In another post, Steve asked the question very same question that I’ve been mulling over myself for the last few weeks… how convenient…
I’m actually mostly a flute and low whistle players, but I’ve begun to tire of the little, platrinkin’ 10 buck whistles I occasionally get stuck playing, so I’ve been looking for one nice high end one myself. But I didn’t want to detract from the purport of the other post by putting on spin on it there, but let me do so now, if I may…
Who makes the best high end whistle around with ABSOLUTELY THE MOST UN-TRADITIONAL SOUND ON THE MARKET (yes, you read that right)? Forgive me, this is wholly a matter of personal preference and stylistic predilection, but I loathe the sound of Josie McDermott, Micho Russell, and Cathal McConnell with a purple freakin’ passion, and I want a whistle that will remove me as far from that style as possible - I’m lookin’ for tone that’s smooth as good lovin’ and slick as a baby’s ass smeared in Crisco, but still crisp as ice cold boxer shorts at 5 in the morning.
So who makes the best slicker 'n s**t, cool as dammit whistle about these days?
Jamie - not sure if your post is in English, but from what I can gather you need a Rose blackwood D. The purest toned whistle on the market, balanced, responsive and a great favourite among flautists who love its sound.
How about taking just about any whistle in the world, hook it up to an amplifier, and add lots of echo. Your playing will sound like shopping mall muzak in no time.
On 2002-11-05 01:03, JohnPalmer wrote:
The Whistle Shop sells a pretty fine slide whistle. It’s pretty un-whatever you said.
So how’s Orange County? I grew up there. I used to bodysurf down at Huntington all the time, back before there was a parking fee.
I went to SAHS. Wife went to Mater Dei.
I’m guessing you’re from south county. Just a guess, though. >
JP
Yeh… maybe… just maybe. I lived in Garden Grove till I was four, and then in Tustin for the last sixteen years, just south of Cowan Heights. Not exactly “South County” per se, as in Irvine or San Juan Capistrano, but still sufficiently “Burb from Hell” to qualify.
And thanks for the suggestions, everybody - and I’ll save a few of you the trouble of posting by saying that, yes, I do already have a MIDI program.
On 2002-11-05 04:29, Jens_Hoppe wrote:
How about taking just about any whistle in the world, hook it up to an amplifier, and add lots of echo. Your playing will sound like shopping mall muzak in no time.
Oooooooh! And an electronic wah-wah pedal to eliminate the need to do slides! One of those Charlie Drake-ish throat mikes so you can sing “in whistle” by just mouthing the words! Modern digital electronics at their finest!
But Seriously, Folks, I bought a Chinese-made high-D whistle in bamboo in SFO Chinatown last year. It not only sounded waay too “oriental” to be trad, but had the windway on the bottom! Still, it was easy to play and nicely in tune (though I had to try a few to get one that was).
It cost me 99 cents plus tax. That don’t make it a “high-end” by any stretch of the imagination, but if you want “different”, it’s about as “different” as you’ll find!
I think the Copeland whistles have
a sound which, while it hardly
sounds out of place in trad,
is pretty different from
your basic inexpensive
trad whistle–more flutey,
more chiffy. In the high
D I like the nickel best.
On 2002-11-05 10:26, Bloomfield wrote:
This man needs to buy a recorder and some treatment. >
Good thought, but I’ve been living in Texas for the past two and a half years - the bill from my shrink’s already gonna be out of sight without throwing treatment for musical delusions on the pile.
I’m not sure what it is about a whistle that gives it that “traditional” sound. I do know the sound you are looking for. It’s the old TV Test Card sound, folded into an instrument. If you find it, let us know 'cause I’d like one of those too, especially if you can get it cheap. I don’t think any of the suggestions you’ve had will meet what you are looking for, although the Rose comes closest. The Copeland is not it.
Since you’re talking high-end anyway, why not contact whistlesmiths, tell them what you’re looking for, and ask if they can accommodate you? It appears that many, if not all, of the people who make whistles make them to order…There may well be a whistlesmith out there who will look upon your request as a challenge and be happy to work with you to try to attain the sound you crave. Warning, however…there may be a heck of a wait, depending on who you contact and how backlogged they are with orders.
What is it specifically that you don’t like about the “sound” of the players you mentioned? Are you sure it’s the actual tone of their whistles you don’t like, or is it the style of playing? Two different players can make the same whistle sound rather different, depending on the sound they’re going for…and professional recordings are going to be mixed with the target “sound” in mind.
The other thought…are you absolutely sure it’s a whistle you want? While people were semi-joking about getting a recorder, if you really don’t like the trad whistle sound at all, it may not be the instrument you’re looking for. Granted that there are differences in sound from one brand or type of whistle to another (one may have a fairly chiffy sound, another may have a very pure tone, etc.), they’re still whistles, and the overall sound can vary as much according to who’s doing the playing as it can by brand or type. If you’re into jazzy stuff, it may be that a flute…or even a sax or clarinet…is more in your line.
Redwolf
Oops…just reread your original post, and see that you already play the flute. So I guess the biggest question is what, exactly, are you looking for, in your high-end whistle? Pure tone? Responsiveness? And does it have to be “high-end”? If you want something that sounds more or less “un-traditional,” you may be very happy with a Susato (which tend to be very crisp, clean, and loud).
[ This Message was edited by: Redwolf on 2002-11-05 14:06 ]
Jamey, you might like the Susato VSB. It’s so untraditional-sounding that many people don’t like them for that reason. The tone is surgically clean with almost nonexistent chiff. Response is very crisp, and it’s not uncomfortably loud. Moreover, it is not particularly expensive.
I just posted some audio clips on that other thread mentioned…the first clip I posted is of the susato vsb and the second is the silkstone alloy so you can hear the similarity…maybe you are looking for no chiff…like Hoover or Laughing or even Silkstone alloy or Susato vsb…I would talk to Mack Hoover or somebody and follow the advice above about talking to a whistle smith. Let us know what you decide to do because there are others on this board who have made the same request in so many words…
Lisa
If you all know example for pure, un-trad sounding whistles, what would you think would be a brand with opposite attributes?
That’s what I’m after, I wanna buy a lowD Burke, but I can’t get hold of Mike’s man in Ireland, Mick.
