Review: Syn soprano D whistle

Whistle
1

Most of you probably peeked in on the other Syn threads, the original announcement and a few reviews since then. Here’s my contribution.

http://www.rit.edu/~eeg6662/cf/review/syn.jpg

I received a Syn just after I got back from Alabama, mid-April. In keeping with other people’s experiences, the body surface was scratched and unpolished, with slightly rough, not-perfectly-round holes. Eventually I found my 0000 steel wool and got rid of all but a few of the scratches. Minor cosmetic stuff, though it was still somewhat startling to see a new whistle all scuffed up.

The headpiece, on the other hand, is really interesting. The aluminum is sandwiched between two layers of black plastic, giving a very cool effect. I believe the mouthpieces are shaped by hand, and it really was an excellent job - all three layers are flush and very comfortable. There are lathe machining marks visible on the top of the mouthpiece but it’s uniform, giving a slightly ridged look that I like. The mouthpiece is held on with a single pin, on the left side of the whistle (in playing orientation, whistler viewpoint). The rounded head of the pin is still on. I like this design. It also seems like it might act as a kickstand on tables, preventing rollaways, but I haven’t tested this theory yet.

Just tested. Yup. :slight_smile:

Overall, the Syn is a little heavier than a laughing whistle, and very well balanced. The tuning slide, which seems to be in tune when pushed in all the way, is tight but not impossible. It seems to be brass, and the inner wall on the body side is a little larger to accommodate the slide while leaving a uniform bore. The slide had some thick oil or something on it, which I wiped off…and now I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t have, oops, as I think it’s starting to stick a bit. But that’s okay.

“But how’s it PLAY?” you ask. Well, bear with me here. The story has a happy ending.

Some of you know that I prefer whistles with very low air requirements. (My roommates seem to prefer that too.) This whistle did not have a low air requirement. In fact, I was really struggling to get it to play correctly. I learned how to do the first octave, but the second took so much more that unless I was actively thinking about it, I would squeak the second octave every time. I also had a breath issue with the second octave D…it wouldn’t play unless if I used a lot of air, but when I used a lot of air, it played sharp. At least to my ears, and I have harassed many a poor whistlemaker, claiming that certain notes were out of whack and requesting a revoicing.

Here’s a clip demonstrating the problem. (“Out on the Ocean”)

http://www.rit.edu/~eeg6662/cf/first_syn_testrun.mp3

Note that in the last try to hit the second octave, the whistle seems to be at a sharper pitch overall. I put a tuner on the thing and discovered that I was playing it flat at my normal breath level, and the tuning slide was all the way in, so I couldn’t sharpen it. Sensitive ears might hear a bit of an off-pitch in the second octave D, as mentioned earlier.

So I contacted Syn. I got a message back:

Hi Beth, I got back from Canberra today and went straight into the workshop. I met someone there with the same problem as you, she is a soft blower too, and was having trouble in the same way. I have made a couple of modifications which should solve the problem for you both. There is another whistle on the way, so let me know how it goes when it arrives, thanks, syn.

I wasn’t expecting that at all. Excellent customer service!

Earlier this week, the replacement arrived. From what I can tell, the windway is narrower and the blade seems higher in the middle. Little changes but a big difference in playability. It’s still one of the loudest whistles I own, but my collection is skewed toward the quiet side, so I don’t know how it would compare overall in Whistledom.

http://www.rit.edu/~eeg6662/cf/bally_syn_polka.mp3

But I like it. It’s made it into my rack of most-often-played whistles, along with some Laughings and Whitecaps. Worth the gamble, to be sure. And Mr. Syn told me he’s making a similar adjustment on all his whistles now.

If you’re thinking of getting a Syn, I’d say go for it. Be aware that they can take a lot of air, and for at least the promotional run you’re not going to get a smooth-as-crystal surface. As with some other excellent makers, Mr. Syn is willing to work with you to make sure you’re a satisfied whistler.

PS - The Syn fits well in my Bryan Poe hard whistle case, too :wink:

2

Beth, great review! :slight_smile:

A question to see if your experience with the Syn fits with mine.

I found that you have to blow very firmly, very well-supported for the second octave, but that it actually doesn’t use that much air, and has very high resistance–you can feel the whistle “pushing the air back” at you.

I am curious if this fits your whistle or if yours has less resistance and literally takes more air for the second octave.

Also I am very interested in his modification.

The Syn has become one of my three most frequently played whistles, by the way.

–James

3

I received my Syn two or three days ago. Much that has been mentioned about finish fits mine. I’ve sort of enjoyed making it nicer looking. I also pulled out the pin and used my Dremel tool to counter sink the hole leaving just a a bit of the head of the brass looking pin sticking out.

To my ear the Syn sounds very much like my Laughing Whistle only louder. It’s not really a loud whistle to my way of thinking. Somewhere in the middle. My Laughing Whistle no longer has the clay or plastic pieces that were originally used to narrow the windway so it has a softer warmer sound (to my ears) than the other Laughing Whistle I’ve played. That softer, sound wise (not volume), warmer sounds carries over to the Syn and its a sound I like.

I like the Syn a lot and have already talked to the maker about a C whistle. I don’t have any trouble playing into the second octave and don’t consider it to have large air requirements. It’s well in tune with itself. It may be a trifle flat overall but I’m not even sure about that…it could be me.

I hope the price holds and I’m quite willing to make it look nicer on my own for the money I’ve saved and the sound I get.

just my 2 cents worth.

4

I think I posted something when I first got mine and then got an e-mail asking for a fuller review. In sum, my experience matches others’. Good old 0000 steel wool and jeweler’s cloth took care of the cosmetic blemishes in a minute, so as not to be an issue.

Mine does not have high air requirements. Had some trouble for a few moments with the high B, but that is also resolved with an attack change, i.e., a tighter stream of air (something like what I experienced with the Seery delrin). It is not my favorite whistle, as I’ve fallen into playing only my Copelands and Abells, as well as an occasional O’Briain, but is certainly worth the price and will travel with me.

Regards,

Philo

5

Mine does not have high air requirements either, I’d call it moderate, nowhere near the air requirements of a Clarke.

I’ve had no trouble at all with the upper octave, and can quite easily get it into the third octave G with very consistent tone quality all the way up.

Not only is this whistle now my favorite high-D, but I’ve stopped looking for a good C whistle, instead choosing to wait until Syn produces a C tube for this one. I asked about an Eb, but he said that may still be a while off…

6

Having played Jim’s laughing whistle I would agree with his comparison. Just got my Syn last week. Tried it out at a dance this weekend and even though it is a softer, rounder sound than the whistles I usually play at the dance (Susato and Burke mainly) it matched well with the fiddles and mandolin.

I did notice some intonation problems with it, the second octave is noticably flat with the first octave tuned spot on. A bit more willie with the breath control helped. Most cylindrical whistles have this problem so it’s not too big of a deal but I did notice it.

The tuning slide on mine is also pretty loose. Loose enough that it did slip while I was playing and you could feel it wobble a bit when playing hard on a rocking jig or something like drowsy maggie with quick octave shifts. I stuck an O ring over the slide and that keeps it in place. I’d rather have it a bit loose than too tight.

I tend to be a hard blower, from playing quena, so I really liked that bit of back pressure that lets you really lean into a note especially to bring the second octave into tune. Transitions are very smooth and the octaves are well balanced volume wise.

Overall a good whistle for the price. If it would have been over say $70 I probably would have either sent it back or sold it here due to the cosmetic roughness and intonation. The sound however may have swayed that decision, it really is a nice sounding whistle.

Mark V.