My significant other has now become interested in a whistle of her own - but not just any whistle. She fell in love with Ralph Sweet’s whistles at the Gebhart Woods Dulcimer Festival and wants one. Now the nice part of this is that when she loses interest… And of course, if it’s for her, price is suddenly a non-issue.
OK, so here’s the question. She really likes the look of the Blackwood/Sterling models, but likes the Rosewood as well, just not as much. Is there any difference in tone or playability? Are there any clips out there?
I’ve played several of Ralph Sweet’s whistles (they’re one of the few that Melody Music here in town carries a ton of) in various woods. The biggest impression I’ve gotten off of any of them that I’ve tried is that the high G, A, and B required enough breath pressure that I thought I was going to bust a vein in my temple Other than that, they all sounded similarly. That said, I don’t think melody carries the blackwood one.
Greg
[ This Message was edited by: Wandering_Whistler on 2001-08-28 21:31 ]
I’ve played both the blackwood and
the rosewood, indeed, I’ve played
them all. I think the blackwood is
significantly better than any other
Sweet whistle, both in appearance and
sound. When all is said and done,
when it comes to wooden whistles, it’s
hard to beat blackwood. On the other hand,
Sweet whistles, while good, have a sound
that isn’t very celtic–which isn’t
necessarily bad–and the blackwood whistle
is loud, which you may or may not want.
Also, my sense of the thing is that the
blackwood whistle is the most responsive
to ornamentation that Sweet makes.
Hope this helps.
I used to have a rosewood one. It was too loud for me in the upper octave. The person I sold it to was very happy with it. I’d say the upper octave was considerably louder than the lower. The air pressure requirement was nominal, however. And like Jim Stone intimated, if I can put words in his mouth, (hey, I’m a ventriloquist. I’m not saying Jim has a wooden head), it didn’t sound all that tin whistley. (Should I have left out the ‘e’ in whistley?)
Tony
I talked to Ralph a few months ago, and he wasn’t happy with the voicing on his blackwood models. He was working on but hadn’t resolved it to his satisfaction. I bought a blackwood in D that had a significant buzz, and he gladly exchanged it for a rosewood. The rosewood sounds OK, very bright and clear, but I agree it’s much louder in the upper register. Of all Ralph’s whistles I prefer the C’s.
I have a Sweet D whistle in maple. It’s not my favorite, that’s a Sindt, but I get it out and play every now and then. The low octave is nice, the high octage is a little buzzy. It does get loud in the high notes, but no more than the average whistle.
Ok, I’m going to go against the crowd and say that if she fell in love with it, at least try one from some place that has a return policy. I know that consistency in the Sweets has been a previous topic, but she tried one and liked what she heard. Is there any reason to try and convince her otherwise?
Having played Greg’s (Wandering Whistler) Thin Weasel, I’d agree with the folks that have suggested it. You could get one for the both of you to share, if she loses interest you can use it. I also expect that the Thin Weasel will be better at resale, should she truely prefer the Ralph Sweet over the Thin Weasel.
Beside, if you both decide you don’t like the Weasel, you can mail it to me and I’ll give it a really good home. Won’t it be nice to know that if you abandon it then it won’t end up an orphan?
I have a Sweet maple D, which is pretty and well made, but ordinary in tonal quality and easy to play. I have a Sweet African blackwood (Khiloory model)C, which is perhaps the most beautiful whistle I own. Blackwood is so dense that it allows for a nice responsiveness. Overall a terrific whistle with easy air requirements.
Thin weasles are a bit more expensive. I have a cocobolo D that Glenn made for me about 8 to 10 years ago and there is no comparison - the thin weasle has superior tonal qualities across the octaves. IMHO though you cannot go wrong with the Sweet blackwood, even if just to look at!
Other than that, they all sounded similarly. That said, I don’t think melody carries the blackwood one.