WHISTLE MAKERS: Call for entries

Whistle
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The Northeast Whistle Gathering is coming up on July 29th, 2006.

This will be the third and with workshops and more activities planned, I expect we’ll have more folks than in the past. The first year saw about a dozen or so. The second year easily doubled that, if not more.

One of the highlights of the event is presenting individual whistle collections for others to try. It’s great fun and always generates discussion.

I personally have just aquirred a whistle that has been newly released and I’m looking forward to sharing it with the group.

After discussing the matter with a whistle maker who is a regular on C&F and a familiar face at all three events, I want to offer whistle makers an opportunity to send any samples of their work for the Gathering to try out. It would be like a whistle tour, only it would cover a couple dozen players or more in just one day. A great opportunity for both players and makers really.

I will even supply review forms for people to send you their comments that will be returned with the whistle. You may want to include business cards so people know where to order from. A coupon for Gathering attendees might be a good promotional tool; totally up to you.

If you are interested, you should email me for a shipping address. In the package, please include return postage and instructions on how you want it shipped back. (Carrier, insured, etc.)

The whistles should be marked with some identification. There is no guarantee as to how well these whistles will be watched. I will do my best, but I can not be responsible. I seriously doubt anyone in this group would make off with a whistle, but I have to cover my butt, if ya know what I mean. Better to be safe than sorry.

Send an email to slowair11@hotmail.com
More information on the Gathering can be found at http://www.communitylinks.us/newg06.htm

On behalf of the NE Whistle Gathering, thank you in advance for the opportunity to try your product.

Mike Reagan

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What date do the whistles need to be there by?

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The morning of the 29th. I’d shot for the 28th though. I’ll check the post office before I leave for the event, but the folks at the PO don’t always have things in the box first thing.

Should be enough time.

Mike

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Mike I mailed five whistles to you Monday. Sent them priorty mail so they should be there in time.

  1. One Waltons mellow D with Irvine tweak

  2. One Generation Bb head with 19/32 K&S tubeing drilled for D

  3. One eastern red cedar with delrin plug key of D

  4. One aromatic cedar with delrin fipple key of D

  5. One cpvc fipple delrin plug & clear plastic tone tube key of D

All are relatively quiet except for the Generation.

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I thought for sure that makers would jump at this opportunity. Just a week left to make arrangements if anyone is interested.

Tommy’s whistles arrived yesterday and people will have a good time giving them a try.

Nothing to lose but the cost of postage.

Mike

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Well, at the very least, you’ll have Sweets and Busmans there… :smiley:

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Many ‘pre-event’ thanks to Slow Air for the good work he is doing toward insuring the success of (and a good turn-out for) this year’s Gathering.

It will be my pleasure to bring some fine Overton whistles, received directly from the hands of Colin Goldie while we were ‘across the water’ just last week. The whistles will NOT be for sale or trade, to be sure.

The beauty and quality of Colin’s fine work are exceeded only by the warmth, joy and good fortune that seem to accompany him and Brigitte wherever they go. Meeting up with them in Amsterdam but a few days ago was a special joy to my wife and me–the high point of the trip, without doubt.

Though I doubt that I will ever own anything by Rembrandt–whose workshop we visited–we sure did leave Amsterdam with two masterpieces, one a tunable C and the other a Low F. They will be as sweet sounding a hundred years from now as they are today. The tunable C has an interesting story. I actually bought it at Celtic Fire in Plymouth Mass. a few years ago. When Colin and Brigitte were here in the States in 2004, he offered to ‘tune it up’ but his tools were in the land of lost luggage, and we never got around to it. (The luggage was located and re-claimed, though too late in the visit to give Colin a chance to work his magic on the whistle.) Subsequently, I sent it to him for a look-see. When we met last week, Colin presented me with a challenge–pick the best of THREE tunable C’s he had brought with him. This, despite the fact that the C I had sent him for a tune up was not tunable. It turns out that the one I picked of the three was, in fact, the one I had sent him, though now tunable and in exceedingly fine voice. The Low F is equally dear to me, and I hope one day to make it sound one tenth as fine as it does when Colin plays it.

I look forward to the Gathering. I will be coming from Danbury, Ct. If anyone from that vicinity needs a lift, please drop me a line. I really appreciate the many friendships and the all around fellowship that have come my way through Chiff & Fipple.

By the way, at the Gathering I will be ‘going public’ with the seed of an idea and the beginning of a plan for something of possible interest to the C & F community, but I want to keep it under wraps until then. CLUE: All Ashore Who Are Going Ashore!!

Tom D.