Hi all, I used to post here a long time ago and now I’m back.
I used to have 10ish whistles, but after a couple of moves, it appears I’m down to two: a Clarke Meg D and a Generation nickel Bb. (both purchased pre-2005) Of course I can’t only have two whistles, so I’m in the market for more. I used to have a Clarke Original D and SweeTone C, plus an Acorn D and a Walton Little Black Whistle. Not sure of the others.
Are these still the go-to brands for inexpensive playing? I don’t want to miss out on something good.
Two of the best cheap whistles in my experience, are the Waltons Mellow D (I don’t like the little black one, but maybe I was just unlucky with my specimen) and the Oak. I think the Oak is different enough from the Acorn to try one, even if you already had an Acorn. AFAIK they are from the same company, but the Oak has a thicker barrel (same as the Feadog Pro but the Oak is cheaper) and is tunable out of the box.
I dont have one but Killarney look and sound wonderful, so if you were looking to add something nice and shiny with a higher price tag to your whistle stash, could be a great option. I also like my dixon d trad, is only a tad more expensive than generations and stuff.
In the low price/high whistle category I have, Generation brass & nickel, Feadog, Walton little black, Clarkes Sweetone & Meg, Tony Dixon Trad brass & ABS one piece.
(Slightly higher priced I have Tony Dixon aluminium whistles.)
Another low cost whistle to look at is the Clare. The easiest way to order one is through eBay (they have a store presence). I have a two-piece Clare that is pretty good. YMMV, but I find the Feadog to be a little raspy.
I’m finally getting ready to release my own line of Classic-Generation-inspired high whistles, which I’ve mentioned a few times in the past here. It’s been slow going during the pandemic due to burnout both on the project and my day job. However, I rallied some energy recently and am finishing up the tonebodies for E, Eb, and D, and I’ll be sending them on a whistle tour if folks are interested here. These whistles feature a powerful low octave (you can even honk the bell note a bit) yet a sweet high octave that doesn’t stray into piercing if one plays with good technique. My “red top” model is the closest to an old Gen, and has a lot of nice scratch and ‘free articulations,’ which is what I call those distinctive crossing noises they make. The “blue top” model is a little mellower and rounder sounding, although with fewer free articulations.
Oddly enough, the tonebodies are the part that’s been the most head-scratching to me. My headjoint design took a long time to dial in, sure, but I understand a lot more about how the key dimensions interact with each other there than in the barrel. Always more to learn!
I really hope you intend to include some industrial strength sanitiser with that.
I’d be happy, and curious, enough to give one of these whistles a spin, should the opportunity arise, but am not convinced this is the right time to send windinstruments from one person to the next.
No need for industrial strength sanitizer, just a simple solution of 70% or better of alcohol and water will kill the virus per the US CDC if my memory serves me correctly. Since this past May I have bought over 3 dozen whistles. About 80% of them were used. I treated each one as though it hadn’t been cleaned and gave them a good washing with the sanitizer before they ever touched my lips. No problems.
Also to my knowledge most viruses dont live very long on not living things. So by the time it gets to the next person most of anything in the whistle will be dead.
Also to my knowledge most viruses dont live very long on not living things.
Coronavirus will survive up to 72 hours on plastic and some metals. Where I live the postal system still manages next day delivery most of the time. YMMV. I am no germophobe but currently it’s probably best to err on the side of caution when sending around things you blow droplets into.
While I’ve seen many data sources say COVID will survive only about 3 or 4 days on “non-living” surfaces like kitchen tables, door handles, packaging surfaces, etc., presume it could survive longer in areas of trapped moisture or organic accumulations, such as in the nooks and crannies of mechanical devices musicians or homeowners use that collect saliva, finger oils, small shards of nachos or popcorn husks, etc., you know what I’m talking about. It could be a whistle, or it could be water taps in the kitchen, or the fridge door handle, computer keyboards, computer mice, etc.
So I’d err on the side of caution when buying something, and when receiving something, give it the required 4 days before opening, then if it’s a used item such as a whistle, take apart anything that can be taken apart, clean them with strong cleansers that typically kill organic material instantly, dry them, inspect them to see that there are no areas where dirt could get trapped, and then let the item sit another four days before using it … especially with anything you’re putting in your mouth, inhaling through, putting in contact with your skin, near your face, etc..
If for any reason you need to use the item sooner, such as to protect a warranty or “return free within 7 days” deals, then use maximum precaution to protect yourself, act as if the COVID virus is there, and work around it.
While I appreciate and support the caution folks express toward sharing of wind instruments at this time, I think some of the thoughts expressed above are overkill. Speaking as someone in the medical arena as well as a former Quality Control analyst in an ISO-6 cleanroom, a brief soak in 70% or greater isopropyl alcohol will kill any coronavirus particles. “Industrial strength sanitizer,” like the peroxidized vinegar we used in the cleanroom, is absolutely overkill and has a tendency to corrode many different materials.
There are currently NO reported cases of anyone becoming infected via the mail. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, or that it couldn’t happen, but it does inform what level of caution is appropriate.
A whistle tour from me would include instructions for safe handling, including sanitizing the whistle and its case, and a recommendation that particularly vulnerable parties leave the package in a warm place (70F or above) for five days before opening, and repeating the sanitization before playing.
The tour would also be divided by region - UK folks will be playing the UK whistle, Continental lads the US one etc, both for postage efficiency and keeping transferred materials within their own epidemiological bubble.
Also, I realized last night that I missed a conversion factor which fucked up 3 days worth of math for the tonebodies, so there will be plenty of time to agree on a safe protocol and get full informed consent from those participating.
Edit: what is this “bleep” business? We’re not twelve.
