As I’ve mentioned in the past, I own several Silkstones (PVC Bb, D and Alloy D). I really like them..the tuning is precise, and the whistles have a lot of the features I like in a whistle. The alloy has a bit of a different tone than the PVC, which is grand…the PVC is purer, the alloy more reedy.
In any case, it wasn’t my intention to post a review of these great whistles, but of their maker, Paul Hayward. I got my PVC D Silkstone sometime in late 2000 (I don’t have my original whistle shop email, but I do have some oct 2000 email about it in my storage still), I think it was numbered #76. It was the first ‘high end’ soprano whistle that I really really liked. I re-recorded much of my website with it. At sessions and band practice, it was my preferred whistle, because it could sit for 10 minutes, and I could whip it up, play a few tunes, and not worry about tuning or clogging.
Then it went sharp on me. About a month ago I noticed that I was out of tune. No! It couldn’t be..my Silkstone has always been spot on! But sure enough, it was suddenly 30 cents sharp! I don’t know what happened…but since I couldn’t play it with other musicians, I wrote Paul, who suggested I send the whistle back.
A couple weeks later (today), I am once again holding a spot-on-in-tune Silkstone in my hot little hands. I don’t know many other manufacturers (of, well, anything other than whistles) that have the high warranty standards that some of these whistle craftsmen do. Paul is definitely top-notch in that category, and a prince among men
Greg
[ This Message was edited by: Wandering_Whistler on 2002-05-22 18:56 ]
Then it went sharp on me. About a month ago I noticed that I was out of tune. No! It couldn’t be..my Silkstone has always been spot on! But sure enough, it was suddenly 30 cents sharp! I don’t know what happened…
Funny, that reminds me of Mary Bergin. One characteristic of the whistles she carries around in her whistle box, is that they are all plastered over with tape. She insists she “blows them out of tune”, ie. they play fine at first, but after a while go out of tune.
ww,
your comment comparing the alloy to the pvc have made me curious. it seems most reviewers prefer a metal whistle over a pvc version. can you comment a little more on their differences?
From my personnal experience, the Alloy is tunable, and the PVC isnt, and the Alloy doesnt clog at all, and the PVC does often. But that may vary from whistle to whistle… Also, the Alloy looks like a spaceship and impresses women, which is a big plus!
I’ve had the exact opposite experience as Azalin…my metal one clogs and my pvc never does. Combine cold Houston A/C (which cools a metal whistle in a hurry) with 90+% humidities, and you get a lot of clogging potential with the alloy whistle.
I like both whistles quite a bit. The PVC is not tunable, but is spot on, which helps not a bit if your accordion player is off pitch.
When the PVC one went away, I’ve spent a fair amount of time with the alloy one. I’ve ended up jet-drying the windway to control clogging (something I’ve never done before), and the trick does work wonders. I’ve had no clogging problems all week.
Both whistles have similarities, as I’d expect as they’re the same basic style from the same maker. Both are loud…Copeland/Thin Weasel range. You definitely are heard in a noisy environment. Both produce crisp and clean notes..
Here are the differences as I perceive them:
The PVC whistle is quite pure in tone. The Alloy sounds a wee bit ‘reedy’ or something..it has a whistley quality that the PVC doesn’t. The PVC is actually louder/harsher in the 2nd octave and takes a stronger attack to get there. The alloy sounds really sweet up there. The alloy has a lot of dynamic range (volume/pitch changes) with breath pressure. The PVC does not. This makes the PVC whistle better for lazy playing, but makes the alloy much more expressive. You can really milk a lot of emotion out of the thing. The metal one seems a bit crisper for ornaments like cuts, rolls, and the like. I think this is because both whistles have ‘chamfered’ tone holes, but I think that after painting, the effect is more pronounced on the PVC.
I used to think the PVC was my favorite…but since I ended up spending a lot of time with the alloy, I’m not so sure that’s the case any more.
Greg
On 2002-05-23 19:13, tomcat wrote:
ww,
your comment comparing the alloy to the pvc have made me curious. it seems most reviewers prefer a metal whistle over a pvc version. can you comment a little more on their differences?
Ehhh Whistlepeg, arent you married or something? Maybe it’s time you think about selling this Silkstone of yours then…
Wandering_Whistler, geeze that’s indeed very strange that our whistles would react differently. Maybe it has to do with our breath temperature that could be slightly different? Maybe also we have different breath pressure… or maybe we simply have two whistles reacting differently, now is a time I wish we could meet in a session or something and see. I think there’s a big festival in New York state after Willie Week, any plans on showing up?
Wish I could…after a 4 month bout of joblessness (which is now over, for the nonce, thank the powers) and a 19th month old son, I think time and finances are going to keep me stuck at home and living small for a few months yet. I’ve even missed all of the ren-fairs around here this year..
Would love to try and get together sometime though…it’d be cool
I suspect the alloy clogs a lot here because Houstonians typically have the AC going full blast to counteract the 80-100degree temperature…if I skip even one tune at session, my alloy whisle’s cold for the next one. And, we have 90% humidity much of the time. The PVC one sweats a lot internally also, but it just doesn’t seem to clog. I played it for near 5 hours straight buskign once, and didn’t clog. I was surprised at how much spew came out of the thing afterwards, though.
Greg
On 2002-05-24 06:23, Azalin wrote:
…or maybe we simply have two whistles reacting differently, now is a time I wish we could meet in a session or something and see. I think there’s a big festival in New York state after Willie Week, any plans on showing up?
