Have been looking for a while for a fabric (breathable) roll to take an ever-enlarging collection of whistles and flutes, the MK one was no longer available when I checked, and a USA based maker also seemed to have shut down.
Ended up ordering a handmade one in hemp, felt and linen to take 10 instruments ranging from a spare C barrel for a D Alba, through to a low C in case I buy one in future. Material and hardware were my choice, Liepa (https://www.peopleperhour.com/freelancer/design/liepa-jasinskyte-graphic-designer-ywqzvwa) is probably used to working with brighter fabrics (@homoalium on Instagram).
Worked out at £150 plus ‘People per Hour’ fees, makes it easy to keep them all together for gigs and to bring them in from a practice session down the shed, so worth it to me just for the increased security and protection.
Took a while and quite a few messages to finish the project as we worked through each stage of the project - feel free to use the same specification if you want!
I want to get one, figured I’d adapt a stick bag. Bags for drum sticks and mallets generally are around 18" long. they are designed to be hung up, usually on a floor tom for easy access. Does anyone use one of these?
I did try a stick bag with wider pockets for multiple sticks, ok for some old recorders and similar, but too short for the G and D flutes and F whistle.
Got a cheap spanner roll that takes tin whistles. Double height, so tall enough if top row not used, but pockets too narrow for the fatter ones.
Have been using a nylon case made for 4 traditional Chinese bamboo flutes, even had a pocket for the tuner. Long enough, cheap, pockets great for the flutes but limited space, even doubling up the whistles. Also, wanted a breathable fabric.
This is what I use to store a few whistles. I really don’t have any use for anything much larger, one whistle hidden in a jacket pocket or camera bag suffices. I travel light as much as i can.
Walker & Williams also has a discontinued roll / bag (DSB-2, DSB-1 shown above) at $64 with pockets for eight twenty inch whistles / sticks and two utility pockets. It rolls up and goes into a canvas bag. I found one on Reverb offered for $60. As it had been for sale for five months the seller accepted my $40 offer.
That reminds me of how I stored my whistles at the house; on a socket stand from a hardware store, like this one. I put a stone on each end to keep it stable, and kept it against a wall so it didn’t tip. I’ve been carrying around whistles and the smaller wood ethnic flutes in thick wool socks for years, maybe I aught to get one of those cases that carries 8+ whistles and accessories.
For storage at home when practicing, I use a plastic peg board fixed onto the wall above a bench.. Adjustable hooks at the bottom, with paracord loops at the top.
They’re all D whistles. They’re all I play in session. I usually only bring one out. But I bring a mix of high-enders in case I run into other whistlers who want to try them out. It’s a public service
When I lived in Houston, I played with a band that had singers. Were that still the case, this would be filled with a variety of keys.
Arrived just before Christmas. I’d been considering the 8-whistle roll case.. but was offered this new prototype by Pinegrove. Love it. 4 large pouches to rear and 7 regular whistle pouches to front. The back section is showing with Low-F burke which is the biggest possible (assembled). The Ellis F flute is “just fits” length. All surprisingly compact when rolled up. Nice shoulder strap for carrying.
The large pouches #3 will take a D-flute pratten sized body and the head/barrel fit the (slightly wider) #5/#6 pouches take my hamilton head joint/barrel and foot joint. However I’ve decided against transporting the D flute in this case.
Ah, I see! What a cool thing, sort of a travelling D whistle exhibition. My setup does have the problem of having nothing to loan, unless I loan my high D and play my Low D.
Years ago I had just come off stage (playing flute and whistle with a Celtic band) and a guy came up and started chatting whistles.
He said he had around 200 high D whistles. He started rattling off names: every maker I’d ever heard of and plenty I hadn’t.
He didn’t have a single whistle with him. Was he a player? Or a non-playing collector? I’ll never know.
I’ll wager one thing: that if I played all 200 of his D whistles there wouldn’t be any that I would trade for my 1980 Feadog.
Back to the roll question, I’m just going to make one. None that I’ve seen have a long enough flap, stand up by themselves on stage, and have all the right slots. I’m picky, yes.
I do use a chef’s knife roll (trifold) sometimes, and I have a huge flannel roll custom made for a class set of 30 Generation D’s (when those are squawking away you bet I haul out a Susato to compete!).
I’m also thinking of making mine with hard inserts and clips so it will sit nicely on the base of a tripod mic stand. I’ve stopped playing at places where I can hang stuff from the chicken-wire.
