a soprano E, because, well, there are a couple of empty spots in my whistle case. And dang it, it’s been months since I got a new whistle.
I emailed Nick at ethinicwind, describing the characteristics I like - strong voice, moderately loud, clean tone, etc. Nick recommended his Ceol Pro model, and so I bought one.
I have been meaning to do a more organized write-up, but good intentions… This isn’t meant to be a formal review, as I don’t think I’m technoid enough, but I’ve tried to address a lot of the questions that I’ve commonly seen on the board about whistle characteristics.
My overall impression of this whistle: I like it a lot, and I think it’s a very good whistle for the relatively modest price ($63, if I remember right).
The Ceol Pro is an aluminum whistle with copper tuning fitting, copper headpiece, and delrin plug. I think Nick coats the whistles with an enamel, as it feels like there is something other than just bare metal. It’s a good-looking whistle, with a nice Celtic knot design on the tuning slide.
The whistle has a nice tone, relatively pure - not as chiffy or complex as my newish Milligan. Volume I’d subjectively call moderate or medium-loud. It’s a nice responsive whistle to play, and well-balanced across the octaves. The bell note is in tune on my Korg with the body pulled out about 3/32". Sometimes, the B, C#, and D# read about 15 cents flat to the rest of the whistle, but my results weren’t consistent, and frankly, I can’t hear it.
The finger holes are large, which makes sense for a fuller-voiced whistle. They are close, but not too close for me to play. I think someone with thick fingers might have a time with it, but someone with thick fingers probably isn’t going to be able to play a lot of soprano E whistles, either.
Nick’s fipple design has a long windway. I thought the copper would warm up quickly and not condense, but I found that it needed some dish soap in the windway, as I do with my other metal-fippled whistles.
This is a pretty easy and forgiving whistle to play - fast and responsive. I’ve never been able to gauge back-pressure very well - I’m an old trumpet player, and most whistles, to me, don’t require a lot of oopmph, other than my Chieftain OS low D. I’ll say that the air requirement is definitely higher than some whistles, but still moderate. Back pressure, same thought.
Rehearsal is tonight, and I’m anxious to hear how this whistle sounds in the mix with the band.
Thanks, Nick, I am pleased with my new toy!
Blessings, all,
Mark