Ive been doing some Fife playing of recent just for fun. I was in a Fife and Drum Corp years and had my Fifes packed away in the closet. I pulled them out and started playing some of the old tunes and actually I don’t think my playing has slipped all that much…but I degress 
Last year up at Williamsburg I saw a guy playing a very nice looking Blackwood and Silver Fife and it sounded very nice. I asked him about it and he told me it was the Enfield model Fife developed and made by Walt Sweet.
Like many of us here Ive got IAD and I think I’d like to get one of these. My question for any of the Fifers on this Board, do you in fact play one of these and if so what do you think about it. Playability, volume, etc. The Fife can be seen on the Sweetheart website
i’ve thought about the Enfield myself. most of my flutes have gone away (all but a tipple D.) but, all my fifes remain. seems i’ve developed a fondness for Bb fifes.
i have a Peeler acrylic that is incredible. i also have a Sweetheart Model M-2 Bb that is equally incredible.
be interesting to see responses to your query.
be well,
jim
Hey Jim, I see you have a Ron Peeler Fife. Ive seen his website. Interested in them as well ould you recommend buying one?
Ben,
In short… absolutely! I have the Peeler copy of the Ferrary (the famous Model F) fife in acrylic. It is fabulous. Great intonation. Great tone. Great range.
(using the standard fingering/note identification of the bell note being called D)… I can easily play from the bell note through the third octave A (oxx xxo) and I’m not far from being able to consistently hit the third octave B.
Currently, I own the Peeler, two T.D. O’Conner’s, a very nice Cooperman, a Sweetheart Model M-2 Bb, and one of my own contrivances in Bb. Of them all, the Peeler is, hands down, my favorite. Followed closely by one of my T.D. O’Conner’s.
I would, and will, heartily recommend the Peeler. Having played the Peeler for about a year now… i would gladly pay twice the asking price for the Peeler Ferrary (btw, he makes the Ferrary in wood, too.) And Ron is great to work with.
(if you get the Enfield, I would appreciate knowing how you feel about it. That one is high on my list of fifes I would like to acquire.)
be well,
jim
Three questions, please:
Are you’all using ear protection with these fifes?
Anybody tried the peeler D fife?
Can these be played softly?
The Peeler fifes and the Enfields just don’t seem to be from the same category. Peeler makes his fifes for a certain market, and the Enfields belong to another.
Both makers were great to deal with.
Of course I’m not ear protected! It would be like using a Condom, you should , but it detracts from the whole experience 
Fifes are loud, but not quite as loud as the Bagpipes. Ear Plugs would be a great idea however. Now my son who plays Guitar in a metal band I believe has some hearing loss. Ive never tried a Peeler fife and in regards to playing a fife softly, I think its pretty much one volume , or is for me anyway That said with all of this Fifes are a lot of fun to play and I think every Flute played on this board should get one and try it out, its just very different than playing a Flute, but all Flute players have a jump start in so far as its played in the same fashion
so he’s saying I should wear a condom when I play the fife? 
The top “B” on my Peeler fife can be played like a whisper. It is one of the reasons my hand reaches for it.
By the way… has anyone experience with the Sweatheart Renaissance Fife?
Hi Megapop - I have had 2 Sweetheart Renaissance fifes over the years. Nice, good bang for the buck. They are cylindrical and non-tunable.
Jemtheflute on this board makes nice D polymer fifes…another option well worth the money IMHO.
Eric
Thank you Eric! While posting the previous message, I already knew somebody would mention Jem’s fifes 
.
I was just wondering about the Renaissance fifes because of the sparse information given there, especially concerning the cylindrical bore (and resulting problems). Just as a matter of interest though, as other instruments do enjoy a higher priority on my current WTB-list…
I didn’t really notice any issues with the cylindrical bore other than I had to lip up a bit a few of the higher notes (but just barely). It’s nice, but it’s freakin’ loud…at least when I played one. I had a judge send a bailiff out to threaten me with contempt of court when I was playing across the street from the county court house (and the windows were closed on the courthouse). 
Aah, that seems to be exactly what I need here in my flat… 
Nice story indeed!
I’ll second that. I had a crappy Cooperman museum-souvenir fife for many years that constantly frustrated me.
Last week I found an antique fife in an antique store on Cape Cod. It’s unmarked, but looks just like the George Cloos ‘Crosby’ style. Blackwood with German silver ferrules. Anyway, it’s fantastic, and I’m enjoying it a lot. Ten bucks very well spent!!!
Serious fluters should have a good fife, if only for kicks and to step up the neighbor annoyance factor.
I play a Billy Miller Bb bamboo fife/flute, and while I don’t suppose it has a real fife’s focus, it does the job
on the street. I’ve played the Renaissance fife and, as mentioned, with a little lipping it does very well.
After reading the posts regarding fifes, I got out an old fife that I’ve had for years and took a closer look at it. It is a Meacham & Co. Fife, Albany, NY. Ponds is not mentioned.
The cork in the top of the fife is quite worn and air gets through, so I’m wondering if any of you have some advice of how to easily rectify this problem. By putting my hand over the cork end of the fife, I got a nice sound on the g and a, but the bottom notes aren’t there because of the escaping air.
After reading the posts, I now want one of each of the fifes mentioned.
Have you already tried wrapping some thread around the cork? This would be the first thing to do… or change the cork.
the Peeler and the Enfield are, indeed, different beasts. Both are outstanding. (Ron Peeler got into flute making because his daughter developed in interest in playing. then they both joined a re-enactment group. his fifes are widely sought by re-enactors. his ferrary copy is incredible. (he makes a black acrylic Ferrary that is completely everything proof!)
the range on the Peeler is great. can’t speak for others, but i can play my loud (ear-bleeding loud) or at a whisper. at the quiet end, there is only minimal loss of range and intonation. i love my Peeler.
be well,
jim