How many of you have repeatedly gone through the following process, as I do about once a month:
You decide steadfastly that you will sell all the whistles that you really don’t play.
You then take inventory and cancel out everything because the whistles fall into one of three categories:
You play it and remember how really great it is (or your playing has greatly improved) and won’t part with it.
You look at it and realize that you really need to have one of these because you haven’t seen many around and well just need to have one sample.
This whistle is such a piece of garbage I wouldn’t sell it to anyone.
Now I have a pretty extensive collection, including about 60 middle and high enders and 35 or so cheapies; I’m just talking about the mid and high enders, because I’d never sell the cheapies because it’s not worth it and because somehow they constitute a really special collection of mostly older whistles that I always want around the house somewhere.
Lol, I used to do the same thing…
Job loss, on the other hand, has a way of focusing priorities I sold a lot of whistles when I was out of work, and so now I’m less likely to hold on to a whistle that I don’t play often.
(Unless, of course, the whistle is a cheap and crappy one–I certainly understand your issue #3)
Now, I’m in the re-acquisition cycle…buying whistles I thought I could live without, but have decided that I miss:
Copeland D–I’ve managed to get a really nice nickel one recently 3rd hand. It’s the one Michael Eskin’s sold in January, and I like it better than my old brass one, so I came out ahead on that one.
Burke Al-Pro–I picked up one secondhand at a good price, with the C-Natural thumbhole–which I’ve taped over. I’ve been toying with the idea of trading it to someone for one without the thumbhole…You know, if someone wanted to try the thumbhole out, but didn’t have one in theirs. Otherwise, the whistle is nice, though, and I’m reluctant to swap, in the off chance that I get one that I don’t like as much
Currently scouting out for a good price on a Copeland low D. In all fairness, both JimR and Dale warned me not to sell the Copeland Low..they said I’d regret it later, and I do. But at the time, diapers and groceries were a higher priority, and it really was too much whistle for me. Now, I wager I could do a lot more with it.
There are lots of other whistles I’ve owned that I liked a lot (Busman and Herbison come to mind)..but I’ve really missed those three the most. And I only sold my Copeland high D recently!
I go in cycles, too. Sometimes I sell a whole bunch, and then I can justify buying a few. I just got some AMAZING Copelands and I am very happy with them. Now I have phenomenal Copelands in F, G, A, Bb and C. I wonder if a wall around the window would make a phenomenal d.
I love wood, too, and there are at least two wooden whistles that will go with me to the grave.
I love Boehm flutes (call me crazy). I have four of them and I love them all. Three are silver and one is wood. I have a bunch of Irish flutes, but I think my default embouchure is moving away from them. We’ll see.
I am getting into recorders (call me crazy again), but only the high ones (soprano and sopranino).
I love my autoharp.
But many of the rest are fun to move around, selling, buying, sitting on, selling, buying…
Well, here is a relevant question. I am thinking about selling all of my Gens and Feadogs and Susatos. It is not worth it too do them one at a time. Would any of you be interested, in principle, of acquiring about a dozen tweakable cheapies, plus Susatos for a single price? I have about six Feadogs, mostly Ds but with a C, and chrome Gens in all the keys they make. I also have a Susato C, and two Susato Es and a Shaw E. I have slowly gotten Burkes in all the keys and just don’t need em and need some space-clearing Zen fulfillment action in my cluttered life. I also have a Sweet Maple and a non-tuneable Chieftain A. What about a Weekender grab-bag? What, besides a reasonable price, kind of info would you need to be interested?
I’d be interested in a grab bag consisting of the Feadogs, the Generations (don’t need F or G, but would take the lot), Susato C. Two Susato Es is a bit much (and I have one already…), and the Shaw could be sold separately, I think (plus, I don’t like Shaws).
My only problem with selling whistles is that nobody has seemed interested in buying them lately. All of my whistles are collecting dust, and I have a very good idea which ones I want to keep.
I know what you mean. I have started tweaking the cheaper ones that I thought I was going to sell. I stoped tweaking after destroying a whistle but when I revived it I realized how good I actually was at tweaking whistles. Then I had an idea (see the last thread I started).
I have - somehow - been able to resist buying so many whistles that none of them get played. Not to say that some don’t get played more than others (About the only whistles I have that consistently get a lot of play time are my Serpent Sunsinger A and a much-loved brass Gen D - both live in my briefcase), but in the course of a couple of weeks most of them get at least a little play time.
Play time is what’s still holding me back from buying a decent flute (I currently muddle around with a Dixon Duo) - unless I will be spending time with it every day, I can’t justify buying one. And until I make the decision, I’m holding back on buying more whistles. (Except cheapies - I should probably buy a box to hand out to interested kids.)
To be more specific, today’s cunundrum involved Silkstone PVCs and Albas. I pulled out a matched set of purlescent British racing green Bflat and C Silkstones - they’re gorgeous and they sounded terrific. Can’t sell them - a matched set no less!
Next I pulled out an Alba aluminum A/G set with a marbled albanite plug - gorgeous. At first, didn’t like the sound - too airy; played around a bit, and lo and behold, unique lovely tone, can’t sell that!
I’m hopeless.
If only I were a simple man like Bloomfield - to be able to walk into a pub and pronounce unabashedly to the world “I’m an Overton man, dag nab it!”
Philo
I have had some of my whistles for a few years. I never thought about selling them. I must be more of a newibe than I thought. I buy and play some so am I a whistler evan if i do not sell them? OK now i am confusing myself.
This is one bonus of being a whistlemaker, especially of wooden ones. I have a steady stream of nice instruments that I get to enjoy for a while and then send on their way. Sometimes, that’s difficult though… :roll:
So far the only whistles I’ve sold have been cheapies for my summer camp kids. I’m still in acquisition mode, which is difficult because there are whistles that sound great when I read about them, but I can’t tell how they would feel; I’m trying to be cautious and not buy them all.
I can’t imagine having fifty or sixty whistles. I think I have about fifteen…
Every time I pick one up that I’m considering selling, and play it again, I remember what I like about it and how it’s just a little different from all my others.
Luckily, I play mine in church, and so I can’t dictate what key songs will be played in. Therefore, I’ve got a pretty solid reason to have several keys available. Of course, having 2 or 3 high Ds in the bag is a bit difficult to justify…I guess I could chalk it up to…let’s see… hey, a pro always has at least ONE backup instrument, right?
Hmm…I’ve not sold any whistles although I’ve got an Overton high D I’d like to sell since my chieftan is much better for some reason so the other is just back up.
I’ve also just ordered a new Dixon high D in ABS/Brass. I’m hoping it will sound quite different to my chieftan so I’ve got a different ‘feel’ for some tunes.
I’m often in the habit of continuing to play a tune in a session with my top hand on the high notes whilst picking up an alternative with bottom hand so that I can swap without missing a beat! So having a range of whistles on hand is useful although most sit in the bag and haven’t been played for a while…
I’ve got one in G with a fipple made from Australian Jarrah, a real rare commodity and sounds like a metal flute!
I reckon the general observation of not selling whistles but having a ton of them bursting out of the closet is very true!
I just did something I thought I would never do. Last summer I bought the Holy Grail of guitars for me personally - A Rickenbacker 12-string. Absolutely wonderful guitar. Chime-y, jangly, even raunchy and nasty on occasion. Easy to play for a 12 string. Made a nice companion to my Rick 6-string.
Then over the winter I (re)discovered Irish music, got a flute, and started doing the session thing. Somebody here ran a post about low flutes, and getting one became the obsession dujour. SO I sold the guitar to defray the cost of yet another flute.
I have yet to begin this cycle on whistles. I have a G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) cycle, but I think my “wavelength” is a bit longer than that of most whistle folks. With big items, it tends to be somewhat more convenient, except when it comes to shipping the buggers.
So, still at 4 whistles (All cheapies),
1 guitar (Another Rickenbacker, this is the “bury it with me” instrument)
1 flute
1 flute on the way.
My main problem with trading or selling whistles is I always regret doing so. I regret selling the following:
Silkstone Aluminum Low D
Chieftain Tunable Aluminum Bb
Chieftain Tunable Aluminum Mezzo A
A collection of 5 Generations (A, B C, D F) These were very old.
My second problem with selling whistles is that I never pocket the money, but always reinvest in more whistles. Like Jesse I guess its a cycle.
I only have two whistles that I play regularly. I love my (second hand) high D (pre-black-tip) Burke and my NR Chieftain low D (a gift). They contrast against each other nicely, too. I have a Shaw high D that I play on occasion and still need as a backup. I gave my Clarke high D to my mom. I also have a Gen Bb that is hardly playable even with tweaking, so I don’t know why I still keep that one.
I don’t make much money (I’m a teenager, and the only work I have is playing in church), so I can’t buy too much anyway. I’m also trying to save up to get a real Irish flute.
I’m planning on whistling for the rest of my life, and so I’m not worried about getting every whistle under the sun right now. I’m pretty content with what I have.
I sold a lot of whistles when I was out of work, and so now I’m less likely to hold on to a whistle that I don’t play often.
