What whistle to get?

Whistle
1

Hi,

Sorry for yet another ‘what whistle should I get’ thread but my knowledge about whistles is only limited.

My budget is between 50 and 100 euro, I’m looking for a whistle with clear sound (I don’t like an airy sound), a little bit of chiff is acceptable, but not too much. It doesn’t necessarily have to be one expensive whistle, but it can be several inexpensive too.

I live in Belgium so I’d get them preferably from shops in Europe, not US. Some links to online shops in Europe would be appreciated too.

So… Any advice on which whistle(s) I should get would be greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

Greets,
Enclose

2

Hi

You might want to try http://www.bigwhistle.co.uk/

Phil is always very helpful

Cheers

3

I’ve bought a lot of whistles at http://www.celticshop.nl/?SHOP:Fluiten_%2F_Whistles%3B
Good quick service, never had any problems. They don’t have very much whistles, but there are some whistles he has got, but they aren’t listed on the website (like the Harper engraved D).

4

( oh, I love these “what is your favorite whistle” surveys :stuck_out_tongue: )

5

Paul van Riel – The Early Music Shop Belgium

Putstraat 49, 3220 Holsbeek

Tiensestraat 259, 3000 Leuven

Tel.: 016 621356 -016 584303

I am not sure what he has in the shops but you can find out on the phone and ask if you can come in and if there is a chance to try out.


Hope this helps
Brigitte

P.S. Makers to contact “close” to you who have instruments in the pricerange you mention Tony Dixon http://www.tonydixonmusic.co.uk/ in England and Stacey Gorman http://www.albawhistles.com/ in Scotland

6

If you live close to the Dutch border this is a “real” shop in Bergen-Op-Zoom : http://www.celticshop.nl/. Otherwise, I’ll back up the www.bigwhistle.co.uk option.

If you would decide for a Burke (good choice) you might wanna order though his European contact (mikobrien@eircom.net). Never done that but it might be worth checking out.

As far as ordering from the US, check this thread http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=52502&highlight= on importing, taxes etc…

Where in Belgium are you from ?

7

I really recommend you to go to the Keltfest/Scottish Festival in Dordrecht (Netherlands) may 31/june 1st. The Celtic Shop will be there and you can try the whistles there before you buy one, you can also try a few whistles and don’t buy one at all. The Festival is great too with great bands like ‘Rapalje’. I bought my first low whistle and a few things for my bagpipes there last year.

I think you want to buy your whistle before may/june, but I think you’ll ‘need’ another one around that time. (WHOA :smiling_imp: )

8

…wait, he asked for whistle recommendations, didn’t he? and there are a lot of replies, but almost nobody has given any…this is so weird… :confused:

My personal favorite whistle at the moment is a Jerry Freeman Mellow Dog D. I have both the C and D, and while I find them to be two very different whistles, both are great and I highly recommend them. Very pure tone. Very quick response. Very little breathiness. You can get them from Jerry via ebay. You’ll be way under budget and you’ll have two great instruments.

good luck.

ND

9

Which one you want is very personal. It could very well be that 99% of the people like a whistle, but you really hate it. I really like my Syn whistles, I got the whole set, but the one I like the most is the high D.
After some playing at a fair at the celtic shop stand I bought a tunable Dixon Aluminium whistle (DX002). I really like it, but I like the sound of my Syn more and the backpressure on the Dixon is also a bit low for what I like, but maybe it’s just perfect for you. It plays really good and easy and it sounds good.

That’s is why I recommend you to go to a fair where you can play some whistles and find out which ones you like and which ones you don’t.

10

Hi

It’s always difficult to recommend specific whistles because it depends so much on the personal taste of the player. Personally, I like whistles that play like the cheapies (Generation, Walton etc.), buy sound better and are easier to control. Others prefer whistles that are very different from the cheapies and to me would be almost like learning a new instrument.

I got myself two chirstmas presents this time. The first was a Thornton High D whistle which is pure and sweet and very responsive. Your budget would buy you a C and a D.

http://www.thorntonwhistles.info/

The second present was a David O’Brien five key set in copper, custom built for me with two piece bodies. The price was just under $200 US for one head and five bodies in Bb, C, D, Eb and E. That’s a few dollars more for the extra work of making the bodies two piece. I really should post some photos of the set. It’s lovely. Not just a lovely musical instrument, but a work of art. The O’Brien whistle is much heavier than the Thornton. The tone is pure, but mellower and the whistle requires a bit more push at the top end of the second octave, but not nearly as much as a Cheftain or similar.

If I was travelling somewhere and could only bring one whistle, it would be either the Thornton D or the O’Brien with the D body. It would be a difficult choice but probably the O’Brien would win simply because it’s more portable with the detachable head and two piece body and because I prefer the mellower sound for slow airs etc. If I was allowed a big more, I would take the Thornton and the full O’Brien set because I prefer the crisper tone of the Thornton for the quicker tunes.

A cheaper whistle that I like a lot is the Dixon Trad. You could get a few different “medium range” whistles for your budget.

Other whistles around your budget that I have tried are a Cheftain C and an Alba A. Both of these have moved on to new owners. I found them both very difficult to control, particularly at the top end of the second octave, but the Cheftain’s new owner loves it. The Alba A is with Doc Jones at the moment looking for a new home. So, for anyone reading who likes wide bore metal whistles, have a look at

http://irishflutestore.com/newsite/products.php?wbk=LOW%20A

Regards,

Owen Morgan

Yacht Magic
Anchored in the lagoon, St Maarten

My new blog.
Click here for my latest reported position. (Use the satellite view.)

11

I haven’t really tried any of the high end ones, but I think that the Dixon trad is a nice whistle, and its not to expensive. I would recommend trying out a few cheapies to find what you like in sound before you spend a lot on an expensive whistle.
I just bought a tweaked generation from emtor here on the board.
I haven’t got to play it much (I only got it yesterday) but I like it, and would recommend it. He is also in Europe (Norway).

12

I know you asked for whistle shops/makers in Europe, but I have to recommend John Sindt of the U.S. I have his D whistle and it seems exactly what your looking for. The sound is very crisp and the volume is descent. Overall this is my favorite whistle.

13

In oZ, contact Mitch for an oZ whistle. Cheers, Cyril.

14

Thanks for all the replies. I’ll check out the links and I think I’m probably going to buy a few different cheapies to see what sound I like best.

Btw, I’m from Schilde (Antwerp)

15

I’ve browsed around some sites and I think I’m gonna order from bigwhistle.

A couple of whistles caught my interest.

Dixon Nickel Trad
‘Shush’ Generation High D Brass
Freeman Tweaked Generation Brass Bb

The Dixon was a suggestion I received after mailing the people from bigwhistle and the looks are good so I might as well give it a shot.

The Shush was interesting because it is so quiet, I often get the urge to play in the evening when I can’t make a lot of noise anymore + I hate having everyone in the house listening to my poor attempts at playing ;D

The Freeman was a quite obvious choice for me, I love the Bb sound and a freeman will guarantee the best sound possible. Plus I can compare with my own crappy generation to what extend it was my playing that makes it sound bad and how much of it is to blame on the whistle itself.

16

Hi Enclose

I have all 3 of the whistles you talk about. You won’t go far wrong with them. All fairly cheep, easy to play and sound good.

The Bb is a lovely whistle :slight_smile:

Cheers

17

I think I’ll go with them then :slight_smile:

I’m gonna order them first thing tomorrow