A young fellow here in Winnipeg came to a session recently with a low D whistle he had made out of an aluminum shower rod, with a wooden plug. He is a luthier by trade and has made several beautiful guitars and banjos some of which are played by professional musicians - so he is a very talented craftsperson. I was amazed at how well the thing played! It sounded very much the way I would imagine a low D Clarke to sound, sweet, slightly breathy - and it was perfectly in tune! And it looked good too.
Do you think there would be a market for these things, or is everyone making their own now??
i’m curently in the prosses of makeing my first whislte (a low d out of copper pipe) and i like it, theres something about working with my hands that apeals to me.
Whistlepeg,
There is a difference between ‘sounding-and-looking-good-for-a-shower-curtain-rod-low-d’ and ‘sounding and looking, f.e. Overton good’.
I have also tried to make my own whistles.
It is fun to do, and I would recommend it to anyone who considers gining it a go.
I actually learned a lot about whistles by simply trying.
There are so many variables at play which make up the sound of the whistle, that a good whistle is a bit of a ‘lucky shot’ unless you know exactly what you’re doing.
That’s what I think makes a whistlemaker a good whistlemaker: the consistency of the quality of their work.
I think whistles should not be offered for sale before a maker has reached that point (there’s another thread running about this somewhere 
)
Jeroen
I guess the answer to my original question would be that anyone wanting a really good, in tune low D whistle, with the best characteristics of the best of the Clarks or Shaws, costing very, very little compared to Copelands/Overtons etc. would make their own.
( This guy is a professional instrument maker with very high standards by the way.
He was thinking of selling them for around
$30US if he decided to make them) I’m getting one!!
I’m sure that we’d all be excited to hear more about it and even see pictures. However, I think that some will be more cautious when buying a $30 handmade whistle this time.
But I love whistles and for $30 you can bet that I’d order one eventually.
Erik
OK, I’m experiencing some serious de ja vu here. I’ve raved before about Mack Hoover’s experimental CRD (Curtain Rod Low D). It’s a truly great whistle. The only one I have to compare it to is my Dixon low D. It compares very favorably. I’m looking forward to taking it to the Gathering in Denver in a couple weeks and getting the opinions of those more knowledgable than I.
It’s amazing the things people can make instruments out of…
Tom
It isn’t about the material. How many folks here love Mack Hoover’s CPVC whistles or the Water Weasels? That’s just cheap plumbing pipe. The key is how well it plays, not what it is made of.
If there is consistent quality present, I’d probably want one. Several others would, too. I expect that if your friend gets a fairly good production line going he could make a profit at $30 each, but I also think he’d sell more at $50 a pop. Economics can be funny. Sometimes a higher price sells better. Perceived quality.
Anyway, I’d want to see a couple of really positive reviews here from different people who are not playing the same sample whistle before I plunked down any cash. But, yeah, I’d probably get one.
I can make a basic whistle out of pipe or shower curtain or whatever, but I still buy whistles because it isn’t worth the time to tweak a design until I get a really good whistle. For now, I would rather make other things in the shop.
-Patrick
If I had a shop, I’d try to make music in it. Heaven only knows I struggle with it enough with a whistle! Perhaps a table saw, or belt sander might help!
B~