NEW WHISTLES released: we need reviews!

Whistle
1

At least two new whistles have been released very recently, as of December, 2022. We need playing reviews from anyone who has played them, including, hey, what an idea, the manufacturers!
The new Killarney in A, and the new Tony Dixon Mui Cosht whistle in soprano D are two examples. Nick Metcalf has released new whistles in the last while. MK Midgie in high D, anyone?
Humphrey Copycat? Carbony Leading Tone whistle?

If there aren’t others, there will be soon, no doubts. All these whistle players sitting at their holiday dinner tables with time on their hands
who could be helping in the search to locate or release reviews… All these whistle makers inventing new whistles. Got to get people together.

2

If anyone is inspired to review these, can they please please record in raw audio.

I understand the temptation to add compression, and maybe some reverb, to sound nice, but the mainstream YouTube reviewers (whilst lovely) are next to useless to make a comparison as the sound is so far from real.

I understand if you’re donated a whistle to review there’s a temptation to make it sound amazing, but I don’t thing it helps people actually purchase them :slight_smile:

3

Hearing a whistle played well by a good player is a prime selling point.

Not so sure about reviews though, I don’t buy a lot of whistles, buying more will not make me sound any better and I really don’t want more ‘stuff’ and clutter. The few times I have been tempted to get a whistle based on what I read here or in a review, the experience was bitterly disappointing.

Reviews can be helpful in their description of an instrument, material, looks etc, but when it comes to playing character and all that, being able to ‘read’ the reviewer’s comment is only useful when you know their skill level and how they play. You need context to weigh the value/context of the words.

I remember one review where the writer said ‘this whistle will take every ornament I can throw at it’. Which is itself an eyebrow raising sort of statement. In this case though, the write-up was accompanied by a clip of the reviewer playing McMahon’s/The Banshee, never putting any roll in any of the obvious places. Barely anything at all 'thrown at it a al,l at all.

Reviews aside, I can’t help wondering if we need more makers hopping on the bandwagon. I know some will argue the benefits of endless choice but too many ‘new’ whistles are just derivative, mock-ups of successful instruments. But that’s probably something for another. less gloomy, day.

4

“Killarney in A” has got my attention.

If they stay on song it could be quite good.

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“Killarney in A” has got my attention.

I spotted it a good while ago, it was introduced without any fuss. It could be good,and likely is. But I had to ask myself the question ‘Do I need another whistle, and an A to boot and fork out €125 for it?’. And decided it wouldn’t see enough use to justify the purchase. But it would be the first I’d look at, should the need for an A occur.

6

I’ve been curious about those “Dannan Causeway” whistles, as well. I have seen them often on Etsy and Amazon. I have been hoping someone would try one, so I could at least get an idea of if it’s even a playable instrument. I’ve found nothing in the way of sound clips, and not a single review anywhere. I tend to think any plastic that isn’t black or white looks ridiculous, but I can ignore that if it sounds and plays well, and can be reasonably played in tune.

If no one buys one in the next week, I guess I will have to for the sake of science.

7

I’ve had a Killarney A for a few weeks and personally find it to be a really good whistle. I got it in the hope of it being a close copy of my Sindt A and it fully meets that expectation. The diff between the two is the same as with the high Ds I have from the same makers, but the As come closer. The Sindt has a tad more resistance and core to its sound but I’d be hard put to describe the Killarney as in any way inferior to it. I have an embarrassingly large collection of whistles from many manufacturers, including others of Sindt style. The Killarneys are the ones I take with me when venturing forth and the A is a welcome expansion to that line up.

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I should have specified in my original post that I would be looking for “YouTube or other live video playing of the whistles”, as the preferred way to do a review. Put the whistles through a range of live performance tests; through the full 2+ octaves of notes, for demonstrating playability, intonation, tone quality from lowest to highest notes, clogging level after ___ minutes, relative air volume demands, general relative loudness of the whistle, octave transition issues, size of holes related to rolling notes or applying ornamental effects, and range of expression (variable responses to variations in attack, release, breathiness/chiff, volume range, tone, etc.). Also good to mention bore size, what key it is, date of review, and their favorite beer. And a good reviewer is honest and thorough, not just there to say things are great with their favorite whistle.

One feature I like with the reviews of Cutie Pie, WhistleTutor and Nathaniel Dowell is that they will play and compare whistles using the exact same tune played on different whistles, so your ear can pick up the difference between whistle response for a given run of notes as well as overall whistle performance. And they give extensive comments and demonstrations, all relevant and helpful.

And I agree raw live audio is the only way to do that, as once compression, reverb, and any EQ are applied, the whistle becomes something else entirely and the demonstration review isn’t a valid reference during that part. I could make a jaw harp sound like a train loaded with the Berlin Philharmonic passing through the mountains on Oktoberfest, with the right effects applied. Anyway, YouTube live performance reviews…that’s the ticket. :party:

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Ben Walker, The Whistle Blower on Utube, has a comprehensive review of MK whistles, including the Midgie. He plays it quite a bit. It plays and sounds like an MK. He loves it. I ordered one and should be getting it this week. They seem to sell out quickly when Misha posts that he has some, so you have to jump on it if you want one.

10

I received a Midgie several days ago. I love it. My favorite high D I’ve tried. I’m primarily a low whistle player but the Midgie may change that. It’s a very balanced instrument, a wideish bore with large holes. I’d describe the volume as moderate, certainly not a screamer. It’s a beautiful whistle in every way, meticulously made and looks gorgeous. It’s very easy to play, like all MK instruments. Go to Ben Walker’s page if you want to hear it played….. I’m not the reviewer type. Mine is silver. They are all polished anodized. The finish is incredibly attractive.

11

I can only offer rank beginner reviews. From that vantage point, the Metcalf Standard D is great! Durable gold finish, thick aluminum. Nice bands revealing silver (aluminum) on the ends. Holographic Celtic knot pattern.

I like the heftier feel of the thicker body. It has great intonation. It plays easily to high-A; B-D is a little tricky; I’d suspect a better player won’t have any trouble.

It’s very responsive to changes in mouth shape. It looks like this a mid-priced, step-up whistle. It’s delivered in a cool padded aluminum tube.

It has a nice airy tone; not instead of bright, but at the same time. The tone varies with the oral cavity of the player.

The mouthpiece is a notch up from the usual. Snug but Tuneable. Curved windway.

I have Clarke Megs, Sonderys, a Susato low A and a Jerry Freeman Tweaked Generation alto in low G. They all sound good. A mouthpiece tweak made the cheap ones sound better, and it helps to make them tuneable.

Conclusion: the Metcalf is a great whistle, slow delivery, but I like the D enough to order the C. It feels less like a toy and more like an instrument.

The Susato is tuneable plastic – thick, durable and professional(?). It sounds great and plays easy. There’s no “air” in the sound; just a good, solid note.

The Freeman is wonderful, worth the price of the professional tweak. It has a sweet, airy sound. High notes are easy.

Megs are great with a little tweaking. I could learn as well on those, and I sometimes forget: A better whistle doesn’t make a better player. Practice does that.

Metcalf, Freeman, Susato – those are quickly becoming my go-to whistles.

1 Like
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… My review was quoted directly by AI the next day. "Some users say the Metcalf feels less like a toy … ". These reviews spread quickly. We can make or break a whistle craftsman with enough reviews. I want people to keep making high-end whistles, even if this or that model falls short. I hope they all stay in business, so we have more options and they get more shots at perfection.

Garbage in, garbage out. It’s all IMO, which is too amateur to be endorsing or branding whistles for wider consumption.

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AI is doing some pretty weird stuff. I was answering a FB post regarding someone concerned about a certain insecticde used in her garden. When I went to search the her post which had been up for all of 22 minutes and peoples inexpert answers. Welcome to the world of garbage in gaarbage out.