What is your dream whistle? The one you wish someone would make?
For me, it’s the Thornton Stealth whistle. Tommy, are you listening? I have a Thornton high D and love it. I love the way it plays, love the way it looks and love the rich patina it’s acquiring. Unfortunately, it never goes anywhere with me because it won’t fit into a pocket. So how about it Tommy, could you make me a three piece version please? Or maybe because of the way the Thornton head is made it would be an (even more portable) four piece version?
Yes, I know I could have sent Tommy a PM, but this is more fun.
I’m surprised not more makers make three piece whistles. I always carry a whistle in my pocket ready for any musical opportunity, but usually it’s the O’Brien with the D body or one of my homemade PVC whistles. Much as I love my O’Brien, I find it’s a bit too boisterous for small settings which typically would be an evening in the cockpit of some sailboat with half a dozen people and one (or no) other musician.
I second that MagicSailor. As soon as you make it, Tommy, you might as well send it out and bill me. I really should just give you my credit card number to keep on file
I made a Generation C into 2 piece and I could make it into a three. I just bought the next size tubing and cut off a 1" piece, cut the whistle in two 1 15/16" above the highest tone hole, crazy glued it 1/2 into the fipple side of the tube and there you go. It is way tunable. I guess you could cut it between the 4 and 3 hole and do it again , with a shorter piece of the next size tubing. I used a tubing cutter, and then carefully reamed it up to snug size with a fluted tapered reamer.
I’m a sailor also been at it since '82
You might consider doing this with a Gen tube and geting a famous makers head that would fit, though I like the tweaked Gens just fine.
I’ve already tried the Thornton head on every whistle body I have and it fit none of them. It would probably fit my homemade non-tunable clear plastic whistle if I cut the head off it. I might consider that. It’s the only high whistle I’ve made that I’m not happy with. The sound is very quiet and “thin”.
There is no way I could get myself to take a hacksaw to my Thornton even if I did find a tube that fit.
One thing I’m not understanding is why the low (D) whistles are so much pricier than the high (D) whistles. Certainly they are not that much more difficult to build. It must be more market or something.
I view a lot, but rarely post. I would like a whistle made of tungsten carbide, which would make it nearly indestructible. Hard to sacratch and won’t tarnish. If I had the skills I’d make one, but it’s sounds like it requires some special skills just to work with the stuff let alone making a whistle worth playing. Anyone out there reading this that has the capabilities, I’d just like to see one a hear how it plays. Make it oil slick black.
The low-D flute/fife combo is a great concept, but based on the reviews I’ve read, nobody has completely nailed it yet.
I guess the Dixon is about the best attempt that’s out there, but it seems to be considered a beginner instrument. A killer combo set would earn my business.
What about the Sweetheart Resonance? I’ve heard great things about both the low D and the flute, and the heads are (or at least used to be) interchangeable.
I should resume my experiments to make a glass whistle. Other materials I might try are fused quartz and diamond. I would make the diamond one by making a refractory metal form and coating it with vapor deposited diamond. I would then remove the underlying form with acid. The process would take a while, but it is in the realm of possibility for the amateur scientist.
Interesting, you would probably need just as many hours doing workout in the gym as you would playing the whistle as tungsten carbide is VERY heavy. -How about a 2lb high D whistle…
It would certainly look beautiful especially if coated with Titanium Nitride which could be used to give it just about any color.
A tunable Goldie Overton in sterling silver with celtic knotwork engravin and gold ornaments or an Abell in the most beautyful wood around, also with celtic knotwork engravings and gold inlays … for 50 bucks. Handmade in Europe or north America (just not far east…)
