Does anyone have any experience with the Weltmeister Wooden Whistle? If so, what is your opinion?
Thanks,
Giles
Well, I actually bought a Weltmeister earlier this year, and the verdict is basically that it's a fun, interesting whistle, but not one that I will play regularly. Below are my (poorly documented) personal opinions on the instrument. I would love to hear what any other people have to say about Weltmeisters as well. Here goes!
The tone is a lot breathier than the other whistles I own, all of which are metal. However, if you're looking for a wooden whistle that sounds like an Abell, O'Riordan, or Rose, this is not that whistle - the tone, while obviously that of a wooden whistle, is much harsher than that of other, more expensive models. However, once you get used to the thing, the harshness becomes more of a throatiness, (is that a word???) which puts an entirely different spin on some of the tunes in my reportoire. However, only an insanely courageous (or straight up insane) person should try playing high G, A, and B on this whistle for any value longer than a grace note. Definitely stick to the first 1.5 octaves on this one.
Like I said, I don't have any other wooden whistles outside of recordings to compare this one to, but I was really surprised at how responsive it was to ornamentation. I've heard that this can be hard to coax out of some wooden whistles, but I've gotten away with some pretty fast jigs and reels on my Weltmeister, and the graces, taps, etc. all come through crisply.
The whistle is remarkably well made - the joint for the tuning slide is so perfectly done that I thought the whistle was one piece for about a day after I bought it. Once my brainfart wore off, I found that it tunes nicely, doesn't stick, and futzing with the slide makes worlds of difference in the quality of the tone. Weltmeister or whoever made it did a good job of getting the whistle in tune with itself - don't have an electronic tuner, so I don't know if its pitch is spot on, but certainly, the thing is very much in tune internally.
Other little bits - The whistle is a good deal wider than the metal models I own, but the actual walls are pretty thin. Fingerholes are also larger but not inconveniently so. You've got to play Cnat OXX XXO. The whistle does not need to be played in like a recorder, IME. Also, the finish (mine's a wine-colored purple) nicked off where my left-hand thumbnail comes into contact with the instrument, but has held up nicely elsewhere.
My personal feelings (kudos if you're still here to read them!) is that I like this whistle, and I'm glad I bought it. It's certainly a good deal for the price (mine was about $31). It's gives a completely new sound to the tunes I know, which is very fun - nice to hear things sounding a little different from my other whistles. It's a tad tempermental until you're used to playing with it, so don't try it if you haven't played any whistle before. It's not going to be a whistle I play out on the town, but it's fun to toy around with regularly.
Well, I've never tried writing my feelings on my instruments before, and I'm sure it's showing! (How do you guys do it and make it sound so cool?) If I can figure it out, I'll try putting a sound sample on my page. Hope that answers some/any of your questions. If this was just useless rambling, let me know, and I'll try to write something more useful!
~Firefly
Thanks for your reply, it is very helpful. You expressed your feelings very well!
Giles
Good job Firefly, thanks for the review. Now, you might want to fix the link to your website since you mentioned it in you post 
This wooden whistle…sounds like it might be something worth trying to tweak, considering the low cost, hmmm…
Loren
[ This Message was edited by: Loren on 2001-12-29 18:21 ]
I’ve had one of these for several months, and I agree with most of what Firefly had to say.
My opinion of the sound is that it sounds exactly like what it is – a whistle made by a company that’s made recorders for a long time. (I’ve never heard a Ralph Sweet whistle, but I’ve heard the same thing about his.) Mine is also very attractive – it’s dark green, large bore, very light and easy to hold.
It takes quite a bit of breath, somewhat more than a Susato but nowhere near as much as a Clarke. It has volume to match. I don’t know if Firefly’s remarks about the highest notes were that they were difficult to hit or that they’re torture on the ears. I have no problem hitting them, but they HURT.
I also have a hard time with the four-finger Cnat, but have gotten used to it on particular tunes. My biggest complaint is that mine is definitely not in tune with itself. The G is flat enough that it can’t be blown into tune.
My verdict is exactly the same as Firefly’s – it’s a really good whistle to have in one’s collection, I’m glad I bought it, and it was a great deal, but I don’t play it all that often.
Charlie
I concure with Chas and firefly, though I don’t feel that it has a recordery sound. It’s very metalic in it’s woodenness… if that makes any sense. Also very loud as firefly mentioned.
Erik
Erm...website? Did I mention a website? //innocent look//
Sorry about the broken link; I'm currently moving to a new ISP, but as soon as that's done, I'll get a sound file up and you can all listen to my mediocre, yet inspired, playing. :smiley:
I would also agree that the Weltmeister does not sound like a recorder - to my ears, it does not have the "sweet" or "mellow" sound associated with the latter instrument. Incidentally, I do own a few Weltmeister recorders, and while those do indeed have a very nice tonality to them, they sound nothing like the Weltmeister whistle. I think Weltmeister really did try to give its whistles a voicing separate from that of its recorders.
I've never played a Susato, so I can't compare, but it definitely does take more breath pressure to play the Weltmeister. This doesn't really pose a problem to me, but I also play the oboe, which sort of makes any other wind instrument a piece of cake by comparison.
Oh, to clarify my earlier comment: the upper three notes - G, A, and B, are both loud volume-wise and from A up, exceptionally ugly in tone. You cannot get a decent sounding sustain on the top two notes, so when playing them on this whistle, I have found that it's usually a good idea to clip them as short as possible, or to go to some other variation entirely.
~Firefly
My opinion of this whistle can be derived from the fact that I got mine several months ago, played it for a few minutes and put it back in the box where it’s been ever since. It’s a pretty ho-hum whistle (though it looks nice in green).
I wonder if they have quality control problems. I picked mine up again this weekend, and the wood on the headpiece of the tuning slide had cracked. Also, it’s not just the G that’s out of tune, the tuning of the scale actually changes at the G – if the lower three notes are in tune, the upper four are not.
About the sound, I didn’t mean that it sounds exactly like a recorder, but of all my whistles, it’s the most wooden sounding by a long shot. Again, possibly a QC problem.
Charlie
Interesting… I just played two in D yesterday and figured I’d do a search on them here…
Ooo… Truly an awful whistle… I didn’t want to play in the upper octave too much because there were friends with me and I wanted them to STAY friends!
Bummer cause they look really cool…
Blayne
Oh, the guy at the store who doesn’t know about us crazy C&F’rs and our little cult said… yeah… it’s a great whistle, made in Germany bla bla bla… It was the only whistle they carried as well! Of all the whistles to carry! I guess Mr. Weltmeister sold the owner on it since they sold his recorders… I’ve heard good things about his recorders but they go in one ear and out the other as I am to the core a whistle snob! (AkA “Whistle Looser”)
My verdict has changed. It has definitely not played in well. Maybe my ear’s gotten better, but the tuning is pretty awful – I had thought that just the G was out of tune, but the tuning actually breaks at the G – D, E, and F are in tune with the slide in one place, above G is in tune with it in a different place. The outer part of the slide has cracked, too. Really harsh sound in the upper octave. Oh, well, it is still pretty.
Charlie
Since my original post, I have acquired a Burke Alpro Sop d, an Overton Sop d, and I have a Susato VSB Dublin on the way.
With the feedback I have received, I’m glad I didn’t but the Weltmeister.
I don’t know if mine was different or something, but my Weltmeister was badly out of tune.
It sounds really good up until you hit the 2nd D. Nice chiff, sweet, a beautiful whistle, but then it goes down-hill.
I actually did an experiment with my tuner and once you hit the 2nd D, things start getting progressively sharp. so sharp, that if you hit the top D or a few notes above or below, it just about changes keys on you.
I was not happy about that development. I don’t know if anyone else’s is like that; mine may be the oddball.
I’d just say to beware.
all in all, it is a very nice, well-made, beautiful whistle, but mine has tuning problems.
It’s good for solo work if you ‘yank out’ the tuning slide a whole bunch. but if you go to play with others then, you’re flat.
Just be careful.
Hi!
Unlike previous posts I do like my wooden whistles.
I got two Weltmeister whistles (It’s only in the Us that these whistles are sold by this name, in the rest of the world they are called “Adler & Heinrich”, who actually makes them) one black and one metallic green and both are well in tune. As with all wooden instruments the tuning do depend on climate and weather changes. If you live in Arizona, Utah Texas or any other place with a similar climate you will run into trouble. If it’s made in Germany and works well in northern Europe and Scandinavia you can be almost sure it wont be in tune in your hands. Also, clean it well and use some oil to prevent cracking, the walls are quite thin. Otherwise I agree with “Firefly”, the Cnat takes some time to get use to. And yes, the upper octave is loud, but as with Susatos it takes a while to find the right air pressure for the higher notes. Once you get use to the whistle you can actually reduce the volume quite a bit.
To my opinion this whistle doesn’t sound as nice as a Ralph Sweet (looks more like a whistle though) or any of the other more expensive wooden whistles I played. The sound is a little too clean for my ears. But it’s a fun whistle to play, very responsive and works fine if you suddenly feel the urge to change the sound and feeling of a trad. session tune.
The Adler & Heinrich whistle has only been on the market for a year and I’m sure they will improve in the future. They do make some nice recorders and with some feedback from the whistle community, the whistle might turn into something quite nice and very price worthy.
Check out there website if you’re interested
(The link should work now !!!)
Cheers!
/MR
[ This Message was edited by: MR on 2002-04-15 04:08 ]
[ This Message was edited by: MR on 2002-04-15 04:10 ]
I think you’ve hit on something important there regarding climate and wooden whistles. I’m in Scotland and I haven’t found the same tuning difficulties that others have had with the Adler Heinrich (Weltmeister) whistle. The lower octave is bang on and the upper is slightly sharp, but only slightly. Careful breath control is important in the upper octave to avoid the harshness others have mentioned.
My new Welmeister arrived today dressed in a flawless dark purple paint job. First thing I did was oil the bore. So here I am to throw my 2 cents into the pot…
Playing-wise and volume-wise, it closely resembles my Susato. That’s where any similarities end. The tone is much more complex…as ErikT says, it sounds metallic. But it also sounds like it’s wood…like an in-tune wooden Generation (does that make any sense?). Nothing “pure” or “clean” about what comes out the other end of this whistle. I really like the sound.
<------ cut and paste Firefly’s review here ------>
With the head pulled out the prescribed 1/8", tuning in the lower octave is SPOT on. My tuner went blank though when I tried anything above high D (it dies that with most of my whistles)
My example of this whistle seems to be a fine little instrument. It will be interesting to see how well it breaks in. But I’m VERY happy with the whistle I got for my $$ with this purchase.
Eric
Mine must have just been an oddball then.
I loved mine…thought it was awesome, it encouraged me to play loudly and with abandon. To spare my family I practiced in the car…in a parking lot, 1.5 miles from our house (they said that they could still hear me, though). I left it in the car one day after practicing. The next day the head of the whistle was covered and the airway was clogged with some wax-like substance. Once I cleaned all this goop up I realized that the whistle had died. No more second octave.
I know, I know…had I left the windows cracked maybe the whistle would have survived…thank goodness it wasn’t my dog I left in the car.