A Clarke Original. A little under a year ago. I was shopping for a harmonica online, and somehow came across tin whistles. I went to Youtube to listen to a few clips and I thought, yeah, I want to play that.
I did a little research, and read somewhere that Clarke Sweetones were supposedly great whistles for beginners, so I went to Amazon to buy one of those. But I liked the look of the Original better, with the black and gold, and I liked the idea of wood fipples better than plastic, so I ended up ordering the Original instead.
The next day, I went back and ordered a Sweetone, since they were so cheap. But the Original came first in the mail, so that was my first. I fell in love with it right away, and more or less forgot about harmonicas (infernal little contraptions).
Now I’ve got 10 whistles (plus there were 4 or 5 others that I either sold, gave away, or lost), but I still love my Clarke Original. It was my very favorite and most-played whistle until just recently, but has now been surpassed by my Mack Hoover Narrow Bore D and Impempe Bb, both of which are just beautiful in looks and sound.
I never did like that Sweetone, though. I thought it sounded cheap and nasty, and I ended up giving it to a hobo who was camped out in a freeway median where I’d go sometimes to practice last summer. I hope he liked it better than me.
Mine was a Generation D with the blue head. I found it behind some books on a shelf when I was looking for something else. My dad had bought it years earlier with the intention of learning to play it but he never did. I more than made up for that and seldom went anywhere without it for the next few months.
Red top Gen C back in about 1980. I never really got to grips with it at the time. I kept it (and several others ie Gens D and F and high G, and a Clarke C) in a drawer until 2 years ago when I ferreted them out. I haven’t looked back since.
Somewhere in the dim and distant past I bought 3 at about the same time: And Oak, a Sweetone, and something else. The Oak was a fine sound but badly out of tune. The Sweetone was spot on in tuning but not a particularly interesting sound, and started my love affair with conical bore instruments. I happened on a Copeland back in the early days and that remains my axe of choice. The other one disappeared. It is interesting to read the various reports of problems/joys of those first instruments. And it is also interesting to see how the same model were apparently quite different in “quality”. No wonder Jerry Freeman is in business.
My first, a used waltons D got it to help me stop smoking, worked a treat haven’t had a ciggy since the whistle arrived.
Now have around 7.
Wonderful things whistles, should have got one years and years ago.
Try wrapping the top of the tube with teflon pumbers tape.
Don’t over do it, or you’ll risk splitting the plastic head.
I’m thinking that your “breathy-ish squeaks and skips” could be a lack of seal were the two parts join.
Good luck.
I stumbled across tin whistles on Youtube when looking up Ocarinas I do believe. First video I clicked on, I was in serious awe. Ordered a Waltons Mellow D and a Little Black. I have several whistles ow but I still reach for my Mellow D a lot. Not necessarily my favorite of my whistles but it will remain in my arsenal.
brass Gen green top in 1997, still have it in the car for use when parked up waiting for a passenger to turn up. Slightly acid tone, good for lively tunes.
By around 1977 I had Generations in several keys and a Clarke C. By around 1980 I had old-school Susatos in D, Low A, and Low G and the Feadog D which I still play.
I still routinely play some instruments I got back in the 1970s: a David Quinn D uilleann chanter, a Bo Hinricks bodhran, and a red-top Generation C.
I have 7 now too: Waltons in C and D, and 5 that I’ve made. Never would’ve thought that interests in music and my Scot-Irish roots would also make me a healthier person.
A Soodlums green topped D my Auntie brought back from a holiday in 1988. It had dots for some tunes on the back of the package. If it hadn’t been for The Skye Boat Song, I might never have cracked the second octave
I still have it, although it has a mid-90s Walton’s or Soodlums head now. Some swine bent the A Hole out of shape at some point in the past (and we all know how painful a bent A Hole can be, right kids?) but it’s still sealable and plays nicely. It got me started on the long road, and I’m still travelling!
Clarke original, D, ordered from Amazon mid last year (I think).
I now have a small pile of whistles (though nothing I’m sure on many here), including some I made from PVC. Still like the Clarke a lot, though it seems to take a lot of air
A Generation red top C was given to me in 1976. As I could not play ITM with it, my friend looked through his stuff and found a Gen. D and a Bb which he gave to me a couple of weeks later. At the time, Generations were all that was available in D, but Clarkes in C were around too. I picked up the first issues of Oak, Feadog, Susato and Soodlums etc. as they became available. I now have about 50 whistles around, not all of which are used. I used to go to the Hobgoblin shop in SF in the late 70’s and go through his unopened boxes of Generations. I would pick out 2 or 3 of the best out of the 20 in each box. These almost all went to students over the years.
