Before getting my better-halfs’ okay to order my Elfsong and Busman whistles, I took it upon myself to order one of Bill Whedon’s Village Smithy whistles. Not a fancy looking instrument by far, but that’s one thing that drew me to it; although I far prefer wooden whistles to any other type of material, when it comes to “metal” whistles, I kind of go for a “rustic”-looking instrument, and the Village Smithy (VS) fit the bill exactamundo! (With apologies to Sandy Jasper, whose Pumpkins Fancy colors caught my attention, and my urge to buy, quickly!!!)
Let me tell you that, although having been around C&F for a year or two, and then going “underground” a while before resurfacing within the past few months, I still consider myself a RANK amateur as far as playing the whistle goes… I’m most proficient at slow airs, with a few hit-and-miss jigs here and there, and several slow reels in my personal music repertoire. I have never played at a session and most likely never will - my playing is for mine and my wife’s (and grandchildrens’) enjoyment only.
The VS is a finely crafted, sturdy whistle. The one I bought is Bill’s basic finish, which he tells me will take on a fine patina with prolonged use - and, having played this whistle for about two weeks now, it will certainly get that prolonged use!
It takes only minimum breath requirements, even throughout a two octave range, which, considering my “low lung” capacity, is a very big plus for me. For anyone who owns a Hoover, I would compare the breath needed to a Hoover. The sound, to my ear, is very clean, with just the slightest amount of chiff, which for me, works quite well on slow airs.
With the minimal amount of “push”, I can easily hit a third octave d, whose sound just barely puts a slight strain on my ears - which is saying a lot for a sufferer of tinnitus!
It’s 27 degrees F here in southern NJ this morning, and within two or three minutes of playing my VS had absolutely no tendencies towards squeeking, which I think is fantastic for a metal whistle. The only problem I’ve had with my VS is a slight tendency for it to “clog”, which could be due to the fact that I promote a lot of “moisture” (due to my dentures? 
)
All in all, in my amateurish opinion, I would say that Bill Whedon has produced a very fine, reasonably priced whistle, which I would most definitely recommend to anyone in search of another medium-priced, great sounding instrument!!!
Now, if only I could talk my grandkids into getting me his special holiday offer of his brass whistles for Christmas!!!
~Larry
