Hello everyone, my name is Jerry, and I have joined this forum because of a find that I made in a shop at the weekend just gone. Prior to that day, I didn’t know a thing about your community, apart from liking a wide range of music. I certainly didn’t know anything about what I found, I just knew it was something special.
After researching what it is, I am being drawn deeper into it’s history. From what I have found, it’s a Low D whistle. I believe that it’s a Bernard Overton, however, I have read that these whistles have been made by different people. I think that this one could be an early one, as there are no markings on it, apart from the D, which is pressed into the tube sideways on.
I am hoping that somebody on here will be able to help me find out exactly what I have.
This is the sort of engraving you’d see in one of Colin’s whistles. It’s not easy to spot unless you know it’s there, and you can’t feel the lettering by running your finger round inside.
Thanks for the replies. After checking again, there’s definitely nothing engraved in the inside of the tube. I’m not sure what a rounded hole means in this context, could you explain please?
The rounded holes bit is looking at the fingerholes. When someone drills a hole, the sides of that hole are perpendicular to the top surface of the hole. Goldie files the holes so that there isn’t a sharp angle, it’s rounded. But he also signs his whistles, almost always (I say almost just as a hedge), so I’d be pretty confident in saying it was made by Overton.
Thanks for helping me, I thought that’s what you meant but wasn’t sure. The holes aren’t rounded, so I’m now sure it’s an Overton. Is there any way to put an age on such an instrument, I’ve read that the early ones only had a letter stamped on the lower part of the tube. Mine only has the D on it!
The lack of Colin’s signature inside doesn’t necessarily mean Bernard made the whistle: Phil Hardy also made many whistles like that, some under the Overton name, some after he (Phil) rebranded. To my knowledge Phil didn’t sign his whistles, but perhaps I am misremembering. I certainly haven’t seen an Overton with his name signed on it.
I think it’s a mistake to assume every Overton whistle Colin ever made is signed. Better to ask Colin or Brigitte directly about that.
At any rate, I think only Colin and Brigitte, or possibly Phil Hardy, could accurately identify the maker of that whistle because the lack of signature, lack of Overton stamp, and state of the tone hole edges alone aren’t enough to positively identify that as a whistle made by Bernard.
I was going to say that my best guess based on what I can see is that is more likely a Phil Hardy made whistle than anything else, however the RH tone hole spacing looks very “old school” Overton. OTH, the tone holes look a bit small for one of Bernard’s whistles…or perhaps it’s just the angle of the photo?
Bottom line: while we are trying to help, only the people I’ve previously mentioned can give you a fully informed and accurate assessment of who made that whistle.
Yes, of course, unless it was made by Phil Hardy. He also marked them with just the sideways stamped D early on too. But, one thing that makes me think it is a Bernard Overton it the whistle bag that is partly visible in one picture. I think I’ve seen that one before, haven’t any of you seen that one too? I’m thinking it’s a Bernard because of that, even though we know bags get kept behind sometimes, or mixed up and used for another whistle by various owners. But I think I remember getting one from Bernard in one of those bags one time? Anyone else? Or was it one of Brigitte’s (Colin’s wife)?
Ah, interesting, I hadn’t picked up on that fabric in the photo being part of the whistle bag because I don’t recall ever seeing a bag made from material like that. Could be a good clue indeed.
I think it’s not reasonable to drag working instrument makers away from work and onto a forum for questions like this because these things often generate multiple additional questions and have proven time consuming for the maker.
Since the general consensus is that this is most likely a whistle made by either Bernard or Phil, my suggestion would be that you contact Phil Hardy directly with your questions. He’s not very difficult to find online.
Hi, I have an update on my Whistle. I managed to contact Phil Hardy, and he has confirmed that I have a very early 70s Bernard Overton made instrument.
Ha! That’s funny, and not what I pictured (your bag with the small swatch of green cloth). I was remembering a similar odd cloth that Bernard supplied as a case, I think, with one of the whistles I got from him. Although, since there were so many whistles that passed through my hands, it could easily have been from another maker! The memory has swept that one into some corner that isn’t available to me now, unsurprisingly. We do what we can, I guess!
It’s certainly been interesting finding out about it, the next thing is deciding what to do with it. I would never be able to do it justice, so it really needs to go to someone who can.
Could anyone point me in the direction of the best place to sell it please?
