Anyone care to guess who made this brass Low D without markings? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brass-Low-Whistle-D-tuning-/190864529410?pt=UK_Woodwind_Instruments&hash=item2c70699802
It resembles a Chieftain.
My thoughts too but surely it would have been stamped as such!
I have seen similar for sale @ McNeill’s. Indian/Asian made I believe.
That’s a Chieftain Gold Low D-hardly any doubt in my mind. If I recall, they were not stamped Chieftain, only the key stamp on the bottom end, as is this one. That’s an old vinyl Chieftain bag too.
All you have to do to verify it is to ask how heavy it is, and wait for the response-VERY!!!, from the seller. But all the contours, etc say it’s for real-or a great copy of the old style Chieftains. Not many would do a copy in such heavy brass, I don’t think-that probably requires some dedicated machinery, I would imagine.
Anyway, good luck to the bidders-should be a nice catch if you can get it for a decent price. Whether or not it would suit you, is of course, another matter-but it would be interesting to be able to find out. Not many come up for sale anymore.
Thanks! Interesting!
This is exactly a Chieftain Gold. I have this whistle in a few keys but not Low D. In fact, I have a WTT/WTB listing active on the UIE right now for this exact instrument. I love them but they are a beast to play, loud and heavy,…you could drive nails with them.
The tone is amazing.
Thanks for the link. I’m all over this one.
ecohawk
I’m not sure how the OS Chieftain plays. Do they have low back pressure or fairly high backpressure? I’ve read conflicting reviews at http://pipersgrip.50webs.com/OS.html and http://www.tinwhistler.com/reviews.aspx.
Well, nobody answered my last question . . . but I’ve won it!!! So I’ll be able to find out myself. Since the seller wouldn’t ship outside the UK there wasn’t too much competition. I own a couple of Goldie Low Ds but have never played/owned a Chieftain and Tony Hinnigan’s love for the Gold Low D had me very curious. I should have it Thursday afternoon and will be very interested to see and hear how it plays. It looks to be in excellent condition. I’m hoping I really take to it but given its weight and loudness it might yet end up in Used Instruments!!
Congrats, Mike-you’ll be able to find out for yourself and your experience how you would describe it. From what I remember-and it’s been a while, they have more back pressure than the regular OS Chieftain in aluminum, but certainly not high back pressure (I’ve only played one with high back pressure, and that was a Goldie Overton). So, I would say medium to low, but it definitley has some back pressure-probably more than the Reviol you had. Again though-it could vary just from whistle to whistle too.
It’s an experience any low whistler should have if they can, getting to play a Chieftain Gold Low D-but watch out for your teeth! You could easily knock a couple out if you’re not careful-maybe better to play slower pieces on it and not get too excited while playing one! 
Have fun, and keep us posted. Sure it wouldn’t be hard to sell it here again if you don’t take to it-but give it a little time to see. It’s a pretty unique whistle.
Mike,
An OS low D Chieftain that I have could be described as having fairly low back pressure. I would describe it as a easy blower that takes a bit of air. This pipe gives good latitude with regards to being able to push each note before breaking octaves. Also having a clean breaking separation between octaves.
For comparison, (knowing you like Goldies) I’ve a Goldie low D marked .97 that I would describe as more than a medium blower with the higher notes of the second octave really needing a push. This pipe gives significantly more NPB (notes per breath) than the chieftain.
Thanks for the thoughts. Despite its medium backpressure, a Goldie with a 0.97mm windway is Colin’s standard soft-blower and I have one. I also have a 1.0mm which is a bit softer and like John McSherry’s apparently. Colin’s medium blower would be 0.90mm (high 0.80mm). But I’m very open to trying something with less backpressure even though it will require more air. Colin has made 1.1mm and 1.2mm Low Ds and one of these days I will ask him more about them. I wonder how they would compare with the Chieftain OS . . . or the Reviol.
It does sound a weighty whistle but is it any less dangerous to play than the aluminium equivalent? I’m always aware of teeth and don’t have a whistle in my mouth until I’m standing in front of my music stand. The only Low D I’ll play while sat at my desk is the lightweight plastic Dixon Low D. Oh. Maybe the extra weight would make it potentially more damaging!!
Am I right in thinking the Gold is identical to the OS? I thought I remember someone saying that it was made somewhere between the OS & NR and had characteristics of both.
Yes Mike, I think the Golds are identical to the OS, except for a little shorter windway height. I also don’t remember my OS Chieftain Alu having as large E and A holes, like on the Gold, (only had one Alu though, compared to 4 Gold Low D’s). But I might not remember the Alu version hole size exactly-again, it’s been a while. Other than that, they appear identical in mouthpiece contours, etc.
The Golds were not overly responsive, just like the regular OS Chieftains. The NR (new range) Chieftains improved in response, as did the Kerry Pros. But for slow tunes, the Golds and OS excelled in tonal character, even if they weren’t the most responsive whistles out there. Expressive-very so.
But yes, the extra weight (1 pound) of the Gold Low D’s can be dangerous-even more so than other much lighter whistles. Just tap a tooth lightly with yours when you get it, and you’ll understand.
Thanks Barry. It’s the slow stuff I love the most, especially Davy Spillane’s stuff, so I’m looking forward to discovering the tone. Only hope I can play the weighty thing!!
You can play it-just give it a little time to get used to it. It’s like anything else-with practice, it keeps getting better. Enjoy the experience!
It arrived today! What a weight . . . though the brass does have a lovely soft warm feel to it! The Chieftain Gold has a lovely tone. No surprises there . . . though not as nice as my Goldie soft blower IMHO. Each to his own but I’ve not found anything yet to compare with Colin’s whistles. I won’t rush into a decision but, given my finances are limited, I don’t think it will a keeper. It’s a lovely clean example of the Gold . . . but I don’t imagine it would get played much.
Whether or not it would suit you, is of course, another matter
I don’t think it does but its interesting finding out.
For most of the folks here it is the “wait” that gets mentioned first.
Feadoggie
Hi Mike,
If you decide you want to sell the Gold, I think ecohawk might be interested. He’s been looking for one for a while.
Blessings bro,
Randy
Randy would be right about that. These are beasts but they are a great outdoor whistle if you’ve got the lungs (and biceps) for them.
thanks,
ecohawk