I have a Syn whistle that does not have the cool “SYN” insignia etched on it. Does anyone know when he started making whistles with this on it?
I am just curious as to when the whistle I have was made.
I tried this email address - synwhistles@yahoo.com - but got an undeliverable return.
thanks
Gee, I don’t know, I just started doing it one day. Do you think it’s cool? The process is actually a bit of a bottleneck in the production process and I’ve been looking at doing some electrolytic etching instead, the sort of thing you find on knife blades and scissors. That should be faster and produce a sharper and more ‘professional’ signature. I wonder if anyone on the board has any experience with the process? There’s not a lot of literature, but I’ve tracked down a supplier for the stencils and electrolyte and they’re on the way. I still need to make up an applicator for the curved surface and experiment with voltages and time to get a clear deep etch.
Don’t forget the .au on the end of the adress!
I think it looks really cool the way its done now
Personal Opinion
I’ve had in my possession 2 Syns made prior to the nifty logo, and two made after the logo appeared. I prefer the older model (and like it enough that I wouldn’t mind having a spare!). If you get a chance, Doogie, try them side by side and let me know what you think.
I’m still wondering about those 4 whistles, and whether the difference is all in my perception or not. I did a blindfold test between two of them (logo and non-logo), and picked out the one I liked best time after time, but others sitting at my kitchen table weren’t able to hear a difference. Maybe there is something in the playability that I’m picking out. I don’t know.
Tyg
I have an early Syn, one of the first he sold, I think.
It’s got the short beak, “faceted” blade, and the tone holes are more rounded polygons than circles or ovals.
It plays wonderfully. High backpressure and a singing, ringing tone.
I have a later model which has the longer, shaped beak, smooth blade, and smooth, oval tone holes…but still no logo. Slightly less backpressure, slightly easier upper octave, and slightly softer in both volume and tone; a very “sweet” whistle. Unfortunately, much of that singing, ringing voice was lost in the process of refinement.
I also have a set of barrels for different keys that are new and bear the logo.
Together, all of these make a truly great and versatile set of whistles.
–James
Had an early Syn D which I didn’t like; Erle sent me a newer D/C/Bflat set with single headjoint that is wonderful. The top of each tube has the Syn logo and the respective key; yes, it is way cool looking. Better yet, they all play wonderfully and fit the headjoint equally well. A really fine set and perhaps the quintessential travel set (with the nifty black corduroy bag).
Philo
It’s not necessarily a difference of old versus new, as is the case with any hand made, or hand machined, instrument. I first ordered a set of Syns from Erle and was not content with the sound, and didn’t know if it was just me, the whistle or both. Also, these are the new model with the Syn engraving. I communicated with Erle who was absoloutely marvelous throughout and he promptly got me a new set in exchange and it made a world of difference. Fell in love with them and never thought twice about it. So there is the possibility of tremendous difference to my ears even among the newer models.
You may also want to look at laser etching . . .
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You may also want to look at laser etching . . .[/quote]
That’s probably a bit high tech. At least with the electrolytic etching I can bodgie up some stuff for a trial to see how it works.
Well, it’s true that it’s not something you can do with your home chemistry set, but if you need to do a bunch, it could be cost-effective to job it out to a laser job shop. I know that there are laser job-shops all over the USA - I can’t vouch for Australia, of course.