What can anyone tell me about these ?
I’d ask Dave himself, But I’m mindful of the commercial implications..i.e. I dont want it to sound to much like advertising. I’ve had one review. and I’ve listned to one ..ummm
once on “Clips and Snips” See..Its come down to a Sindt D or a Parkhurst D or maybe a Hoover Brass, An Overton would be nice also.
Or howabout A Copeland mmmmmmmm…sigh
Dan
I have a Parkhurst which is about 1 1/2 years old, which I like just fine. It’s amazing what Dave does with a simple piece of copper plumbing. This is an easy playing, VERY durable whistle which you don’t have to worry about pampering while traveling, etc.
I understand that the design of the mouthpiece/fipple has changed somewhat since mine was made, so it should be even better now.
On 2002-02-01 02:10, Graphics Guy wrote:
See..Its come down to a Sindt D or a Parkhurst D or maybe a Hoover Brass, An Overton would be nice also.
Or howabout A Copeland mmmmmmmm…sigh
Dan
:::::Looks at check book and wheeps (or is it wheaps?) for a bit::::
Hi, I haven’t tried Dave or Mack’s whistles, so I can’t tell you anything about them, but I can tell you that John Sindt’s whistles are fantastic and he is a dream to do business with. When your wait is up he’ll send you the whistle in the mail and you have 10 days (I think) to test it out before either sending it back to him or sending payment.
John’s whistles seem to imitate the sound and playability of the best of the Generations, while have a character all of their own. Better yet, you never get a dud (or at least I haven’t). I own a complete set and I love every one of them. All the top whistle players in Boston play Sindt’s or Generations, and Mary Bergin and Mike McHale are both Sindt supporters as well. John’s whistles are very, very responsive and accurate and are well suited for both the warbling, bird like style of Mary Bergin, and the rhythmic, rougher sound of Mike McHale. One way or the other, they have an older sound to them. Kevin Crawford, when presented with a bunch of whistles to review at a workshop proclaimed the Sindt whistle to be the best whistle there is (to his particular liking that is). The only warning I have for you is that the C natural on my D whistle, and I think on most of the D whistles (though not the other keys) is out of tune when played oxxooo. It’s just sort of something you get used to and find a way around, but it might bother you… I know it has kept some people away from his whistles.
You should think about what sort of sound you’re looking for in a whistle, let us know, and I’ll be able to help you decide whether a Sindt is the right whistle for you. It’s certainly a fantastic whistle, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right for you.
Best,
Chris
When I finally decided to spend more than $10 on a whistle, I shortened the list to Parkhurst and Burke. Dale said they were both excellent choices and that Mike Burke had been at the whole whistlesmith ‘thing’ longer than Dave Parkhurst…Over the next two years I purchased two from each builder - a D and a C. Dale was correct. Dave Parkhurst made me two really fine copper whistles. Upper fingerings were not exactly the same in the two instruments. I seem to remember the D whistle had nothing above the second octave D…No ‘turn-around’ E note was possible. The C whistle did not have this anomaly. The sound of both the Parkhursts was open, full, and pleasant. They are beautiful to look at - The ‘eye-candy’ that Dale mentions on C+F’s main site is accurate.
I found myself more attracted to the Burke instruments. My Parkhursts are now being successfully and lovingly used by one of my band members.
Dave Parkhurst is a joy to work with in all ways. His communicatory skills are excellent and his estimate of delivery time to me was spot on. You really cannot go wrong with his whistles.
Mike Burke’s greater experience shows up in a very ‘finished’, look and feel to his product. I truly wish Mike’s delivery time estimates were as satisfying as are his whistles.
Cheers
Bill, I’m curious what you mean by this:
“I seem to remember the D whistle had nothing above the second octave D…No ‘turn-around’ E note was possible.”
Chris
Chris: As you know, above the ‘expected’ 2 octave whistle range, there are normally a few usable notes. Some of my whistles are shrill up there, some more mellow. The fingerings differ depending on the maker. My personal high D Parkhurst had nothing up there at all - no matter what fife fingering was used. And thinking of it now, I remember that the normal 0XX000 upper D was not possible, either. I had to use a very unstable 0XXXXX. The C whistle had no problem in either area. There were usable notes above the 2nd octave, and the high C could easily be fingered 0XX000. I seem to remember that Dave, upon contact, said that his D was voiced that way, on purpose. It was no problem - just a characteristic of the ‘breed’ - much like the ‘C’ situation with a Sindt…
Cheers, Chris
Byll
[ This Message was edited by: Byll on 2002-02-01 12:31 ]
sigh…Hunny Bunny, There isnt any reason to weep. YOU get the first High End Whistle.
{Does his World Famous Mental act…err…Mentalist act)Before I get whatever it is I eventually settle for,you get your Silkstone, Simply cause I love you.
And because you’re a wayyyy better player than I am ( She reads music)
Dan
I have both a Sindt and a Parkhurst, so I’ll give you a quick comparison. First of all, they’re really different looking whistles, so go to Dale’s high-end page and look at the pictures. As far as the sound goes, the Sindt is a sweeter, more controlled sounding whistle. The Parkhurst is a little more rough around the edges sounding (and I mean that in a good way). The Sindt would probably blend better when playing in a group. The Parkhurst is a little louder and has more chiff. I’d probably choose it over the Sindt for solo playing (except on slow airs). From what I’ve seen, there are a lot more Sindt players out there than Parkhurst. Of course, this means you’ll wait longer for the Sindt (8 months). I’m not sure how long Dave takes to get his whistles out, but I don’t think I waited more than a month. Both guys are reputable, more than fair and a pleasure to deal with. It boils down to a question of personal taste. I’m glad I have both whistles. If you’ve got the cash for a Copeland, you could buy one of each. Get a Sindt D and a Parkhurst E flat!
Hope I’ve been helpful.
On 2002-02-01 14:53, Graphics Guy wrote:
sigh…Hunny Bunny, There isnt any reason to weep. YOU get the first High End Whistle.
{Does his World Famous Mental act…err…Mentalist act)Before I get whatever it is I eventually settle for,you get your Silkstone, Simply cause I love you.
And because you’re a wayyyy better player than I am ( She reads music)So it’s ‘weep’??? Hell’s bell’s and fuzzy pumpkins! The reason for the weeping is that I KNOW that inevitably you will end up with one of each of these. Yup!!! That’s my baby! Somehow this will occur…:roll:
Dan
Nahhh Hunny Bunny,
Long before that happens,I’ll have taken my Silversmithing experience, My background in
Physics. And I will have created a whistle of my own design. The only reason I need the high end whistles is to …ummm… compare them…Yeah thats it… I need to compare them
Dan
I posted a review that included these two some time ago, so I won’t go into detail. IMHO, these are two of the best bang for the buck whistles you can get. The Sindt is absolutely wonderful and allows for expressive “bending” of the notes with nice strong and clear tone and transitions. Still at a great relative price. The Parkhurst is also wonderful and is uniquely beautiful - the copper, the developing patina, the musical notes Dave etches on the tubing, and great price. Note to John and Dave - please do not raise prices based on this totally subjective feedback from one player. OK - there’s no other way - get them both! Philo