I recently acquired two CPVC soprano D whistles from Mack Hoover. Mack gave me a great deal on them; just how great I can’t say for fear of arousing feelings of envy in other Hoover whistle fans! I picked out one of these whistles, a tunable, after trying every one of this type that Mack had on the table at the Grand Junction Celtic festival. The other, which is now owned by my 12-year old son (who can’t seem to put it down), is non-tunable and was picked out by Mack. Both whistles sound wonderful and are well in-tune. The tunable is in tune very close to its sharpest setting but has lots of leeway towards flatting. If this turned out to be a problem, one could always remove a short piece of the upper section to allow the whistle to play sharper. In examining and playing Mack’s whistles, I was surprised by the variability in the dimensions and even the configurations of windways, windows, holes, etc., and the differences in air requirements between whistles in the same key. The tunable whistle I picked out has a larger (in terms of height and width) windway and larger diameter holes than many of the others, which suits me because I tend to play rather forcefully. In contrast, the whistle Mack picked out for my son has lower air requirements and is quieter. In short, a more “typical” Hoover whistle, at least in terms of the way in which Mack’s whistles have been characterized. I made some measurements on certain attributes of the two whistles to demonstrate the range of variability; the differences in mm are shown in the table below.
A Comparison of Two Hoover CPVC Soprano D whistles.
Measurement Difference
Length of whistle 4.0 mm
Height of windway 1.0 mm
Width of windway 0.7 mm
Length of window 0.5 mm
Width of window 1.0 mm
Maximum hole diameter 1.3 mm
Minimum hole diameter 1.8 mm
Some might believe that this variability represents inconsistent production methods; indeed, I have seen some comments along these lines about Mack’s whistles. I happen to think that it is a strength of Hoover whistles. My impression is that Mack puts a lot of attention into each whistle to make it as good as possible on its own terms rather than trying to conform to an exact template that would result in each whistle being a clone of the last. I also believe that the variations might be regarded as falling within acceptable parameters for hand-made whistles. Nevertheless, I can see that mail order purchase of a Hoover whistle could be problematic, in terms of matching the whistle to the individual’s desires and playing style. So, it would be better to meet with Mack and try out his whistles until you found the one that was just right for you. Failing that, tell Mack as much as you can about your playing style and exactly what you are looking for in a whistle and I think he will do a good job of picking one out for you.
By the way, the tunable I bought from Mack is anything but the typical Hoover. It is loud but sweet, and capable of holding its own in a session.
Oh, and one more thing. Mack, don’t forget that I want that low “A” you are finishing!
Rand
