Hi,
I seem to have got the whistle bug really bad at the moment, even though i have only just started playing and at times getting alittle fustrated with fluent changes between 2 octaves.
Anyway, I have a Feadaog and a Dixon, i gave the Meg to my wife who occasionally likes to whistle, but now i want more more more whistles…
What are the Shaws like High D..???
I have heard they are require alot of air??
Thanks alot..
Tony Fletcher Sheffield England…
I would also like to thank the people who have replied to my postings, your views and comments were very gratefully received..
Tony
Only tried them a few times at sessions. Good sound and like any Low whistle control of breathing vital. The Copeland low whistles are gems but you need quite a bit of money.
Tony,
Shaw seems to be a brand that you need to try to determine if you like. I really like mine; it was my first above-two-dollars whistle and I wouldn’t part with it. Others find the air requirements daunting and/or don’t like the breathiness.
It plays similarly to the Clarke original if you can try one of those.
Erik
I think of Shaws as Clarks with better quality control and a wider range of keys. If you like Clarks and the unsealed wooden plug and breath requirements don’t daunt, you’ll probably like the Shaws.
I really like them in mid-range (G/A/Bb). The real low whistles are a bit of work and they’re a bit soft for soprano.
Hard to know what to make of Shaws.
Much breath required and soft,
but lovely tone. Don’t know if
they would be loud enough for
a session. If I were starting out
I’d go for whistles that could
do sessions. Sort of ‘standard’
good whistles. The Shaw is sort
of exotic–but I really liked
a low D Shaw I saw recently.
I finally cut the head off my Shaw sop D and stuck a Sweetone fipple on it. My Shaw mezzo A would get the same treatment if I knew what fipple would fit. Maybe not. I don’t play my Shweetone anymore because it is too quiet and I prefer my Hoover narrow bore for quiet play.
I really liked Shaws until I got a Silkstone, Burke, sop Reyburns, etc. I liked the breathy tone of the Shaw, and I thought I could build up to its breath requirement (I don’t have trouble with flutes) but finally after many months I gave up because I like to sustain the notes at the end of measures and not sound like I’m expiring.
When I asked your question on this board last year, I got mostly favorable replies…
Lisa
I have a Shaw high D and a Bb. I really do like both of them. I don’t play them very often, though. The air requirements are pretty high. There are tweaks that can reduce the gasp factor, though. I may try doing that sometime soon.
ErikT pointed out to me that one should not expect Shaw whistles to behave like true high-end whistles. The man makes $20 whistles, not high-dollar instruments. When I thought of them that way, I figure my Shaws are a good value. I just won’t compare them to my (some day) Tully whistle. Apples and Oranges.
-Patrick
I have a Shaw A that I love the sound of but of course the breath requirements are extensive. However, the finger spacing is the easist of the A’s I’ve played. And the tone is just gorgeous–really warm, flutey. Lovely for solo work. It’s my favorite whistle to listen to, although the hardest one to play.
I’ve played a friend’s Shaw C and it was one of the best whistles I’ve tried–sweet and easy to play, and the breath requirements with the higher smaller whistles seem to be much easier to do.
I also just ordered a Shaw Bb that’s been tweaked to be easier on the lungs and I suspect it is going to be my favorite whistle. The Shaw sound just can’t be beat, in my opinion.
I have 3 Shaws
High D, Needs a fair bit of wind
C, Plays beautifully right across the range
G, Again needs a fair bit of puff and the 0XX000 is noticably sharp
They all have a great sound and are definitely my favourite whistles. I may have to get me another G that is in tune on the 0XX000. When I mike it up with a bit of reverb it sounds awesome, Well at least until I play a Fnat that is.
I had a bad experience with a Shaw low G, didn’t like it at all. But I also had a bad exerience with the Clarke high D the first time, and now I love them. I think it’s a gamble, but many folks like them so maybe it’s worth a try.
I have a Shaw High D I bought in Hobgoblin in London, just because I’d heard about them. Massive air requirements, higher than any other high D I’ve come across.
The holes are out of line with the fipple, the tone is nothing to write home about, and it cost £10, about double a Clarke Original for essentially the same whistle. They could probably knock a couple of quid off the price if they didn’t put it in a fancy cardboard presentation box.
I’d have to say this is my least favourite and least played whistle, alongside a Doolin. And the Doolin body was OK, it was just the head that didn’t work for me, except for the 2-part Doolin bodies that wobble at the joint.
But if were to play at a renaissance Fair, this would be worth considering for its handmade look.
I have a low d and a A.The d I like alot, but the A’s holes were drilled out of line with the fipple. I tried to fix it by sawing off a meg C and fitting it into the A’s body, but the fipple is too small to get a good bell note, and the 1st few notes of the 1st octave. I also had a hard time with the hole spacing of the A, I have a hard time with the 5th & 6th holes when they aren’t equally spaced with th 4th hole. The Generation Bb also gives me trouble in this regard. If you wanted to get one, I’d try it out first to see what you think because Shaws aren’t for everyone, but they are distinctive and one of a kind.
Take care, Johnz