I sold my O’Riordan Blackwood D whistle on Ebay a couple of months ago, it sold for over $620 - There were 5 bidders over $500. I am now forced to consider selling my last remaining O’Riordan Whistle: A Blackwood Concert C with Brass Rings that have Shamrocks engraved on them. This whistle sounds even better than the D IMO, which is why I kept it. However, I’ll consider selling this if I can get a price similar to what the D went for.
Please use e-mail rather than the message board for contacting me. Thanks.
Hee hee! Well, yes, Loren is special, but those whistles can command such high prices because the demand is so much higher than the supply. Pat O’Riordan makes a limited number of whistles each year and has a three year waiting list. He takes orders now but with the understanding that he may or may not ever get to fulfilling them. They are fantastic whistles, played almost exclusively (she also plays some Burkes) by Joanie Madden, one of our heroes. Loren didn’t set the price…the eBay bidders did.
Any object is worth what one is willing to pay for it i guess. But is this O’Riordan whistles so much better than a Thin Weasel, Grinter, Abel, or any other wooden whistle, which only cost half of the price of the O’Riordan?
O’Riordan charges less than the other makers. It is the lack of them, though, combined with the high quality and reliability, that make them so valuable.
Jessie is correct: I’m special, so special in fact that they used to let me ride the Short Bus to school as a child
Seriously though, Some of us remember when Copelands were regularly selling for even more than this (used), back when Mike’s waiting list was very long. With O’Riodan, it’s as Jessie says: He doesn’t make that many whistles, and he tells you up front that he can’t promise he’ll even be making whistles in 2-3 years from now (let’s hope he is because I’m going to want to replace the one’s I’ve had to sell!), so they are very difficult to get a hold of.
Anyway, this particular whistle is fantastic sounding and plays like a dream IMO…I will be seriously bummed about giving it up, but that’s life. So it’s available to anyone who’s willing to pay the price…
Yikes! I, too, would say the price is way too expensive. But the catch? Way too expensive for ME.
The thing is, if what I want is one of this maker’s whistles, I’ve got only a few choices. I could get on the list and cross my fingers. I could post a request on this board to see if anybody wants to part with one. I could find out Loren’s home address and sneak in one night when he’s sound asleep… . And if all of those fail, and I desire one of these gems, my other option is to talk $$ with the man.
Not in my plans. The thing is, with Pat appearing to be about to wind production down, they’re only going to get more valuable.
Good luck Loren! I’m sure you’ll have little trouble finding a buyer.
Loren, the last O’Riordans I remember on ebay (4 weeks ago) were a D and C set, I think in blackwood, maybe cocobolo. It was actually two full whistles, not one head and two bodies. I think the two went for just under $600, so you may not want to put it on ebay.
On 2002-10-01 14:30, JessieK wrote:
O’Riordan charges less than the other makers. It is the lack of them, though, combined with the high quality and reliability, that make them so valuable.
Jessie
I believe the Rose is a bit cheaper, and by all accounts has a very similar sound (but I’ve never played an O’Riordan). Loren?
Incorrect. Rose whistles, bought from the maker, cost more than double what O’Riordan charges.
Pat O’Riordan hasn’t realized that he could triple his prices and still have as long a waiting list.
Also, the Rose does not play similarly to an O’Riordan. The Rose is lovely in tone, but quiet, and O’Riordans of all models have higher volume and make for more reliable session instruments. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Rose whistle, but when I took it to a session, the lower octave was entirely inaudible. That wouldn’t happen with an O’Riordan.
By the, way, I will not get a commission of this sale…just telling it as it is.
[ This Message was edited by: JessieK on 2002-10-02 10:41 ]
Like Jessie said: The Rose and O’Riordan are different beasts. True, they are both very pure sounding whistles, but they still sound very different to my ear, and play quite differently as well.
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. And if all of those fail, and I desire one of these gems, my other option is to talk $$ with the man.